The Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan)

This second book in the Olympians series lives up to the standards of the first one, delivering action, humor, and relationships in about equal parts. Percy, who discovered in the first book that the ancient gods are real and he is the son of Poseidon, now must go on a dangerous, unauthorized quest to save the camp that protects other half-bloods like him and the life of his satyr friend. This series is aimed at young adults, so its story is somewhat less complex and nuanced than others, but it emphasizes the eternal truths of most fiction, at least the fiction I like: bravery, friendship, honesty, and resourcefulness will win through in the end. I quite enjoyed it and will read others in the series.