Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 2: the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Rating: Not for me

I can see why the Percy Jackson series is so popular. I liked this much better than Book 1, but there are still enough reasons to prevent me from recommending it (SPOILER ALERTS!):

• Idol worship. This takes the form of praying to Greek gods, and offering sacrifices to them at meal times. Sometimes Percy offers doubtful feelings about whether his father is listening to his prayers.
• Poor relationships with authority. Percy defies camp rules and leaves without permission. One girls father threatens her in a very abusive-seeming relationship.

I have been a Christian for over 20 years, but reading this series started weakening my faith. The way Percy relates to the gods is so contrary to how we ought to relate to the One True God, and I sensed myself falling away. Perhaps you aren’t at risk like me. If you are going to read this, see also my review of Book 1: The Lightning Thief, which you really need to read to enjoy Book 2. See also my review of Book 3 in the series, which was enough for me to stop reading on.

Update: Conservatives on gender identity might like to know that a correspondent pointed out that Book 5 or 6 brings up gender identity issues. I didn’t read enough in the series to get that far, so I can’t speak to this, but I thought it worth mentioning in case that is an issue for your family.