Here are some facts about Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
- Rick Riordan was born on 5th June 1964 in San Antonio, Texas (United States).
- He went to Alamo Heights High School and then attended the University of Texas.
- He was a teacher of English and Social Studies at Presidio High School in San Francisco.
- He is now a full-time writer.
- Rick Riordan is most well-known for writing the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, but he has also written a mystery series for adults (the Tres Navarre series).
- There are six books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labryinth, The Demigod Files and The Last Olympian.
- Rick Riordan has also written three books in the Kane Chronicles, as well as six books in The Heroes of Olympus series, which continue the story started in Percy Jackson and the Olympians books.
- He loved the Lord of the Rings books when he was a child and read them about ten times.
- He has two sons – Haley and Patrick.
- Rick Riordan enjoys reading, swimming, playing guitar, travelling and playing video games.
- He tested the first Percy Jackson book on a group of his pupils (he was still a teacher at that point) before he submitted it to publishing house.
- Percy Jackson has dyslexia and ADHD and he is, in part, based Rick Riordan’s son, Hayley, who also has dyslexia and ADHD.
What next? Find out more about some other important children’s authors.