Copy of Literature Lesson

What else did he write?

Each of his children's novel series is centered around one main character: Percy Jackson, Kane, and Magnus Chase.

Rick Riordan

What makes him a great author?

His best book was...

Rick Riordan is currently my favorite author for three main reasons:

1.) He uses engaging, conversational language.

• The dialogue between characters is sincere, and often hilarious, and keeps my students glued to the page.

2.) Full of historical connections.

• As a Social Studies teacher, I love a great historical connection. Riordan's books provide numerous opportunities for "scholarly tangents."

3.) His characters aren't perfect.

• He models his characters after real people with real struggles. This allows students to more easily associate with the characters, and better connect to the novel.

IN MY OPINION...The Lightning Thief!

Book Review

Interesting!

By: Rachel Carson

• Riordan was a middle school teacher in public and private schools for FIFTEEN years in California and Texas.
• He reluctantly left his job as a teacher to become a full-time writer.
• He hopes to one day return to the classroom, because he truly loved working with children!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

How did he start writing children's literature?

• The character of Percy Jackson was mirrored after his own son.

"Making Percy ADHD and dyslexic was my way of honoring the potential of all the kids I've known who have those conditions," says Riordan. "It's not a bad thing to be different. Sometimes, it's the mark of being very, very talented. That's what Percy discovers about himself in The Lightning Thief." - Rick Riordan

• Riordan's son asked him one night to tell him some bedtime stories about the gods and heroes in Greek mythology.
• Because Riordan was a teacher and had taught Greek myths for many years at the middle school level, he was prepared and eager to comply.
• When he ran out of myths, Riordan's son asked if he could make up something new with the same characters.
• Riordan quickly invented the character of Percy Jackson and told his son all about Percy's quest to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt in modern-day America.
• The story took Riordan three nights to tell, and at the end, his son told him that he should write it in a book. So he did!

When and why did he start writing?

Who is he?

• Rick Riordan started writing when he was a young adult, and tried, unsuccessfully to publish a few of his pieces.
• He was also the editor of his high school's newspaper.
• He didn't take writing seriously until he graduated from college and was living in San Francisco.
• He was feeling nostalgic about his home town, so he wrote a mystery novel set in his hometown of San Antonio.

• Rick Riordan is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

• He was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

1.) The Lightning Thief

2.) The Sea of Monsters

3.) The Titan's Curse

4.) The Battle of the Labyrinth

5.) The Last Olympian

• He moved to San Francisco, California, but always missed his hometown when he began writing seriously.