Sidney-Kaila

= Week 3 Adult: Kaila Sheddlebower = Student: Sidney Steed Book Title: //The Lightning Thief// Pages Read; 107-242

The main character of this book is Perseus Jackson. I realized after I read this that Perseus was the one who slew Medusa, the snake-headed gorgon. Percy is dyslexic and has ADHD. His friends are Grover, the satyr, and Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom. His father is Poseidon, the god of the sea. Percy is chosen to go on a quest to find Zeus’ lightning bolt. Zeus had gotten into a fight with Poseidon, and that had made him think that Poseidon had stolen the lightning bolt. They have made it as far as ST. Louis, and Echidna, who mothered legendary beasts like the Chimera (a lion with a snake tail and a goat’s head in his back) and Cerberus (a three headed dog), attacked Percy, and left a smoking hole in the Gateway Arch. They met Medusa, and when ‘Aunty Em’ tried to ‘take a picture’, or turn them into stone, Percy took his Latin teacher’s sword-pen and cut her head off. They later met Ares, god of war, and had to return his shield. He had been cheating with Charis, who was cheating Hephaestus, and on a date, he left his shield in an abandoned park ride. When Percy and the gang went to find it, a trap was sprung, and they narrowly made it out. The book is amazing! I love how they incorporate so much mythology into one book! I love it! My favorite part was when they met Echidna, because I love the Chimera and Cerberus. I can’t imagine a Chihuahua turning into a lion! It’s hilarious. I think that Ares and his ‘girlfriend’ had to meet in an abandoned water park, and when the kids went to get it, Hephaestus had set a trap to catch Ares and his girlfriend together is hilarious. It’s so funny to see that even high and mighty people do bad things too. So, how have you been doing? I’ve been doing okay. Yes, I watch Monster Quest, but not the other show. My favorite is the Jersey Devil. (You know. A lady had thirteen kids and the last was a devil, yada yada yada) FYI, I missed that episode of House. Sorry! I have had several people ask about my stories and said they were really good. I appreciate once again your involvement in Reading Rocks! Sincerely, Sidney :-)

Week 4 Kaila Shedelbower Sidney Steed pgs 242-375

Ok, so I am going to admit now that I read the entire book within the first week of getting it because I couldn’t put it down. Last weekend at Wal-Mart I bought books 2-4 to start reading this weekend. I am so glad you picked this book. I had a lot of fun reading it.

I am glad that they let the animals out on their way to Vegas. I thought it was neat how Percy was able to talk to the zebra and not the other animals, and come to find out later on, Poseidon created horse. I did not know that. And then the hotel? Wouldn’t that be great to play all the time forever and not age! The only thing is you wouldn’t see your friends and family. But it might be worth it, ;). I also liked the card that had an unlimited amount of money and how the taxi driver drove 90 all the way to the west coast. I thought the author did a great job on the way he illustrated the gateway to Hades and the souls. He put a current twist on the entrance, with the video cameras. All animals need love, even Cerberus. Towards the end of book, the prophecy of “you will fail to save the one you love” is put into play, but is this really it? I mean, she ends up being saved anyways. I think there is something left to this part of the prophecy. At the end, after saving everyone and preventing the war, he finally meets his dad. He was a little disappointed at first but then realized that his father does love him. I have a feeling, because of Zeus, Poseidon is not able to express his true feelings. But Percy learns that his fate will not be a good one if he lives a life as a Hero, which he choose to do. And we also find out that Luke is the bad guy! So, all said and done, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

I wouldn’t change the end of the book because it leaves the story open to new adventures and makes you wonder what is going to happen next. I think the lesson that is trying to be taught here is keeping trying and you will be able to overcome any obstacle to reach your goal.

So who is this Procrustes guy? And what exactly is a Chimera? My week is going good. I got done with school for the semester but I have to start back up again May 10th for my summer classes. And yes, I have seen the one about the Jersey Devil. So, do you think these people are crazy or do you think there really is something out there?? Maybe sometime you can send me one of your stories so I could read it.

I never got into mythology until the past couple of years and I am learning a lot. It makes me see how people from that time period can use these stories to help explain what goes on within the world. So, thank you for getting me to read this book!

= Week 4 Adult: Kaila Sheddlebower = Student: Sidney Steed Book Title: //The Lightning Thief// Pages Read: 242-end

This is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. I left off from last week when the kids were about to get a ride on a truck to Los Angeles. They end up sharing the ride with a zebra, lion and antelope thing. When they get to LA, they have a showdown on the beach with what I believe was a form of Hades, and narrowly escape. Afterwards, they meet Charon, or the guy that you have to pay to get into the Underworld. Percy ended up giving him a lot of money, so much that they basically bought him off. As they entered the Underworld, they met the Cerberus, which is a huge three-headed dog. Each of the three heads points each soul to the correct line. At first, Percy tried to throw it a bedpost as a stick. They got the bedpost on the way to LA. They crossed the River Styx, and went into the Underworld, and had a final showdown with Hades. They find out that Ares, god of war, is the one who gave the Master bolt to Hades so he could see Zeus and Poseidon start a war. After retrieving the bolt, Percy goes to New York and to the Empire State Building. On the 600th floor, Mount Olympus awaits him. There, he meets his father, and also meets Zeus. He gives back the bolt, but Zeus says he’ll never trust him. He gets back to Half-Blood Hill, and soon leaves his cabin to see his mother again. Percy really changed a lot. He went from having no friends to three friends, and from being a bad kid to a hero. The theme of this book is probably it’s what’s on the inside that counts. You could be a terrible person on the outside, but on the inside, you can be the best person on the planet. Some questions I have about the book are; will romance develop? Will Percy get into a situation he can’t get out of? Will his father play a bigger role later? There are five books, so I’m sure I’ll find out. By they way, a Chimara is a son of Edchidna, who also had another son; the Cerberus. It's a lion with the tail of a snake and a goat head coming from its back. It also spits fire. It was slayed by the hero Bellerophon. I don’t honestly think I would change this any other way. I think the ending Mr. Riordan has picked was wonderful. I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing! It used so much Mythology in it and I think Mr. Riordan is a fabulous writer. I absolutely know that I would recommend this book to a lot of people, mythology fan or not.

I agree that I think anyone would like this book. I started reading the second book in the series, and if you haven't started yet I think you will love it. I starts off just where the first book left off, with a few reminders of what happened in the first book. I can't wait to meet you Tuesday!