For teachers & parents:

The Percy Jackson series is HIGH INTEREST to 4th-5th graders right now, and some of my 8th graders are even into it. My son is a high 3 in ELA, but this couldn't be an independent read for him; I read it aloud. This is the case with two other families with whom I'm friends who have 4th grade daughters.

I'm using the Tales from the Odyssey series by Pope Osborne as independent reads (HIGH interest for my son) and they are just right for him as a 4th grader, but they're short like the Treehouse books, but full of gore and horror appropriate for 4th grade boys. With this series, he's building background knowledge to apply to all of the great things that happen in the Percy Jackson series. I do recommend that a 4th-5th grade elementary classroom have a Percy Jackson read-aloud with some Tales from the Odyssey independent read or lit groups, really. Those books are just right for teaching vocab in context skills. Everything is really simplified but there is ample challenging vocabulary in just the right places. I couldn't be happier with the way it's working out. I"m basically having ELA class at home with my son, and I'm seeing results. ( )