The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan

I decided to read Sea of Monsters in honor of the movie coming out on August 7, even though I know the movie will be just as bad as the movie for Lightning Thief. In order to read Sea of Monsters, of course I had to read Lightning Thief, because you obviously cannot read the second book by itself. I'll be reading the rest of the series soon! Just have a few more books to get out of the way first :)

Novel: The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan

It's Like: Basically what I said about Lightning Thief: Greek Myths taking form in a Harry Potter-esque way.

Summary: This summary probably will not make much sense without reading  The Lightning Thief, or at least a summary for The Lightning Thief, so fair warning.

Percy Jackson made it through almost the entire year of school without getting expelled, but of course, something goes wrong and he has to return to Camp Half Blood a little earlier than expected. When he gets there, he finds out that the tree that protects the camp was poisoned, no longer making camp a safe place for demigods. Percy, with his friend Annabeth and his half-brother Tyson sets out to find the Golden Fleece and save the camp, and at the same time figuring out where Grover is and if they can save him.

Notes:

• For one thing, and this is something that my sister (who is also rereading the books) noticed as well, Tyson is a lot shorter than I remember. He's 6 foot 3 inches, which is abnormally tall for a seventh grader, but I always pictured him as being Andre the Giant sized.
• Of course the plot is incredible with a brilliant twist ending.
• I love how the ancient Greek myths are weaved through this story, as well as in The Lightning Thief. You see Percy's story mirroring the stories of old, changed to suit the needs of the overall plot, but keeping the arc recognizable. It's a not-so-subtle way of showing Percy as hero material even when he has no idea what is going on. 
• I hate to say anything bad about this book, but Clarisse's only role seemed to be as a deus ex machina. She is used multiple times as a way to help Percy and his gang when they are stuck, but I suppose it's as good of a way to fix the problem as any other way.

Recommendation: Read Lightning Thief. Then read Sea of Monsters. Then watch the movie on August 7!