Lightning Thief

The #1 New York Times Bestseller

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series now streaming on Disney+!

The hardcover edition of the first book in Rick Riordan’s thrilling middle grade series, filled with magic, Greek mythology, and plenty of monsters

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school again—he can't seem to stay out of trouble. Is he supposed to stand by while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself when his teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him?

Mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. What’s worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Percy and his friends Grover the satyr, and Annabeth, the demigod daughter of Athena, must find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. They travel cross country to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, facing a host of enemies determined to stop them.

With millions of copies and over 10 years spent on the New York Times bestseller list, Percy has also become a movie, a Broadway musical, and now a Disney+ series. He continues to find fans in classrooms and libraries across the world.

Rick Riordan, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology. Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two #1 New York Times best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. His most recent book is Daughter of the Deep, a modern take on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Rick is also the publisher of an imprint at Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, dedicated to finding other authors of highly entertaining fiction based on world cultures and mythologies. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @RickRiordan.

Victo Ngai is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Society of Illustrator New York Gold Medalist, and Hugo and World Fantasy Award finalist. Originally from Hong Kong, she graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is now based in Los Angeles. She illustrates for newspapers and magazines, creates storyboards and art for animation, provides book cover art, and works on packaging and advertisement campaigns. Victo has also taught at the School of Visual Art in New York and frequently gives guest lectures at universities and workshops at conferences. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @victongai.