We have a three-in-one post today, from Demigods and Monsters contributor Elizabeth Wein and kids, 12-year-old daughter Sara and 9-year-old son. They all share their thoughts on the recently released film, The Lightning Thief.

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From Elizabeth Wein

My daughter Sara, age 12, is a HUGE Percy Jackson fan. She was 10 when she discovered the books, and we fought over them while I was writing my essay for Demigods and Monsters. She’s now lost count of how many times she’s read The Lightning Thief but she reckons it’s about 10, and she can actually recite the chapter titles without looking. She’s also in the middle of reading Demigods and Monsters (I did ask her to mention the book in this essay but…

The Lightning Thief, the first film installment of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, was released last week. Thankfully, a few of our contributors to Demigods and Monsters, our Smart Pop anthology on the same property, have seen the film and have kindly offered us their thoughts.

First up, Elizabeth M. Rees:

Now and then a movie adaptation of a terrific book—of the contemporary or classic lit variety—really works. And now and then the film version of The Lightning Thief works. Unfortunately though, only now and then!

Rick Riordan’s first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is one of the best middle-grade/young adult books on the market today. It’s a remarkable mix of humor, compassion, true-to-real-life tween and teen dilemmas

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