Lost Hero / Rick Riordan / 557 pages

I don't know how Rick Riordan does it, but I hope he continues to write books like this for a lonnnnng time. The Lost Hero which is the first in the Heroes of Olympus series (and a spinoff from his Percy Jackson series) features three new kids, Jason, Piper & Leo, who discover they are demigods and must rescue Hera who has been imprisoned by Gaia. The story does not stop here though. The book ends with plans for the next quest in which they will need to join forces with the Roman demigods to fight the giant Porphyrion. Riordan is great at writing action, adventure, cliff-hangers, and suspense that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. He also does a great job of making these teens seem real. They have humor, self-doubt, jealousies, fears, and issues with other teens. Of course, the fact that the teens are heroic, creative, intelligent, and save the world adds to the appeal. You know Riordan is successful when you see kids checking out mythology books to find out more about the Greek (and now Roman) gods. I listened to this on CD and Joshua Swanson did a great job of making the story exciting and understandable with the huge cast of characters. Recommended for all kid and adult readers who like action and adventure.