Lightning Thief, the

Using Greek myths as a premise for paranormal fiction is a pretty great idea. That's the deal with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It's a reasonably Harry Potter readalike, but a little self-conscious for my taste. It's a first person narration that's too...cool? Uncool? Forced? Even so The Lightning Thief is a compelling read with some unexpected plot twists, but also some oh-my-dog-will-you-figure-it-out-already elements. I'm not sure whether to bother with the second book, but if you're more interested in the tween genre than I am, you might have more interest in the series. I hear it's also getting kids interested in Greek mythology, so that's cool.