Sea of Monsters (P.J. and the Olympians, Bk. 2) by Rick Riordan

When Thalia’s tree is mysteriously poisoned, the magical borders of Camp Half-Blood begin to fail. Now Percy and his friends have just days to find the only magic item powerful to save the camp before it is overrun by monsters. The catch: they must sail into the Sea of Monsters to find it. Along the way, Percy must stage a daring rescue operation to save his old friend Grover, and he learns a terrible secret about his own family, which makes him question whether being the son of Poseidon is an honor or a curse.

Ok, as much as I loved The Lightning Thief, this was WWWAAAAAYYYYY better. I loved the story. Since it didn't have all the "explaining" that the first one did, I felt that it was a really quick and enjoyable read. There were enough plot twists to keep me guessing (a little--C'mon, it's written for kids. My 11-yr old sister is reading them. It may keep someone her age guessing a bit longer.) EXCEPT, the end. I NEVER saw it coming, and it made me want to start the 3rd one right then. Some concepts were a bit predictable, but overall, I totally loved this book. I really like that, because they are written for young people, they are very clean. I would recommend this to even the most picky reader!

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and The Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

What if the gods of Olympus were alive in the 21st Century? What if they still fell in love with mortals and had children who might become great heroes — like Theseus, Jason and Hercules?

What if you were one of those children?

Such is the discovery that launches twelve-year-old Percy Jackson on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

I loved this book. I thought it was clever and funny and fast paced. It was clean, too. (Well, duh--the main character is 12.) I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would like dipping my feet in the vast pool of fantasy literature, but I am really liking the majority of what I have read so far. I am reading bk. 2 now, and I've heard that it's way better than this one. I'll let you know what I think! :)