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The store links use this book's US print edition, ISBN 9781368098168.
Where The Lightning Thief sits
- Series
- Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. See all Percy Jackson and the Olympians books in order
- The book before
- None. This is where the series starts.
- The book after
- The Sea of Monsters
- Order checked
- Last checked: September 24, 2026, against rickriordan.com
- Place in the series
- It opens Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a five-book series that ends with The Last Olympian. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
- Next book
- Book 2 is The Sea of Monsters. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
Checked facts about The Lightning Thief
Under each line: where it was read, and when.
- Publication
- First published on July 1, 2005. (Wikidata; read November 6, 2026)
- This edition
- The edition checked here is a 375-page paperback from Disney Hyperion. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026)
- Prizes
- It won the Askews Torchlight Award in the UK in 2006. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
- Film and TV
- A film directed by Chris Columbus, loosely based on the book, came out on February 12, 2010. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
What The Lightning Thief is about
The setup only, with no spoilers. Each line names the record it rests on.
- Monsters and gods from Greek myth start turning up in the everyday life of Percy Jackson. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026)
- Zeus's lightning bolt has gone missing, and Percy is blamed for taking it. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026)
Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect
- He and his friends have ten days to find it and give it back. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026)
Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property
The story behind The Lightning Thief
- It began as bedtime stories about the Greek gods that Riordan told his son, and he made up Percy when the myths ran out. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
- Telling the whole story out loud took about three nights. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
- He then wrote it down as a book over the following year. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
- Camp Half-Blood grew out of the summer camp where Riordan worked as music director in college. (rickriordan.com; read November 6, 2026)
Topics in this book
A linked topic opens its page on bookslike.app, with every book on the site that shares it.
Book type
- Novel
Reading ages
- Children's
Prizes
- Bluebonnet Award
Other books in Percy Jackson and the Olympians
7 books listed so far
- Book 2: The Sea of Monsters
- Book 3: The Titan's Curse
- Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth
- Book 5: The Last Olympian
- Book 6: The Chalice of the Gods
- Book 7: Wrath of the Triple Goddess
Looking for what to read next? See books like The Lightning Thief.
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