THE SEA OF MONSTERS

Percy (Perseus) Jackson, the half-blood son of Poseidon, returns for a second quest across a modern America secretly ruled by the Greek Gods.

His school year has been strangely uneventful until Laestrygonians, man-eating giants from the Odyssey, attack him on the dodgeball court. Percy, along with Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and new friend Tyson, street kid and secret Cyclops, escape first to Camp Half-Blood, also beset by monsters, and then on a quest for the Golden Fleece. They need the Fleece to cure Thalia’s tree that used to protect the camp from monsters. They run afoul of Circe, Scylla and Charybdis and Polyphemus among others. They also butt heads with Luke, deviant son of Hermes, who is determined to bring Kronos, Titan Lord, back from dismemberment to overthrow the gods. Potter parallels continue to pile up, but fans of The Lightning Thief (2005) won’t care.

Though it’s doubtful Percy wouldn’t guess Tyson’s otherworldly connection immediately after the dodgeball game, and though some of the humor will zip over the heads of the target audience, Percy’s sardonic narration and derring-do will keep the pages turning.