One of my passions is ranting about Uncle Rick’s writing. Just so you know, Uncle Rick is Rick Riordan. The fandom calls him that because of his funny, childlike personality. Between you and I, he is one of the best tween writers out there. He got famous by publishing Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. This story follows Percy Jackson, an 11 year old boy with dyslexia and ADHD. After a certain “incident” with his pre-algebra teacher, he realizes all along things weren’t as they seemed (and he wasn’t crazy after all)! This book blew up all around the world causing everyone to fall in love with Percy and his sassy remarks. (Percy is called Persassy for that exact reason).
Rick uses Greek mythology in a way that makes it so captivating. After his first book was a hit then he introduced the Sea of Monsters and five more books (Titan’s Curse—my favorite of the whole series—The Battle of the Labyrinth, and finally The Last Olympian). Reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was an amazing experience. I read the first book in the 4th grade in library. We read a chapter a day and I couldn’t do that! So I read ahead eager to figure out what’s next.
I couldn’t stop talking for days about Percy Jackson! Then it just stopped because I was entering my graphic novel phase. The amazing world of Rick just disappeared. I had other interests like the Dork Diaries (another good series), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (another good series), and Big Nate. But when I went to another school for 5th grade I was totally unaware or where the books I wanted were. That’s when I stumbled upon a whole shelf dedicated to Rick Riordan’s books.
I picked up the Sea of Monsters and I couldn’t stop. I finished the series four months later heartbroken but glad to be all over. Sike! I found out that he wrote other books. So I picked up the next one. I opened it and all I saw was “Jason.” Nope! I put the book down. All I cared about is Percy and Anabeth.
I re-read the stories over and over. I explored new worlds like Harry Potter (But we’re not going to talk about him because he makes me mad. Really mad). But Uncle Rick changed things for me. (I hated reading male main characters before Rick). J.K. Rowling ruined it for me honestly.
Now when reading Harry Potter I feel the need to bang my head on a wall every so often (Not literally! It’s just an expression of frustration). Although Harry Potter is a great story I feel as if it’s not as entertaining or relatable (Plus I’m only reading for the Weasleys). But Percy Jackson always makes the best of a bad situation or just has a ridiculous anecdote. “With great power … comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later,” says the great Persassy.
Percy Jackson is one of the few characters I actually enjoy. Rick Riordan is an amazing writer. I recommend this author for anyone. It’s for all types of people. Rick Riordan will forever be in my heart.
Grace Tyler, Class of 2031, Academy Group 7th Grade Writing Class