Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The basics:

1. The Lightning Thief-375 pages
2. The Sea of Monsters-279 pages
3. The Titan's Curse-304 pages
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth-362 pages
5. The Last Olympian-381 pages

Without spoiling anything for you, these books tell of a young boy's discovery that he is the half mortal son of a Greek god, who still exist in secret, and about his journey to come to terms with his identity and all that it means.
Where to begin? The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is masterfully done. I enjoyed every page. Plot, characters, dialogue, setting--this author has them all down. Such a delightful modern twist on ancient Greek mythology. I'm trying not to gush, so to keep it brief: you really need to read these for yourself. Before watching the movie.

As a mom, I really appreciated how Mr. Riordan kept these books kid friendly*, in spite of the underlying (or not so underlying) theme of battles and good vs. evil. Even in scenes of fighting and war, the gore is kept to a minimum or glossed over completely. It has been awhile since I read them, so I could be forgetting something, but that was the impression I had at the time. When so many books seem to be trying to introduce new levels of graphic horror, it was refreshing to read something that left a veil in place.

Will there be a stamp? Of course.

*This does not mean that you should not read it first and judge for yourself whether or not it is appropriate for your children. Bear in mind that I was also reading the Vladimir Todd Chronicles at about the same time and it could just be a comparison issue.