This is the third book in the most exciting commercial fantasy adventure series since "Artemis Fowl". Now in paperback with a thrilling new cover look. It's the last Friday before the winter holidays but Percy Jackson isn't at school: he's battling the fearsome Manticore (half human, half lion), which in itself isn't ideal...but with Annabeth missing and the goddess of the hunt held captive, things get a whole lot more serious...Greek mythology relocated to modern-day America. Action-packed, funny, accessible writing for both boys and girls aged 10 and above. This title is perfect for fans of "Harry Potter" and "Artemis Fowl".

About the Author

Rick Riordan is an award-winning mystery writer. For the past fifteen years he has taught at middle schools in the San Francisco Bay area and in Texas. Rick lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two sons. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was Rick's first novel featuring the heroic young demi-god. It was also the overall winner of the Red House Childrens' Book Award in 2006.

Reviews

Picking up where The Sea of Monsters (full of "humor, intelligence and expert pacing," according to a starred PW review) left off, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, journeys to Westover Hall after getting a distress call from his best friend Grover (introduced as a satyr in The Lighting Thief). Once there, Grover informs Percy and their other friend Annabeth (the daughter of Zeus) about two new half-bloods, with unknown parentage. Unprepared for the battle that lies ahead, the three friends must contend with these new half-bloods and survive the sinister machinations of the Titan Lord Kronos in The Titan's Curse, the third installment of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. (Disney, $17.95 320p ages 10-up ISBN 978-1-4231-0145-1; May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Praise for The Titan's Curse, and other books in the Percy Jackson series: 'Witty and inspired. Gripping, touching and deliciously satirical...This is most likely to succeed Rowling. Puffin is on to a winner' - Amanda Craig, The Times 'Funny and fast-paced ... Percy is a hero that every kid will want to emulate' - Sunday Express 'Funny ... very exciting ... but it's the storytelling that will get readers hooked. After all, this is the stuff of legends' - Guardian 'One of the books of the year ... vastly entertaining' - Independent 'Cool, mad and very funny!' - Flipside

Gr 6-9-In this installment, Riordan continues to enliven ancient mythology with wit, contemporary staging, and teenage heroics. Percy Jackson is now 14, a bit older and wiser, yet still entangled with the Fates. Friends, monsters, dysfunctional gods, and the romantic stirrings of all things natural and mythological are encountered. His good friend, if oft-time rival, Annabeth (daughter of Athena) is missing, as is Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Joined by best buddy Grover-the-goat-boy and an argumentative array of accomplices, Percy sets off to fulfill, and hopefully foil, the foreboding prophecy of the Oracle. Plagued by ominous dreams, thwarted by hideous monsters, and challenged by conflicting partnerships, the search party's success hinges on unlikely unity. The droll pitch is teen-perfect, as when Apollo heats up the scene by arriving in his fire-red Maserati, wearing jeans, a sleeveless T-shirt, and loafers. "`Wow,' Thalia muttered, `Apollo is hot.' `He's the sun god,' I said. `That's not what I meant.'" Intricate prophecies and relationships are neatly braided into the adventurous plot. Teachers will cheer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians as they inspire students to embrace Greek mythology and score the ultimate Herculean challenge: getting kids to read. All in all, a winner of Olympic proportions and a surefire read-aloud.-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.