If you’ve heard of Percy Jackson, The Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, The Trials of Apollo, Tres Navarre, or the 39 Clues, then you’re probably familiar with Rick Riordan. His rise to authorhood wasn’t a straight one, but thousands of children and adults thrill in his adventures. The writing world wouldn’t be the same without him.
Photo via amazon.com
Born and raised in Texas, Rick Riordan graduated fro the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in English and History. He taught history and Greek mythology in the San Antonio and San Francisco area for fifteen years to middle school children, receiving an award along the way.
While he enjoyed writing from a young age, it wasn’t until after being a father that he fell into writing due to his son’s ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis. His son enjoyed Greek mythology and would often ask him to create stories which birthed the character of Percy Jackson. After his son’s encouragement, Riordan wrote down the stories into a book form, making sure to include the aspect of dyslexia in his main character of Percy.
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“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.” via scholastic.com
Riordan currently resides in Texas and keeps churning out stellar series. Great for children and adults alike, you won’t regret cracking open one of his award winning books!
For more information about Rick Riordan and his books, please visit his website.
Photo via scholastic.com
Other sources include famousauthors.org and scholastic.com.
Happy reading,
KD
