tammyw Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 My dd really wanted me to. The stories are decent, but the writing style irritates me so much! How do you let go of that when you are reading certain children's books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Ugh. My dd LOVES those books right now. She reads lines out loud to me and I cringe. However, she is also really into Greek gods as a result, so she is actually learning something. This too shall pass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 What about the writing style bothers you? I'm curious because I have read all Riordan books aloud to my boys and we loved them. As an aside, I have a BA in English and rarely find any book that I can't stand to read. I read lots of different writing styles and appreciate variety. I'm not being snarky; I really am curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I'm interesting in hearing about the series. I think we might do them, ... one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I keep in mind the author started writing the series for his dyslexic son. It's been a while since I read the first few books, but it was a joy to find something interesting to read (story-wise) with sentence structure to appeal to kids who were having a hard time reading. The writing does improve in later books, imo. I also like that Riordan does his research. The mythology in the Greek/Roman and Egyptian books stays true to accepted norms, with a modern twist of course. The Sea of Monsters is basically a retelling of The Odyssey. IMO (as a fangirl) Riordan has made mythology cool again. We did retellings of The Iliad and Odyssey when he was younger. Percy Jackson kept those images fresh in his mind. Now, we just finished The Iliad and are in the midst of The Odyssey. Ds has had no issue with understanding the stories, not just because of the retellings but because the Percy Jackson books gave the gods modern character and relevance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 My dd really wanted me to. The stories are decent, but the writing style irritates me so much! How do you let go of that when you are reading certain children's books? I couldn't make it past the second book, and I read a lot of children's lit. I completely agree that his writing style is annoying. I'd have to go back to the books to find an example and explain why, but I don't want to read even that much again. DD didn't care for the PJ series either but liked one of his other series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 My dd loved those books. She has moved on to preferring Artemis Fowl now but there was a time when it was all about Percy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Think of reading and discussing those books as a down-payment for discussions about literature in future years. You try to find something no matter how small that you can appreciate about them even if it's asking what your dd likes best. My son loved the Hank the Cowdog books and he "introduced" them to me. He read them aloud to me while I made lunch. He used Hank themes for invention exercises in CW Poetry for beginners. :crying: Hank grated on my nerves, but I played along. Before that, he'd "introduced" me to the Ramona books which I liked from the first. When I cut a cabbage I always offer to share the core because it's a Ramona thing. He's in college now and living away from home, but we still talk about the books we're reading and share parts of our reading lists. He still likes Hank, but he also enjoys Dorothy Sayers and in high school asked to change our lit plans one semester so he could read all of Jane Austen's works :coolgleamA: . And, even I learned to appreciate Hank's good points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I couldn't make it past the second book, and I read a lot of children's lit. I completely agree that his writing style is annoying. I'd have to go back to the books to find an example and explain why, but I don't want to read even that much again. DD didn't care for the PJ series either but liked one of his other series. I attributed it to being written in the first person as a middle schooler. I couldn't take it either. But I have other issues with the series and was glad that the interest was short-lived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieAnneLevine Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Aw, we love the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books. I am not annoyed by the style as I find them easy to read aloud. I don't find them to be poorly written. I do sometimes think that Percy's skills/luck are unrealistic -- how many times can he roll out the way just in time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Yes, let me clarify, I love that it is creating a more easy-to-remember knowledge of Greek mythology. That is great! And I will absolutely continue reading them and finish the series. I do try to read a fair number of her books and then we discuss them afterwards. This is the first book in a while that has irritated me with the writing style (Magic Tree House books also irritated me, lol!) What about the writing style bothers you? I'm curious because I have read all Riordan books aloud to my boys and we loved them. As an aside, I have a BA in English and rarely find any book that I can't stand to read. I read lots of different writing styles and appreciate variety. I'm not being snarky; I really am curious. I am absolutely not an expert! I think it's just a personal preference. I just read this, and it just feels a bit too "teen speak' for me. I don't even know how to describe it. "The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. I mean, okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE. But except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard." Or "We only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good." My biggest problem is I feel bad telling my daughter that I don't love the writing style even though the story itself is fine. Up until now, we've always shared a love of the same books. Eh. I'll get over it. I think I'm just being particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I attributed it to being written in the first person as a middle schooler. I couldn't take it either. But I have other issues with the series and was glad that the interest was short-lived. Could you share please? I'm interested. Everyone seems to love the series, but I just can't get into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 i'm reading this aloud to my son (we are finishing up book 4). we love this series & it is currently one of our favorite things to share together. i'm sorry you are finding it difficult to push through, that definitely stinks. we saw the percy jackson movie prior to reading the series, so for us, the books have been fabulous. the movie is terrible in comparison imo. i think i enjoy it so much because my son is glued to every line i read. i love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 We're in the middle of the fifth book in the PJ series right now and like them a lot. I think Riordan's takes on the old myths and characters are hilarious. Poseidon the beach bum made me laugh so hard! I do sometimes get a bit annoyed at the very conversational tone, but it also doesn't sound too odd for being a teen describing something to a friend. We're reading them along with other Greek mythologies, takes on the Aeneid, etc., and it's all really serving to reinforce my kids' understandings of the various Greek characters. They love when they can guess what Greek god or goddess or monster is making an appearance in the PJ books, based on Riordan's descriptions and their previous knowledge. I don't think they're the best things ever, but I do think there are some clever premises in the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 "The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. I mean, okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE. But except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard." Or "We only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good." I read the series and I didn't enjoy this type of writing style, either, but I was able to get into it because a few of the characters were well done. However, by the last book it was just monster battle after monster battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I could not get past the writing in those books. I understand they are supposed to be narrated by a young teenage boy, but do they have to sound like they were written by one? I read the first book because my son begged me to do so, and that was it for me. I really hated every second of it, both because of the writing style and because of a certain moral ambiguity that bugged me. I've read some of Riordan's other books and liked them just fine. I outright enjoyed the Kane Chronicles, for example. But Percy Jackson was just blech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 The teen speak thing irritated me too. I don't think I made it past chapter one of the first book. My 9 yo, however, has devoured them. He read the entire PJ series and is anxiously awaiting book 3 of the Kane Chronicles (on hold at the library). He was thrilled to hear about the other series about Camp Half-Blood and is planning to read that next. I agree with the PP who said that the series have given modern relevance to the characters. I'm planning to introduce some D'Aulaire now that he is so interested in it all :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Yes, let me clarify, I love that it is creating a more easy-to-remember knowledge of Greek mythology. That is great! And I will absolutely continue reading them and finish the series. I do try to read a fair number of her books and then we discuss them afterwards. This is the first book in a while that has irritated me with the writing style (Magic Tree House books also irritated me, lol!) I am absolutely not an expert! I think it's just a personal preference. I just read this, and it just feels a bit too "teen speak' for me. I don't even know how to describe it. "The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. I mean, okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE. But except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard." Or "We only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good." My biggest problem is I feel bad telling my daughter that I don't love the writing style even though the story itself is fine. Up until now, we've always shared a love of the same books. Eh. I'll get over it. I think I'm just being particular. Ah, I see. Maybe the difference is that I read them aloud. They are very easy books to read aloud. The writing style lends itself to listening. We read aloud every day for about an hour. There are books that are easy and others are hard. Jules Verne kills me reading aloud. Really. Can't stand them. The kids loved them though and beg for more (that's a great thing!). Tom Sawyer was okay to read aloud. Huck Finn? Ghastly. Much to my younger's dismay, I couldn't take it after a little over half. I have read it to myself however and found it enjoyable. I think it was all the dialogue in broken English. I'm good at different voices and all, but that was a bit much. I tell my boys that they will not always like what they read, but they need to look at a book objectively, at least try. I've let my oldest turn in book reviews that were scathing, as long as he backed it up with examples. Not everyone is going to like everything. (I, for example, am not overly fond of Dickens. He's beyond wordy.) Thanks for explaining your perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Ah, I see. Maybe the difference is that I read them aloud. They are very easy books to read aloud. The writing style lends itself to listening. We read aloud every day for about an hour. There are books that are easy and others are hard. Jules Verne kills me reading aloud. Really. Can't stand them. The kids loved them though and beg for more (that's a great thing!). Tom Sawyer was okay to read aloud. Huck Finn? Ghastly. Much to my younger's dismay, I couldn't take it after a little over half. I have read it to myself however and found it enjoyable. I think it was all the dialogue in broken English. I'm good at different voices and all, but that was a bit much. I tell my boys that they will not always like what they read, but they need to look at a book objectively, at least try. I've let my oldest turn in book reviews that were scathing, as long as he backed it up with examples. Not everyone is going to like everything. (I, for example, am not overly fond of Dickens. He's beyond wordy.) Thanks for explaining your perspective. That makes a lot of sense. I read some of it aloud, and you're right, it's easier to take as a read aloud. I read half of Journey to the Center of the Earth aloud and we didn't get further than that, which makes me sad, but it was a bit trickier as a read aloud, you're absolutely right. They just weren't as in love with it as I'd hoped, so we moved onto something else for the time being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I am absolutely not an expert! I think it's just a personal preference. I just read this, and it just feels a bit too "teen speak' for me. I don't even know how to describe it. "The Cyclops's island was nothing like that. I mean, okay, it had a rope bridge across a chasm, which was not a good sign. You might as well put up a billboard that said, SOMETHING EVIL LIVES HERE. But except for that, the place looked like a Caribbean postcard." Or "We only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good." My biggest problem is I feel bad telling my daughter that I don't love the writing style even though the story itself is fine. Up until now, we've always shared a love of the same books. Eh. I'll get over it. I think I'm just being particular. I tend to think in " teen speak" so it worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I haven't read them - and I can't stand to read Twain because of the vernacular, so I can see where that would be annoying - but we've listened to all of them as audiobooks and they were great. Maybe that would be a better way to share the stories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I keep in mind the author started writing the series for his dyslexic son. It's been a while since I read the first few books, but it was a joy to find something interesting to read (story-wise) with sentence structure to appeal to kids who were having a hard time reading. I didn't realize that. Although ds has never had trouble reading, he does have adhd. He loved it when he found out early on that Percy has it too. I couldn't make it past the second book, and I read a lot of children's lit. I completely agree that his writing style is annoying. I'd have to go back to the books to find an example and explain why, but I don't want to read even that much again. DD didn't care for the PJ series either but liked one of his other series. My biggest problem is I feel bad telling my daughter that I don't love the writing style even though the story itself is fine. Up until now, we've always shared a love of the same books. Eh. I'll get over it. I think I'm just being particular. I couldn't make it past the second book either, though I actually enjoyed the first one. I was never able to put a finger on why I couldn't keep reading. Maybe it was the writing style. Maybe I could get through it once, but not for an entire series. Thankfully ds outgrew the books before he could insist I finish the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I couldn't stand the writing style Eragon. WAY too much explanation of fantasy elements instead of showing. I read fantasy. I know what a shade is. For the people who are new to fantasy? SHOW them what a shade can do, don't take two pages explaining what a shade is. I know, he's young. But, he could have used a REAL editor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I couldn't stand the writing style Eragon. WAY too much explanation of fantasy elements instead of showing. I read fantasy. I know what a shade is. For the people who are new to fantasy? SHOW them what a shade can do, don't take two pages explaining what a shade is. I know, he's young. But, he could have used a REAL editor. Yes, I didn't even try reading that one, because my daughter warned me off of it. She was so upset, having spent her own money to buy the book on the basis of recommendations from friends, to find she couldn't slog through it because of the awful writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windmillmarie Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Those books have a style that annoys me, but I also can't put my finger on it. I read them for my son because he really enjoyed them and found the plot creative and fun. It's probably either the super casual speech patterns or the POV that grate on me. I have the same problem with Harry Potter, but it's the adverbs that drive me bonkers in that series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 It probably didn't help that I read To Kill A Mockingbird immediately before starting this series, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I admit that part of my irritation is the large number of similarities to the Harry Potter books (and I'm not the only one)—including a (spoiler alert) villain with no body trying to come back to power, though no one will believe Percy when he warns them. I know Rowling borrowed heavily from other literary sources and myths herself, but Percy Jackson just felt so formulaic and like a blatant rip-off to me. With that said, I am glad so many families enjoy the series and that it sparks an interest in The Odyssey and myths. My own childhood introduction to the myths was the gloriously cheesy Clash of the Titans, which was hardly a work of art itself. I'm not PJ's intended audience anyway, and it's OK if it's not my thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 I admit that part of my irritation is the large number of similarities to the Harry Potter books (and I'm not the only one)—including a (spoiler alert) villain with no body trying to come back to power, though no one will believe Percy when he warns them. I know Rowling borrowed heavily from other literary sources and myths herself, but Percy Jackson just felt so formulaic and like a blatant rip-off to me. With that said, I am glad so many families enjoy the series and that it sparks an interest in The Odyssey and myths. My own childhood introduction to the myths was the gloriously cheesy Clash of the Titans, which was hardly a work of art itself. I'm not PJ's intended audience anyway, and it's OK if it's not my thing. My daughter said this exact thing within a short period of starting the first book "I can't believe how similar to Harry Potter this is..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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