The Lightning Thief , the movie, is due out in February, and my kids can't wait!
The movie is based on the five-book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. My 9-year old son read all five of them last fall in about 2 weeks. I couldn't tear him away from those books! Ever since, his all consuming interest has been Greek and Roman mythology. I think he has read every book the library has on Greek and Roman mythology, and has branched out into Norse mythology. Any home schooler basing their curriculum on The Well-Trained Mind knows that mythology is required reading.
The gods still rule--from high atop the Empire State Building in New York City-- and they still fall in love with humans with whom they have children. Children who are demi-gods: half god, half human. Percy is one such child, although he doesn't know it until he is attacked by a school teacher turned Harpy and fights off a raging Minotaur!
I'm reading the books to my children, and they are enjoying them just as much as the Harry Potter Series. The boy I take care of after school, who doesn't particularly like reading and wasn't interested in having storytime, asks if we can read another chapter as soon as I pick him up every afternoon. These stories are page turners, and every child who has ever been the underdog or picked on by other kids will laugh out loud when Percy turns the tables.
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With my boys, who are also big fans, we discussed (and charted and wrote about) the comparisons between the Harry Potter series and the Percy Jackson books. It was a very easy way to accomplish some "analytical comparative literature" as I think my old college course was called!
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