Did You Know its the the 10th Anniversary of the Percy Jackson series? #ReadRiordan

Disclosure: I will receive books, merchandise and prizes from Disney-Hyperion in exchange for sharing this information and my honest opinion.

I don’t remember when but I remember reading the first book, The Lightning Thief, and loving it. I remember being so excited for the second book and yes I was an adult when I read it. I had worked at a book store and I always read the popular books so I knew what customers were talking about and that was one of them. I was hooked with each book that came out and then so excited to see the movies.

CELEBRATE PERCY’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY with The Lightning Thief, the book that started the internationally best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF has sold millions of copies worldwide, appears on school reading lists nationwide, and inspired a major motion picture. Accolades include:

• Included in Time Magazine’s 2014 List of 100 best Young-Adult Books of All Times
• A New York Times Notable Book of 20015
• A Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
• A School Library Journal Best Book of 2005
• More than 6 year on the New York Times Best Sellers List (and counting!)

Now that I have my own kids and my oldest is 8 years old, I can’t wait to start reading (or should I say re-reading) the series with him and his brother. He hasn’t seen any of the movies yet and right now is Percy Jackson clueless. So I started telling him about the series and I could see him getting excited. I love when books get people, especially kids, excited before they even read the book, it just goes to show what a great story it is going to be.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse–Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends–one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena–Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Stay Connected with The Percy Jackson series:

Rick Riordan WEBSITE | Rick Riordan FACEBOOK | Rick Riordan INSTAGRAM | Rick Riordan TWITTER

Since I haven’t read the books for quite some time now, I figured it was a good idea to brush up before I start reading with my kids. I have always been fascinated with mythology and greek gods but it can definitely get confusing with all the names of everyone and what they are the god of.

The Rick Riordan Activity Kits feature everything a reader would need to familiarize themselves with the series, characters and places they are in. They are fun kits for each book plus other kits on more specific parts such as heroes and Egyptians.

Here are some of the activity kits available and yes they are free to download and print!

From one of the Rick Riordan activity kits:

Did You Know . . . ?

• Gaia was the grandmother of Prometheus, who tricked Zeus in order to give man the gift of fire—in the ancient world, the symbol of learning and technology.

• Gaia’s “birth” from Chaos was understood by the Greeks as the receding of the void to reveal the earth. The Roman writer Ovid altered the concept of Chaos to be understood as an unformed primordial mass.

• Most all of Gaia’s many children were objects of awe and fear for believers of Greco-Roman mythology: from the monstrous giants and Cyclopes to the terrifying Titans.

• In artistic representations, Gaia was almost always portrayed as an attractive woman half-buried in the earth—a kind of reversal of the Egyptian sky goddess Nut from the Kane Chronicles.

• For both Greeks and Romans, an oath sworn on Gaia was considered one of the most binding, since there was no way to escape earth if it was violated. Even in ancient times, it wasn’t wise to swear on your mother!

DON’T MISS:

The Lightning Thief will be discounted to $.99 across all eBook accounts for one full week (6/15-6/22). It also includes a sneak peek chapter excerpt from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book One: The Sword of Summer.

BARNES & NOBLE COLLECTOR’S EDITION – The perfect gift for new and faithful Percy fans: Barnes & Noble offers customers an exclusive Collector’s Edition of The Lightning Thief to celebrate the 10th anniversary. This version includes extra content from both author and illustrator as well as a specially designed jacket and endpapers. Purchase here.

10^TH ANNIVERSARY ACTIVITY KIT – Available starting June 12^th, visit ReadRiordan.com to download a special 10th anniversary Percy Pack Activity Kit.

WIN IT:  (1) US winner will receive the Complete Percy Jackson and the Olympians box set

Open to US addresses only. Prizing provided by Disney-Hyperion.

Need help entering a giveaway?  Check out my blog post for some help!

GIVEAWAY ENTRY:

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This Giveaway Ends July 3, 2015.