“I do like to wrap things up and leave some things to the readers’ imagination.”
— Rick Riordan
“I have a great deal of sympathy for reluctant readers because I was one. I would do anything to avoid reading. In my case, it wasn’t until I was 13 and discovered the ‘Lord of the Rings’ that I learned to love reading.”
— Rick Riordan
“When I write, I’m still imagining a kid reading it on paper. I read e-books when I travel, but in general I still prefer holding an old-fashioned book in my hands. There’s a special, tactile experience.”
— Rick Riordan
“I’ve always liked the idea that writing is a form of travel. And I started my writing career as a mystery novelist for adults.”
— Rick Riordan
“Writing ‘Book 1: The Maze of Bones’ didn’t feel much different than writing one of my other novels, but I thought it was very innovative to offer the website and trading card components as well for those readers who wanted to go more in depth with the Cahill experience.”
— Rick Riordan
“I think children love reading, and they will make time for it if we put the right books into their hands. And I hope I get the chance to keep being one of the people that writes them.”
— Rick Riordan
“I love Norse mythology – Thor and Odin and Loki – amazing characters.”
— Rick Riordan
“It’s not easy. I got lots of rejections when I first started out. If you want to write, you have to believe in yourself and not give up. You have to do your best to practice and get better.”
— Rick Riordan
“I always love it when I hear back from kids who say they discovered Percy Jackson and now wear their learning difference as a badge of honour.”
— Rick Riordan
“My goal in the classroom was always to make sure they were having so much fun that they didn’t realize they were learning.”
— Rick Riordan
“I’ve been reading Greek mythology since I was a kid. I also taught it when I was a sixth grade teacher, so I knew a lot of mythological monsters already. Sometimes I still use books and Web sites to research, though. Every time I research Greek mythology, I learn something new!”
— Rick Riordan
“As a teacher, I’ve never seen anything like ‘Harry Potter.’ That’s why I smart when people talk about the ‘next’ ‘Harry Potter.’ There is no ‘next’ ‘Harry Potter.’”
— Rick Riordan
“I tend to think of a myth and then explore how it would play out if it were happening in the modern-day world. I modify all the myths I use, but I stick very closely to their structure – it is the hidden teacher in me.”
— Rick Riordan
“I loved the idea of making history interesting for kids! When Scholastic approached me about ‘The 39 Clues’, I immediately started going through the ‘greatest hits’ from my years as a social studies teacher, and picked the historical characters and eras that most appealed to my students.”
— Rick Riordan
“I’m a teacher still, but with a much larger classroom.”
— Rick Riordan
“I don’t think about being famous, really. Being an author, I don’t generally get stopped as I walk down the street. It’s not like being a movie star.”
— Rick Riordan
“When I was young, my favorite picture book was ‘Fletcher and Zenobia,’ written by Edward Gorey and illustrated by Victoria Chess. It’s long out of print now, but its mix of macabre humor and 1960s psychedelia made it a perfect children’s book for the times.”
— Rick Riordan
“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. A good book always keeps you asking questions, and makes you keep turning pages so you can find out the answers.”
— Rick Riordan
“Every child’s taste is different. Don’t worry if they’re not reading ‘War and Peace’ at age 12. First, build a good foundation and a positive attitude about reading by letting them pick the stories they enjoy. Make friends with a bookseller or librarian. They are a wealth of information on finding books that kids enjoy.”
— Rick Riordan
“My point,” Jason said, “is that blaming each other isn’t going to solve anything. That’s how the Romans and the Greeks got divided in the first place.”
— Rick Riordan
“The less you knew, the fewer monsters you’d attract,”
— Rick Riordan
“Nico wasn’t sure whether to kick himself or Will Solace. If he hadn’t been so distracted bickering with the son of Apollo, he would never have allowed the enemy to get so close.”
— Rick Riordan
“Huh,” said Percy. “Never seen Jason fly before. He looks like a blond superman.”
— Rick Riordan
“Miranda raised her eyebrows. Apparently she hadn’t figured me for a country music fan. I liked her for that.”
— Rick Riordan
“He looked like those paintings of baby angels – what do you call them, hubbubs? No cherubs. That’s it. He looked like a cherub who’d turned middle-aged in a trailer park.”
— Rick Riordan
“I didn’t answer, but, please—nothing is obvious with boys. For such simple creatures, they are quite baffling.”
— Rick Riordan
“Life is only precious because it ends, kid.”
— Rick Riordan
“everybody-even monsters-needed a little attention once in a while.”
— Rick Riordan
“We had enough quite enough snobbery in this world without exporting it to the hereafter.”
— Rick Riordan
“Beckendorf, whose legs were now working fine (nothing like being chased by a huge monster to get your body back in order) shook his head and gasped for breath. “You shouldn’t have turned it on! It’s unstable! After a few years, automatons go wild!”
— Rick Riordan