I owe this book a lot of credit for getting me engaged in reading as a young kid. I've never been able to recreate the passion I had for spending time reading ever since that time, which I really have Rick Riordan to thank for. Something about the very high-fantasy setting juxtaposed upon a childhood environment was especially appealing, and the series of little mysteries provided a lot of suspense for my developing mind. I was also especially happy to be exposed to Greek mythology since it was so commonly interlaced with the popular culture I was exposed to as a kid, and it was gratifying to see it presented in this novel format. A long time has passed and I can't quite say the book retains much of its appeal, but Riordan was an excellent young adult author.