It's a magical summer camp, not a magical school

It doesn't exactly rip off J K Rowling, but it's clearly inspired by it. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old boy who has been in trouble his whole life. One fine day, it is revealed that he's actually a demigod, son of a Greek god and a human woman, and he's already in trouble. Time to step up and be hero... or something like that. Of course, he has two other friends - one boy and one girl, to help him on his quest. Hmm, I sense the author came close to be being sued by Rowling.

The author, Rick Riordan, makes clever use of Greek mythology all through the book, weaving in the characters almost every other chapter. This ploy is also what differentiates the book from the Harry Potter series. It's not so much about magic as it is about adventure and combat. Of course, adventure and combat (and other assorted violence), especially with real weapons, would seem incongruous with a 12 year old protagonist, but that's a flaw I'm willing to overlook.

8/10