The Lightning Thief

As many others have already noted, the Lightning Thief very closely parallels the first Harry Potter book. 3 friends, special abilities, special school.... i could go on and on. Rename the characters, change wizards to gods and bam, you have Percy Jackson.

Aside from the obvious parallels, The Lightening Thief is a fun read with an entertaining cast of characters. It brings classical Greek mythology to the modern era. I had a blast reading it and look forward to reading the rest of the series.