Jump Start Summer Reading with Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Avoid summer reading loss. Jump start summer reading with the best-selling middle-grade series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group.

The last day of school is fast approaching, and I’m almost prepared for it. Summer camp registration is done, vacation plans have been finalized, and I’ve chosen books for my daughter’s summer reading. Summer reading loss is something I worry about, so I put careful thought into choosing the right books and planning related activities to keep her interested. If you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to make your child’s summer reading list and I have a terrific recommendation to share with you, along with tips to jump start summer reading.

This summer we will be reading the best-selling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. My son absolutely loved this series. The books were written for middle grades, ages 9-14, and with my daughter entering the sixth grade next school year it seems like the perfect time to introduce her to Percy’s adventures. She’s actually already started reading the first installment of the five book series, The Lightning Thief. I wasn’t about to make my eager reader wait till the last day of school, so she got a jump start on her summer reading.

Avoid summer reading loss. Jump start summer reading with the best-selling middle-grade series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

Jump Start Summer Reading with Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Choose your books. I think it is so important to choose the right books. They should be age appropriate and something your child will find interesting. Choose books that connect to activities you plan to do, places you’ll visit, or things you want to learn more about. My daughter loves a good adventure, and I think she’ll love learning about Greek Mythology in the Percy Jackson series. It offers readers a fresh and exciting way to learn about the Olympians, the Titans, the Minotaur, and more while enjoying a fast-paced, highly entertaining adventure.

In case you’re not familiar with the series, I want to share a bit about the books. Particularly, Book 1: The Lightning Thief which we are currently reading.

Avoid summer reading loss. Jump start summer reading with the best-selling middle-grade series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

Twelve-year-old New Yorker, Percy Jackson, doesn’t know he is the demigod son of Poseidon. Due to his half-godly Greek heritage, Percy is dyslexic and has ADHD. Percy is about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school, but it turns out that is the least of his troubles. Percy has been noticing a lot of strange things. The mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life.

Percy finds himself the prime suspect when Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen, and has just ten days to find it and bring peace to Mount Olympus. His quest turns out to be much more than just finding the stolen object. He must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Avoid summer reading loss. Jump start summer reading with the best-selling middle-grade series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

Plan related activities. I love planning related activities that tie into the books we read. For the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series I have some fun ideas like dressing up as Greek Goddesses, a scavenger hunt, and recreating some of the Camp Half-Blood activities of Percy and his fellow demigods. Camp Half-Blood is a Greek demigod training facility that Percy attends each summer.

Prepare special snacks. In the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, Percy’s mom often prepared blue foods for him. She would always buy blue candy and bake blue cookies and blue cake for him. Seems strange, right? You’ll have to read the series to find out why! Percy’s favorite color is also blue. So, blue snacks are an obvious choice while reading these books.

Avoid summer reading loss. Jump start summer reading with the best-selling middle-grade series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

Schedule field trips. Since we’re reading the Percy Jackson series this summer, I’m planning a visit to the Greek and Roman Art Exhibit at a local museum. Normally, I don’t think my daughter would get into this. However, after reading a few of these books she is sure to enjoy it and want to learn even more. Books open our eyes to so many new and exciting things!

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I hope you’ll join us and embark on plenty of adventure this summer with Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians Giveaway

6/7 Update: This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to our winner, Julie!

To help you out, I’m hosting a giveaway for one (1) winner to receive the series box set. Open to U.S. addresses only. Prizing provided by Disney Book Group. Giveaway ends on June 3, 2019 at 11:59pm EST. One random winner will be chosen from comments below, on June 4th.

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment below sharing summer reading plans for your family.

2. Earn an additional entry by retweeting this tweet. Leave your Twitter handle in a comment below.

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