Love Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief? Let’s see who you most relate to.
After years of knowing The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson’s movie adaptation has officially become ten years old. As a fan of Percy Jackson, I am always excited to see when the name pops up on the TV guide. I begin to remember my childhood, which wasn’t that long ago, but to me, it was one of the best movies to come after the Harry Potter series.
Like the Harry Potter series, this adaptation came from one of the most popular books of the 2010s. The Lightning Thief introduced us to Percy Jackson, a dyslexic preteen, who was unable to keep focused on his schoolwork or control his temper. Being away at Boarding School, it only seemed to be getting worse, especially when Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster. After his mother finds out, she decides to inform Percy of his origin and takes him to Camp Half-Blood where she hoped that he would be safe. There he discovers that his father is Poseidon, God of the Sea. In order to save the world from a war between the gods, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth set out on a journey across the US to reach the gates of the Underworld, which is conveniently located in a recording studio in Hollywood.
Adapted on February 12, 2010, from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson wasn’t liked as much as the producers hoped. Although the box office made $226.4 million, many fans were disappointed that it did not stick to the glory of the book. Instead of being the preteen that we have come to love, Percy “has been bumped up in age from 12 to 17.” I personally didn’t find a problem with it because no movie adaptation ever sticks solely to the books.
Fans are not the only people that had problems with Disney’s attempt with the movie. Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series, felt as though Disney could have done a better job with the movie. So much so, that Riordan refuses to be associated with any of the movies. After a teacher tweeted a showing of the Sea of Monsters, Riordan tweeted, “No. Stop. Please. No class deserves such a punishment. I mourn the loss of perfectly good classroom time.” He even went as far as writing a letter to the teacher to explain his disapproval of the movie adaptations that have come out from the series.
It has been rumored that Percy Jackson will be coming back to the screens as a TV show. There is no release date yet, but hopefully, it is closer to the liking of Riordan and the fans that need to Percy Jackson to be represented as the book intended.
What a memeable boy that Percy Jackson is. He’s dyslexic, he’s angry, and honestly, he’s the representation we angry dyslexics deserve (I nearly spelled angry in the wrong order just there). But the books are absolutely packed with icons, and they deserve some attention.
I mean, a lack of parental approval is terrible, but god, a cool parent? Ttyl? Wouldn’t your blood just run cold? Plus, he’s just like… save the world yet? Like, how about you save the world for once, DAD. GOD. Like, sure, you’re not going to be smote, but he’s not remembering your birthday.
Honestly it had never occurred to me that Annabeth Chase and Amy Santiago are the same person, but like… Plus, her dad’s one thing, but most of the divine parents are NOT shiny happy people. I just wonder how Percy ended up doing his research. You know Annabeth’s dad has a favorite watch maker.
I mean, a bad plan is probably still better than no plan. Plus, the gods are really pretty reactive. It’s not like basically anyone is going to inherit anything useful from THAT quarter. The Athena kids are out there like… please be smart… and everyone else is full Hulk just smashing things.
Usually very good advice. Usually. Enemies, people who step on your feet on the train, coworkers. For monsters? Sure, you can HOPE. Everyone WANTS to be friends with some unnatural beasts. Imagine like, stray cats, but it’s all manticores and griffins and stuff, gently headbutting to get in on cold nights.
In fairness, that’s mad cute. I mean, mad cute. Like, sure, plenty of demigods would go ham and risk their life, probably for total strangers. But one of those impulsive, inattentive weirdos studying all night just to be with someone? That means something. Athena’s kind of right.
You already know about the YouTube hit that is CinemaSins, the channel that critiques movies and points out all on-screen offenses under the sun. Superhero movies are obviously not excluded, and CinemaSins co-creator Jeremy Scott decided to write his debut novel about the kinds of disabled superheroes “that superhero culture would marginalize,” according to an interview with Publishers Weekly.
With The Ables, Scott has inspired younger generations with a tale about kids with disabilities who become the superheroes they weren’t sure they could be. He’s proven the importance of telling these stories, especially when told appropriately, and even has a sequel, Strings, arriving shortly in September.
Here are five other YA novels about characters who struggle with their disabilities, find their strengths, and hopefully find a happy ending or peace with their circumstances.
Image via Audiobooks For Soul
#1 New York Times bestselling author Rick Riordan taught English and history for fifteen years before his Percy Jackson series stardom. Between his teaching background and telling inspiring bedtime stories to his son who has ADHD and dyslexia, Riordan was uniquely qualified to bring us a protagonist who struggled with his perceived (pun intended) weaknesses before finding his Olympian-level strengths.
Image via Amazon
Percy Jackson has struggled in school because of his dyslexia and ADHD, but after he enters the world of mythical Gods and monster he learns from his friend Annabeth, child of Athena, that:
You’re impulsive, can’t sit still in the classroom…That’s your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they’d keep you alive.
Here, Percy learns that his disabilities are not a result of him being less, but simply the trade-offs of being a powerful demigod and part of the Ancient Olympian family tree. Then, as the books go on, Percy and his friends rely on his ADHD mind to save the world time and time again from various ancient threats, ultimately embracing his strengths as well as the new family that he is now a part of.
Having gained recognition by posting her work on Wattpad in 2011, Alison Gervais took time out of her busy schedule of rereading Harry Potter, watching Supernatural and Law and Order: SVU, and enjoying life with her husband and their two cats, Jane and Smoke, to bring us this August release.
Image Via Amazon
Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year means Maya will be leaving Pratt School for the Deaf. Now she’s attending Engelmann High, a public school, where everyone except for her can hear and be heard.
When Engelmann’s student body president, Beau Watson, starts using ASL in order to talk to her, Maya is suspicious he has a hidden agenda. Then, when Maya passes up a chance to receive a cochlear implant, Beau doesn’t understand why Maya wouldn’t want to hear again. Maya would rather simply remain true to herself.
Publisher’s Weekly writes that “…Gervais adroitly pulls readers into her world—conveying ASL through all caps and spelled-out words—as well as her work navigating the deaf and hearing worlds and her awareness of who she is,” and we here at Bookstr hope that Gervais will bring us another book sooner rather than later—although we too are busy rereading the Harry Potter series.
Image via Natasha Friend
Friend’s first three books, Perfect, Lush, and Bounce, all won awards and acclaim, her 2012 novel My Life in Black and White won an award, and her 2018 novel is one you need to read right now.
Image via Amazon
After developing alopecia, Quinn lost her friends along with her hair. In addition to her autistic brother, she also has to deal with sexual harassment from fellow students.
Quinn catches a break when her family moves. A new start in a new town at a new school. At school she meets Jake, a former football player who lost his legs after an accident caused by his brother. The two feel a connection, but first, they have to learn to trust others once more…
Publisher’s Weekly writes that “[s]mall acts of kindness balance the cruelty Quinn has suffered, and the message that single characteristics don’t define who people are, invites contemplation” and we here at Bookstr say this that, since this book was released last year in 2018, then you should definitely have it on your bookshelf.
Image via Shirley Reva Vernick
Author of the Sydney Taylor Honor–winning The Blood Lie, Shirley Reva Vernick brought us something for anyone with a heart to enjoy with this 2013 release.
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Summer looks like it’s going to be a drag for Johnny. When his mother gets a job in upstate New York, far away from Vermont, Johnny is sent to live with his aunt and cousin for the summer. This wouldn’t be so bad if not for his cousin, Remember Dippy.
Yep, you read that right, his cousin’s name is Remember Dippy. And, for Johnny, that isn’t the worst of it. Remember Dippy likes his days to follow a certain order, and any disorder or excitement is a recipe for disaster. This is because Remember Dippy is autistic.
Things go awry when a pet ferret goes missing, a close friend suffers a fall, and a new love interest might change Remember’s life in ways he doesn’t even suspect.
Kirkus Reviews calls this “[a]n enjoyable and provocative exploration of the clash between ‘normal’ and ‘different’ and how similar the two really are,” and we couldn’t agree more!
Image via Yalsa
Terry Trueman brought us the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award in 2001, and we’ve all been talking about it since.
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Shawn McDaniel has cerebral palsy and his entire body is affected; he has absolutely no control over any of his bodily functions, but his memory is pitch-perfect. Sadly, his family thinks he’s a fool.
The novel follows Shawn as he tries to find what we all strive for – a connection – especially since his father Sydney McDaniel talks constantly about euthanasia.
Kirkus Reviews once wrote that “…Shawn will stay with readers, not for what he does, but for what he is and has made of himself,” but we have to say that is an understatement. Throughout the novel, Shawn himself introduces the reader to his life—his family, his school life, and his condition. It’s a meditative read that can be morose, even violent, and will shake you to your very core.
Featured Image via Turner Publishing
