What's Marissa Reading? The Mark of Athena

My niece Marissa has finally checked in from sunny Florida where she has been out of school for weeks! Besides enjoying a bunch of fun outdoor activities, she's managed to read a lot of books. She's been reading the Heroes of Olympus series and she's going to tell us about The Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan. Let's see what Marissa had to say about it.

 Here's what Marissa says the book is about.

This is the 3rd book in the Heroes of Olympus series, which ties in with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

After a long wait Annabeth and Percy are reunited after Hera stole Percy's memory and deposited him at the Roman camp (Camp Jupiter), far away from his home, Greek camp (Camp Half-Blood). Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of the seven of the prophecy, are demigods (meaning one of their parents is a god or goddess and one is mortal). These seven demigods were brought together because of a prophecy that will shape the fate of the world. They are trying to stop Gaea, the evil Earth goddess, from awakening. They are also trying to halt the coming Giant war between the Gods of Olympus and the Giants.  

These seven demigods, Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Piper, and Jason, all have strengths that will help them upon this quest to the Ancient lands of Rome. But there are many hidden dangers that they find when they try to complete various tasks that lead to the success of their journey. But to find out about all of them you'll have to read the book. 

What did Marissa like best about the book?

I liked the battles and the humor that was thrown in. I like how the author, Rick Riordan, was able to incorporate the two and balance them. I'm in love with this series! 

Was there anything she didn't like about it?

The book was incredible all around but if I had to choose one thing I'd have to say the cliff hanger at the end. Even though it was a little bit MORE than a cliff hanger, but that just got me even more excited to read the next book that comes out. 

So, how did Marissa rate The Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan?

She gave it five out of five baby giraffes. 

What's Christian Reading? The Sea of Monsters

Christian is an avid 4th grade reader. This post is about what he's reading. This is by no means an actual review, just his comments on whatever book he's reading at the time.

This week, Christian is reading The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan, the second book in the Olympians series. A couple of weeks ago, Christian gave us his thoughts on The Last Olympian, the final book in the series. He jumped from the first book to the last book in the series because that's all the library had that week. This leads to our first question:

Don't you mind skipping around in a series instead of reading the books consecutively from first to last?

"No, because I get most of the books from the library and they're not always available in order. It doesn't really bother me to skip around as long as each book is good."

 Here's what Christian says The Sea of Monsters is about:

"The book is about Percy Jackson, again. He has to find his friend Grover and rescue him from the Cyclops. Percy has to fool the Cyclops and get the Golden Fleece, like in the Odyssey.

"They need the Golden Fleece to heal the magic borders of Camp Half-Blood. The magic borders keep out the monsters. At Camp Half-Blood they train Half-Bloods, otherwise known as demi-gods; half Greek god and half human.

"They have to face the evil sorceress, Circe. She wants to eliminate all men from the world by turning them into hamsters. But they manage to take care of her!"

Here's what Christian liked best:

"I liked the ending the best, but I can't tell you about that! The next best thing was when they battled Polyphemus. Polyphemus is the Cyclops that has the Golden Fleece. The battle was cool because Percy used his sword, Riptide. It's made of celestial bronze, which is supposed to defeat any monster."

Was there anything Christian didn't like?

"No, I really like this series, they're awesome books. This series is pretty cool."

So, how does Christian rate The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan?

Christian gives it 4 1/2 out of 5 flaming monkey heads.