Setting In The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief takes place in settings all over the USA and although the year is not specified, we know that the story takes place in the late 1990’s - early 2000’s. The first major setting we are introduced to is Yancy Academy, a boarding school to which Percy Jackson, the main character, is sent to. The most important setting though, is Camp Half-Blood; it is located in Long Island, New York and is surrounded by strawberry fields, forests, and the coast. Other minor settings include Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium in New Jersey, the Waterland theme park in Denver, Colorado, and the Lotus Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Underworld is another one of the major settings; it is located in/under DOA Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. Yet another important setting is Olympus, located on the 600th floor of the Empire State building. Olympus is where all the Greek gods and other minor deities live. One of the main characters of the book is Annabeth Chase, the girl who Percy first meets when he wakes up in Camp Half-Blood. In page 63 of the book, Percy describes her as “… probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and curly blond hair…”. Annabeth also has startling gray eyes like her mother, Athena; we find out Athena is Annabeth’s mother in page 95 of the book.

Re-reading this book was a joy. I do like the book because it keeps you on the edge of your seat and I have always found Greek mythology particularly interesting; this series is one of my favorites. I think the author’s message is that things can and will get better in the end even after everything life throws at you; all the monsters that Percy has to fight can be a metaphor for all the situations in life that ‘attack’ you. Overall, this is a great book and I would highly recommend it to