Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-Percy Jackson is back in the second book (Hyperion, 2011) in the series by Rick Riordan, still with no memory of his past. This time he is in the camp of the Romans. Faced with challenges posed by new gods, he finds himself paired with an unlikely duo, Hazel and Frank, two members of a "loser" cohort, both desperate to keep secrets about their past. When they are sent on a mission to Alaska to free Thanos, the god of death, they seem reconciled to failure. Joshua Swanson is adept at all the various voices, human and non-human. He a matter-of-factly conveys the bare bones of the story, but as he voices the characters, he captures Percy's confusion about where he is and what is expected of him, Frank's conviction that he has nothing to offer, and Hazel's sense of guilt about her role in the problems that her world faces. The story fluctuates between the characters, focusing primarily on Hazel and Frank's flashbacks about their past relationships with relatives (Hazel's mother, Frank's grandmother) and their unpredictable fathers, Pluto and Mars respectively. Listeners will relate to their vulnerabilities and insecurities, and their growing affection for each other has all of the awkwardness and confusion experienced by teenagers. Listeners will eagerly await the next volume.-Edie Ching, The University of Maryland, College Park (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
