The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1), by Rick Riordan, 2005

12-year old Percy Jackson is used to getting kicked out of school, used to tiptoeing around Smelly Gabe, his mom's odious husband, used to getting blamed for pretty much anything that goes wrong. But he's not used to math teachers transforming into mythic monsters and trying to rip his entrails out. Nor to minotaurs trying to impale him on his way to a Long Island summer camp. But, as he soon learns, when you're the son of Poseidon the Sea God, you inherit a lot of enemies, an impossible quest, some crazy would-be protectors, and a pretty amazing ball-point pen. And you learn to get used to just about anything the gods can dish up. Fast paced, absurd, dangerous, a rollicking yarn with a distinctly-voiced reluctant hero. Strongly recommended.