Lightening Thief

[babygemma]

Hi, would my sensitive 8.5 yo ds be spooked by this series? i just posted separately that he just recently had the courage to start harry potter. judging by that, is this appropriate for him and if so, will he need to have some understanding of greek mythology to understand the story?

 

thanks.

[Veritaserum]

I'm almost done reading The Lightning Thief to my 10, 8, and 5yo dds. There are some battle scenes, but I don't recall anything particularly gruesome. There are ghosts and spirits because they visit the Underworld. You will probably want to pre-read it. I pre-read the whole series and enjoyed it. It's a great intro to Greek mythology. My oldest got impatient and read ahead of us. She's done with the whole series and is excited that she's going to be reading the actual myths this year as part of school. My kids aren't sensitive, though, so I'm not sure if Percy Jackson would be too much for your ds or not.

[Jen+4dc]

No understanding of greek mythology is really necessary, but it is helpful. Or, Percy may spark an interest in your ds to find out more about greek mythology.

 

IMHO parts of Harry Potter are far scarier than most of Percy. (I've read all 7 HP books multiple times and only the first 3 Percy). But, HP is much better: better written and better storyline and just higher quality all around. I would consider Percy twaddle, but it's fun twaddle and my kids and I have enjoyed them as RA's!:D

[Farrar]

I feel like it's fine for any kid who's also read the first few Harry Potter books. The reading level and action elements are on a similar level, IMO. A knowledge of Greek mythology probably helps a little, but the books explain things as they're introduced.

[abbeyej]

Just read your other post. I think you should wait. Yes, I think a child who needed to skip pages in the first Harry Potter book might find Percy Jackson a bit much. And yes, I think he'd get tremendously more out of the books with a background in Greek mythology. There are plenty of other books for an 8yo to read. While both of my kids enjoyed PJ at that age, he won't be missing out by reading other books and putting these off for another year or two, 'til he's ready.

[Corraleno]

I think a very basic familiarity with Greek mythology is helpful, in order to get all the allusions and jokes, but not required.

 

The only thing in the Lightning Thief that upset my DS was that Percy's mother appears to get killed. If that upsets your child, just tell them that not everything is as it appears. ;) The later books do get more violent, and there were a few deaths that really did bother DS.

 

Jackie

[mrs.m]

I posted this in the other thread.

 

Why not wait until he is a bit older and less sensitive? There's plenty of time! My DD is 10 and just recently really got into Greek Mythology. She would not have been ready earlier because she is very sensitive and doesn't like to be scared. (and PJ books weren't even written when she was 8 ;) )

 

He can look forward to reading them when he is older and truly enjoy them! I know my DD did and she also enjoyed reading about the Greek Gods in addition to the PJ books. It all goes together!

[JoJosMom]

My just-turned-eight year old (two days ago!) DEVOURED the whole series in the first two weeks of summer vacation. She tends to be very sensitive and is just now starting to watch Disney movies, because she was freaked out by the villains. I would not let her try the Harry Potter books, because those WOULD scare her.

 

Hope this helps. :001_smile:

[JaneGrey]

I really enjoyed the series, which I previewed for my kids. However, even I got chills. (Ok, I'm a big chicken. Grew up on too many mystery series.) I particularly remember the oracle in the attic, which appears pretty consistently. Yikes. I think the other creepy thing was Kronos. Plus you have a possessed/crazy mom. It didn't help that I was reading these at night while I was sleep-deprived.

 

I was a sensitive kid and I have a sensitive kid. I err on the side of delaying. I figure: Hubby balances me out. (He let them watch the old Star Wars movies. I made 'em cover their eyes at one point.) Plus, there's enough in the real world that can be frightening that they need to deal with. They don't need stress from their leisure reading.

 

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books.

[OlgaLA]

I think you best bet would be prereading them. I didn't find them particularly scary, and my DD7 devoured them and then reread them a few times. She had no problems whatsoever, but she is not what I would call sensitive. Only you know your child enough to decide what is fine for him.

 

As for the quality... I agree that Harry Potter is a better written book, but it was Percy Jackson and the Red Pyramid that awoke my daughter's interest in ancient Greece and Egypt. And no, it is not necessary to know the myths beforehand.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

Personally I don't think the Percy books are scary but was not happy about all the references to which god had relations with what goddess/human.

 

In my opinion, the HP books are written at a much higher level and a much more sophisticated read then PJ books. The threads that run through the entire series makes you read at a more "pay attention" level instead of a fast reading pace. If he is having to skip pages because of the "scare" factor in HP I would not let him read them just yet. And even though 8 years old can read the first book, each book gets increasingly harder. If he wants to be involved in the HP books you could do them as a family read aloud.