Wikipedia:Very good articles/The Lightning Thief
The Lightning Thief is a 2005 fantasy–adventure novel. It is based on Greek mythology. It was the first young-adult book written by author Rick Riordan. It is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The series is about the adventures of modern 12-year-old Percy Jackson after he discovers he is a demigod (half-human, half-god). Percy is the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. Percy and his friends go on a quest (adventure) so that a war between the Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hades will not happen.
Riordan finished writing his manuscript in 1994. The Lightning Thief was first bought by Bantam Books in 1997. Bantam sold it to Miramax Books. Miramax published it on June 28, 2005. The book sold more than 1.2 million copies in the next four years. The book won many awards. In 2007, it was on The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. It was one of the Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults. It was made into a movie named Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. The movie was first shown in the United States on February 12, 2010. The sequel to this book is The Sea of Monsters.