The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The seven of the Prophecy are finally assembled, but their biggest test is yet to come.  First they must make it to Rome, and once there, they must stop the Giants from destroying the city, and waking Gaia.  I am a big Rick Riordan fan. I have enjoyed the Percy Jackson series quite a bit.  Not only is Riordan one of the best fantasy action writers for children right now, I love how he takes stories from mythology and jazzes them up for a new generation.  This is the latest in the Percy Jackson series, and to be honest, it is very much like his others. Same kind of battles with monsters, same kind of interpersonal relations between demigods. I thought it was interesting to see the tension between Jason and Percy, the two alpha males.  More often than not, they kind of canceled each other out, and it was the girls who ended up making all the important decisions.  It is just fun and light.  I thought, when I started the book, that is was the last in the series, but it isn't.  So we will wait, and read the next one, (last one?) when it comes. (586 p)

And yes, this is a picture of me (far left) with Mr. Riordan.  (ching!)