(Suggested reading level: Grades 4-8)
I actually borrowed The Red Pyramid from my daughter, and I definitely enjoyed it. The story centers around a pair of siblings, Carter and Sadie, whose world is thrown upside down the night they watch their father blow up the Rosetta Stone and be captured by an ancient Egyptian god. Cater and Sadie learn the secret of their family history, discover they can perform magic and have to save the world from Set.
It’s a great combination. Fascinating Egyptian gods, siblings who learn to work together, magic, fight scenes. The book has everything to appeal to its middle school audience, even if it felt a little long.
Sadie and Carter take turns narrating the chapters, which mean we get to see the events and characters from both points of view, and they are quite different from each other. Carter had been raised by his Egyptologist father, traveling around the world after their mother’s death, while Sadie had been safe in London with her grandparent’s. They have to learn how to work together, but the two of them have the potential to be the most powerful magicians in centuries.
I like the magic system here. Riordan sticks with the Egyptian theme, using Egyptian words and glowing hieroglyphs as spells. And the gods are well-done in the rather amusing way he first used in the Percy Jackson series. They are awesome and powerful, but they still have human faults and foibles. Some work with Carter and Sadie, some against them. My personal favorite was Bast.
A couple of good quotes, the first an allusion to Riordan’s other series.
“So you can’t live in Manhattan?” she asked.
Amos’s brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building. “Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It’s best we stay separate.”
And from one of the many fight scenes.
Travelers were still screaming and running around. I heard a little girl shout: “Chicken man, get the moose!”
You know how hard it is to feel like an extreme falcon-headed combat machine when somebody calls you “chicken man”?
I told my daughter that she has to read this one soon. She’ll love it.
The second in the series, The Throne of Fire, came out earlier this month. I’ll have to pick it up soon.
Purchase The Red Pyramid at Amazon or an Indie bookstore.
Kane Chronicles #1
516 pages
Published May 4, 2010 by Hyperion Books for Children
3½ out of 5 stars
I borrowed this copy from my daughter and the above is my honest opinion.
My son probably would have loved that one too.
I really liked this book too! Parts of it reminded me a lot of the Percy Jackson series, but I liked how the dual narration set it apart. I think Riordan did a great job of giving Carter and Sadie each their own unique voice.
I agree. I thought the idea that it was all actually a recording was interesting too.
I would have loved these books as a kid 😀
sounds like fun! I have the Percy Jackson books in my TBR pile.
Great review!
My sister is huge fan of Rick Riordan’s books. She has been telling me to read this as well as the Percy Jackson series. I think I will try one of his books soon.
I’ve only read the first in the Percy Jackson series, but it was a while ago.
Great review – one day I must read it too!
My son seems to want this book. And I’m willing to get it for him, but I want him to read it and not just leave it sit on the shelf. But it wouldn’t take much to get me to get him this book as I would love to have the series as well. 🙂 Thank you for the great review!
It’s so hard to know, with my daughter at least, what will strike a kid’s fancy. This one has a lot of action though and some silliness too.