Latest news with #PercyJackson
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Canfield author publishes new book
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — One Canfield Native is celebrating the release of her new book filled with fantasy, adventure and rock 'n' roll. When Joan Reardon was a kid, her mom would bring her to the Boardman Barnes & Noble, where she gravitated toward fantasy books like 'Harry Potter' and 'Percy Jackson.' 'There has never been a time in my life where I wasn't writing,' Reardon said. 'My parents love to tell a story of when I was a baby and I would just scribble on pieces of paper and stack them on top of each other and say, 'I wrote a book.'' Twenty years later, she returned to that same store to find her own new book, 'Dad Rock Dragon Quest,' on the shelves — right next to the books she once fell in love with. 'It's about a family that's a blended family that goes on an adventure to rescue a dragon from magical poachers,' Reardon said. 'Simultaneously, it also features, you know, a lot of rock and roll, plenty of references to like 'Top Gun' and eighties action movies. So it's kind of a story for the whole family.' This is Reardon's second book to be published and sold in thousands of stores across the country, but it holds a special place in her heart. She says many aspects of the story are based on her husband, whom she married shortly after finishing the book in 2023. 'We did, I think, one round of edits, and then we sent it out to the publisher, and we didn't hear back for about two months,' Reardon said. 'And then, the night of our rehearsal dinner, we got news that it was going to be published. So two reasons to celebrate.' Reardon wrote the book in between her law school classes, and, over the past year and a half, she has worked with Simon & Schuster publishing company to get ready for the book's grand release, which was on June 3. 'There's a lot of love and work that goes into the book from, you know, dozens of people. And so everyone's very, very excited to finally have it in stores,' Reardon said. So far, the book has already received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and been picked as a gold standard selection from the Junior Library Guild. But she's not stopping there — she's already putting the finishing touches on the first draft of her next book. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Southwick Regional School's valedictorian Alyssa Jacob is shooting for the stars
SOUTHWICK — For Alyssa Jacob, the Southwick Regional School's Class of 2025 valedictorian, it was never about the honor, but the journey to the top of class. 'I wasn't ever really trying. I just worked as hard I could, not leaving anything on the table … if I get it, great, if not, I did my best,' she said Thursday, two days before she'll address her fellow students during their graduation ceremony with her valedictory address. But she was surprised. 'It's crazy. I didn't think the day would get here,' said the 18-year-old about ending one chapter of her life and getting started on the next one. It was a recurring theme in her valedictory address. 'Some days, this moment didn't feel like it would ever get here but let me take this time to remind you all that even if you don't think it's real: we made it, it's here, and we all can finally take a deep breath,' she spoke about with her classmates. To get there, she credited her parents, retired Lt. Col. Andrew Jacob, who served as a wing commander for the 104th Fighter Wing at the Barnes Air National Guard Base and now flies commercial airliners for Delta Air Lines, and her mother Mindi Jacob, who one taught at Powder Mill Elementary School. 'My parents are incredibly driven,' she said about the example they set for her and her brother, Drew, who will be a junior at SRS next year. That drive will serve her well as she heads off to the University of Tennessee in the fall to study aerospace engineering with the ultimate goal of working on spacecraft, which figures since her favorite movie is 'Interstellar.' And it makes sense since her favorite is math while giving a shout out to her math teachers Anna Hitchcock and Amy Pomeroy for taking to the next level. She also thanked her history teacher Desiree Moriarty. While preparing for the next chapter with work in the classroom, she held a job at Big Y, and played for the Rams field hockey team. Playing since the fifth grade, Jacob's hoping to continue to play it in college at the intramural level. 'And to make friends,' she said. About her friends, she said they have been a vital part of her years in school. 'It's going to be hard going away,' she said. Outside of school, work, and sports, Jacob said that she's a voracious reader. 'I really like fiction and fantasy, like the Harry Potter books and Percy Jackson,' she said. Percy Jackson is a fictional character in Rick Riordan's 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians' series. She, like all her classmates, had to endure the isolation during the pandemic and considers it now as a part of her past. But, she had to inner strength to persevere. 'I was always OK with being by myself,' she said acknowledging that some of her classmates had difficulty during those two years. In her parting words to her classmates, she summed up their next chapter. 'None of us knows exactly where we are headed next. But I hope that whatever path we take, we remember this: success isn't about being the loudest or the smartest or the most polished. Sometimes, it's just about showing up when it's hard. Listening more than you speak. Choosing to be kind when it's easier not to be.' Read the original article on MassLive.
Buzz Feed
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Percy Jackson Camp Half-Blood Personalized Bead Generator
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on the BuzzFeed Arcade Ever wondered what your very own Camp Half-Blood beads would look like? I know I have! Now's your chance to dive into the world of Percy Jackson and craft beads worthy of the gods! Whether you've battled monsters in the Labyrinth or shared blue birthday cake with Percy, it's time to turn your epic adventures into a custom bead design. ⚔️🏛️ Unleash your inner hero and capture your legendary quests! Start creating and let the myths unfold! 🌊🌟 All trademarks, logos, brand names, names, likeness, characters, and other personal indicia (collectively, "attributes") are the property of their respective owners. Use of these attributes does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship from the respective owners. Hey, bead collector! 🎉 Want the juicy details on how you earned those beads? Dive into the generator below (using your same picks) to uncover more! 🔍✨ Are you ready to showcase your demigod destiny? Your story deserves to be immortalized— drop your creations below! 🌟⚔️ This post uses AI-powered creativity tools. Results can be unpredictable, surprising, and potentially offensive. Please use and share responsibly.
Edmonton Journal
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta Youth Theatre Collective reviews Victoria School's The Lightning Thief
Based on the book of the same title, one of the best-selling young adult books of all time, The Lightning Thief first premiered Off-Broadway in 2014. After years of revision, the Greek mythology-inspired musical finally opened on Broadway in 2019 for a limited run. Following the titular Percy Jackson, the musical begins with Percy's discovery that his father is a Greek God, and continues as he discovers the world of 'Half-Bloods'— that is, children with one Godly parent, and one mortal parent– and finds connection and understanding in this new world.
Straits Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Why it's important to read aloud to your kids – even after they can read themselves
Reading together can encourage closeness between children and parents, as well as shared knowledge and laughs. PHOTO: ST FILE Why it's important to read aloud to your kids – even after they can read themselves Reading aloud to your children is a parental superpower – you can continue to build where the school learning stops. Is reading to your kids a bedtime ritual in your home? For many of us, it will be a visceral memory of our own childhoods. Or of the time raising now grown-up children. Perhaps it involves a nightly progression through the Percy Jackson series or the next Captain Underpants book. Or maybe there's a request to have Room On The Broom again (and again). But for some households, reading aloud is not a regular activity. A recent British report by publisher Harper Collins found many parents are not reading to their kids. Fewer than half (41 per cent) of zero to four-year-olds are read to frequently. More than 20 per cent of parents surveyed agreed reading is 'more a subject to learn than a fun thing to do'. The report also found that some parents stop reading to their children once they can read by themselves. As The Guardian reported, some parents assume 'it will make (their child) lazy and less likely to read independently'. Here's why it's important to read to your children – even after they have learnt to read. What's involved in reading skills? Research on reading skills suggests there are two main types of skills involved in learning to read. Constrained skills are skills that once we learn, we keep. For example, once we learn the alphabet, we don't have to keep learning it. It's like riding a bike. Unconstrained skills are skills we continue to learn throughout life. For example, vocabulary, reading fluency (how quickly and smoothly you read) and reading comprehension. Even as adults, we continue to learn new word and language forms. We know reading to infants and younger children can build early language skills, such as the sounds of words and the alphabet. Reading to older children is a simple way to build unconstrained skills. How reading aloud helps The books we read aloud at bedtime to young readers tend to be those they can't read themselves. So it introduces more complex ideas, words, and sentence patterns. This is why reading aloud to your children is a parental superpower – you can continue to build where the school learning stops. Reading together can also encourage closeness between children and parents, as well as shared knowledge and laughs. When you are reading to your child, they have your full attention, which also makes the time special. What should you be reading? Reading aloud doesn't necessarily have to involve multiple chapters of a book. Research suggests what matters is that it's something you are both interested in and enjoying. You could read to your child on a device, or you could even tell a traditional tale without a book. You could read poetry, news articles or magazine articles about a favourite football team or player – these can all build unconstrained literacy skills. Even re-reading a beloved picture book from younger years can build fluency and focus on direct speech in text (especially when the reader does 'funny' voices). How often should you read to your child? Family life is busy and parents often have many commitments. So there are no rules, other than to make it fun. Don't be put off by 'how much you have to do' – a few minutes of engaged reading time together is better than none at all. You could read to your child when you yourself are reading something and want to share it. If it's too hard to read to your child every night, do it every weekend night or make another time during the week. Or ask a grandparent or older sibling to help. And there is no set age to stop – if you like, keep reading to your kids until they leave home! Robyn Cox is professor of literacy education at the University of Tasmania, in Australia. This article was first published in The Conversation. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
