The Red Pyramid

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Rick Riordan

Reader: Kevin R. Free and Katherine Kellgren

Producer: Brilliance Audio

Production Year: 2010

Most of the listeners will be: 5th through 8th grade boys and girls.

Listener's Advisory: For another great series opener about children helping to battle the forces of evil, listen to Over Sea and Under Stone by Susan Cooper. 

Summary: After their mother's death six years ago Carter and Sadie Kane were separated. Carter travels around with their father, a respected Egyptologist, and Sadie lives with their grandparents in England. They only see each other two days a year. Carter and his father arrive in England for their scheduled Christmas Eve visitation with Sadie and they are all admitted to the British Museum after hours. After Mr. Kane has his children lock the curator in his office, he uses the Rosetta Stone to attempt to summon one of the Egyptian gods. The firey man Sadie and Carter see imprison their father in a golden sarcophagus laughs that he tried to summon one, but got five. Which gods have been unleashed? What has happened to Carter and Sadie's father? And what will they do now?

My favorite passage:

Sadie's cat Muffin is really the goddess Bast and she is charged with protecting them. Not long after Muffin changes in to Bast the three of them are running through the streets of New York together when she pauses to demolish a large wrecking ball with her knives. Carter asks if the ball was really a threat, to which she replies "You never know." It is strongly implied that even a cat goddess can't resist playing with a ball. 

What I really think:

Even though I enjoyed The Lightening Thief, the only other of Riordan's books I've read, I didn't go into The Red Pyramid with the highest of expectations. I mean, the man publishes so many books. Can they all really be that good? And I'm into Greek and Roman mythology. Egyptian? Meh. And I actually only read it because one of my book clubs chose it. However, I immediately fell in love with this book to the point of mild obsession (I do also get more attached to audio books than print, I have found).

There is a lot going on - so many characters, settings, things to accomplish before Set takes over the world. But it is such a pleasure to read (or listen to) that I went right along with Carter and Sadie, only thinking later of how far we had come. All the characters (gods and mortals) are so well developed that even those that have a small part are rich and memorable. I mean Toth in Memphis, Tennessee? I really hope there is more of him later in the series!

The readers both did an excellent job. I was especially impressed that they coordinated the way they did voices for other characters - and each other! It must have been a difficult undertaking and having two narrators could have been jarring for the listener, but they worked together beautifully. 

Cursing the fact that my library doesn't have book 2 on CD. I need more Kanes and I really need to hear them. 

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities

Author: Mike Jung

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine

Publication Year: 2012

Most of the readers will be: 4th through 7th grade boys.

Reader's Advisory: Hero by Mike Lupica is a slightly more advanced book about a young super hero.

Summary:
Vincent, Max, and George are (the only) members of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club (not to be confused with the Official Captain Stupendous Fan Club). They actually know things about all of Captain Stupendous's past battles and signature moves, unlike the "Official" Fan Club, who are just a bunch of dumb fans. So, when Captain Stupendous starts acting strange, Vincent and his friends know that they have to get to the bottom of it, and help the super hero if they can. After all, if the Captain isn't himself, then who will protect the city from Professor Mayhem and his giant robot?

My favorite passage:

"Why do you know so much? he said, ignoring my question.
I'm a founding member of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club."
I puffed up my chest, which was a little hard since I'm not exactly Mr. Universe.
"You're one of those guys funded by the Corwin Foundation?"
Big sigh.
"No, that's the Official Captain Stupendous Fan Club," I said. "We're the Captain Stupendous Fan Club, period. Not official, not unofficial we're--"
"Okay, okay," Stupendous said. "How many members do you have?"
It always came down to membership. Oh, there are only three of you? And you hang out all the time even if you're not having club meetings? And your headquarters is in your mom's garage and you're really just a bunch of losers? Well, you're not a real club, are you? I guess it was predictable that the next person to shoot down our fan club would be the guy we formed the club to be fans of.
"Three."
I crossed my arms and waited for it--fake politeness, staring, or plain old laughter, I'd seen it all. But Stupendous didn't do any of that stuff. He rubbed his chin with one glove-covered hand. He stood up, and there must have been some nonfighting mojo in that superhero body, because he did it in one quick, slippery motion. It was like watching a dance move, only with more potential violence afterward. Then he said the last thing I expected him to say.
"Have you done...school reports about Captain Stupendous?"
I blinked. First of all, bizarre question. Second, Stupendous wasn't one of those heroes who liked to talk about himself in the third person.
"Yeah. About a hundred of 'em. How did you--"
He waved off my question. "What do you know about my secret identity?"
Aha, he was testing me. Bring it on, Captain Rubberpants.
"I don't know anything for sure, but all human superheroes get older and fatter and uglier, except you," I said.
"You look exactly the same as you did twenty-six years ago. I think this is your superhero form, but you also have a regular-person form when you're not saving the world."
DING! Oh. OH. Regular-person form.
"Something's happened to your regular body, hasn't it? It's like you forgot how to fight, or find out where you're needed, or use your powers. You don't brag and talk into the news cameras anymore."
I paused and sucked in a breath.
"What happened to you? I said "You're...different."
"Do you think?" he said with a sneer.
"What, do you have a new secret identity or something?" I was kind of joking when I said it, but I was actually on the right track!
"NO," Stupendous said, but he made it sound like "no" had three syllables, "Nuh-oh-wuh," and his voice got really high. It sounded like he was lying, in other words.
"Oh wow, you DO have a new secret identity, don't you?"
"Maybe."
Dude, something really crazy must have happened.
"There's this book, The Stupendous Paradigm," I said. "You should, you know, read it--it talks all about the popular theories about your secret identity."
Stupendous put his hands behind his head and walked in a circle, his cape swirling.
"Can I trust you?" he said.
My palms itched, and I felt something like an electrical shock start at my stomach and run up into my hair. Captain Stupendous was about to tell me his secret identity!
"Yes."
"This might be the stupidest thing I've ever done," he said. (pg 55-57)

What I really think:
This book is fun and definitely includes some unexpected twists, such as the secret identity of Captain Stupendous.

There are a couple things that seemed added to the novel, maybe because Jung thought he ought to include them, but something just wasn't seamless about them. For example, all three boys have gripes about their parents - divorce, parental dating, drinking, yelling... When this stuff comes up it seems kind of forced. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but only Vincent's relationship with his parents (well, and Polly's) is really important to the story. Max and George's issues with their parents are... I don't know. Something felt off when I was reading some of those parts.

Overall, I doubt most tweens will notice or care. Maybe they will even love that all the kids have parent issues and be all like, "Right on! That is so my life."

There is a little budding romance that I think is very well done. It is totally appropriate for this age group. Awkward, very innocent, and very sweet.

I would recommend this book to my students, but I am also looking for Jung to refine his style and write something even better in the future.