BOOK NOW: Percy Jackson Mythology Tour of Acropolis & Acropolis Museum
Group Type
Small Group, Private
In fact, if you search “Teach Percy Jackson” on Google, the first result is a page called “Parent Teacher Resources” on Riordan’s own website RickRiordan.com. This page includes over two dozen documents available for anyone to view or download as a resource, such as “A Complete Lightning Thief Unit,” “The Lightning Thief: A Teacher’s Guide,” and various “activity kits” that give templates for hosting events related to Riordan’s books in classrooms or libraries. The page also includes suggested school projects done by different schools all over the US, and several teaching guides that show ways to use the Percy Jackson books as a transition into teaching mythology and history. By including many fun—but still educational—activity kits for anyone to use, Riordan helps parents and teachers encourage children who are reluctant readers to find reading fun.
Credits: Greek Mythology Tours
Riordan’s Own Experience
Rick Riordan didn’t originally set out to write the Percy Jackson series to be published. One of Riordan’s sons was a reluctant reader growing up; he struggled with ADHD and dyslexia and had little interest in school. He was, however, interested in mythology. After telling his son every Greek myth he knew, Riordan decided to create his own and named his character Percy Jackson.
Riordan embraces his son’s learning disabilities by writing them into the story. In his novels, all demigods have ADHD because they must be ready at any moment to fight monsters, and they have dyslexia because their brains are hardwired to read Ancient Greek. While this may seem silly, it helps kids see themselves in the story and embrace their own learning disabilities.
Part of Rick Riordan’s writing process starting out was to read out loud to his sons, and if they weren’t engaged and didn’t laugh at his jokes, he knew he had to change something. If you’ve read the Percy Jackson books, you can tell. With chapter titles like “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom,” Riordan’s books can keep even the most ADHD kids entertained.
Modern History
In Rick Riordan’s books, various important historical figures are said to have actually been demigods, including Harriet Tubman, George Washington, William Shakespeare, Amelia Earhart, and even Houdini. Also, in the Percy Jackson universe, many significant historical events are claimed to have been caused by demigods, such as World War II, which Percy is told was “basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and the sons of Hades on the other.”
While his inclusion of historical figures as demigods may seem random, it actually serves a purpose: to further incite his reader to take interest in history. It is unlikely a child would believe these people were actually demigods or these events related to them, but the mere mention in this widely-enjoyed series gives students a connection of their reading for fun to a potentially boring history class.
In an interview, Riordan mentions his favorite students when teaching as “usually not the honor roll students; instead, they were the students who came in thinking school was boring, found something they could relate to, and suddenly lit up in class.” Riordan’s intention to give his readers this same experience is clear.
Taking the Extra Step
Throughout his books, Riordan goes out of his way to really inform his readers of accurate mythology. However, he makes sure to keep it entertaining by naturally weaving the accurate myth into the story so doesn’t seem awkward or forced. For example, Percy will ask Annabeth about a specific myth and she will explain it to him (and the reader).
In The Heroes of Olympus, Riordan’s five-book continuation series after Percy Jackson and the Olympians, he introduces his readers to a new concept—Roman mythology. Flawlessly inserting the existence of a Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, into the canon of his first series, Riordan teaches his readers even more about ancient mythology. Riordan further emphasizes the importance of maintaining the accuracy of the original mythology and making sure kids are learning by including a glossary of relevant Greek and Roman terms at the end of each Heroes of Olympus book.
Credits: Greek Mythology Tours
Rick Riordan Presents
In 2018 Rick Riordan launched his own “imprint,” a smaller division of the Disney Hyperion Publishing company, in order to help books as his get published. The goal of the imprint, called Rick Riordan Presents, is to “publish great books by middle-grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage.” Already many of the books, including ones highlighting Hindu, Mayan, and African mythology, have become bestsellers. By using his platform as a popular author, Riordan is helping children have more books to learn mythology and giving children from all cultures characters with whom they can identify.
Want to Learn More About Greek Mythology?
Are you or your kids' fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Greek mythology? What better way to learn more than to see the birthplace of the mythology behind the series? Our custom tours in Greece can be tailored just for you and your family, and our expert guides will bring the Percy Jackson books to life for you.