Author Study Rick Riordan By Noelle Devlin Born

Author Study: Rick Riordan By: Noelle Devlin

Born on June 5, 1964 in San Antonio, TX

Underground Newspaper Originally went to Texas State ~guitar Graduated with double major in history and english from University of Texas Became a middle school teacher (camp half blood) Mythology was his favorite subject to teach Married with two sons Started writing when he was 13 Became an award winning author for adult books first

Books For Adults q. Big Red Tequila q. The Widow’s Two Step q. The Last King of Texas q. The Devil Went Down to Austin q. Cold Springs q. South Town q. Mission Road q. Rebel Island

While teaching middle school his students asked him, “Why not write books for kids? ” “I never had a good answer for them. It took me a long time to realize they were right. Kids are the audience I know best. ”

A bedtime story started it all. Haley wanted more myths beyond what his father, a former teacher knew. Took 3 nights to tell the story to his son and after he was done his son told him he should put it into a book. Haley was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia in 2 nd grade. “Making Percy ADHD and dyslexic was my way of honoring the potential of all the kids I’ve known who have those conditions, It’s not a bad thing to be different. Sometimes, it’s the mark of being very, very talented. That’s what Percy discovers about himself in The Lightning Thief. ”

A Reluctant Decision He quit teaching to become a full time writer. To keep close to education Riordan is conducting many classroom visits across the country and in Europe. Riordan says he now understands what it was like for his students to turn in essays to him because he felt very nervous when first doing a trial run of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief with his 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th graders.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians �The Lightning Thief � The Sea of Monsters � Titan’s Curse � The Battle of the Labyrinth � The Last Olympian � The Demigod Files � The Ultimate Guide � The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel

Favorite Characters to Write About Tyson: Cyclops ½ brother to Percy Jackson Son of Poseidon Grover: Satyr Percy Jackson’s protector and best friend

Heroes of Olympus The Lost Hero The Son of Neptune Greek Mythology

Awards �A New York Times Bestseller Selected for Al Roker’s Book Club For Kids, the Today Show A Best Book of 2005, School Library Journal A New York Times Notable Book of 2005 A Best Book of 2005, Child Magazine Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2006, Texas Library Association Askews Torchlight Award (UK) Winner, 2006 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book List, 2005 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction List for 2005 ALA Notable Book for 2005 YALSA Best Book for Young Adults 2005 Red House Children’s Book Award Winner (UK), 2006 CCBC choice award 2006, Cooperative Children’s Book Center A 2006 Notable Children’s Book, National Council for Teachers of English A Publishers Weekly National Children’s Bestseller Warwickshire Book Award Winner (UK), 2007

The Kane Chronicles q. The Red Pyramid q. The Throne of Fire q. Book # 3 Egyptian Mythology

“I think kids want the same thing from a book that adults want— a fast-paced story, characters worth caring about, humor, surprises, and mystery. ”

39 Clues: The Maze of Bones “The book dazzles with suspense, plot twists, and snappy humor, but the real treasure may very well be the historical tidbits buried in the story. ” – School Library Journal, starred review http: //youtu. be/UDC 26 Rl. T 8 y. E

http: //www. rickriordan. com/home. aspx http: //rickriordan. blogspot. com/ http: //www. percyjacksonbooks. com/

Website Resources q. Teacher’s Guide q. Map of Camp Half Blood q. Greek Mythology knowledge q. Map of the Underworld q. Resources for Students and Teachers q. Ten Signs You May Be A Half Blood q. Author’s Rationale for the Series q. News and Events q. Egyptian History q. Egyptian Games q. Meet the gods section

“A good book always keeps you asking questions, and makes you keep turning pages so you can find out the answers. ”