I have to start this post by declaring my love for Rick Riordan’s books. As far as I’m concerned, The Lightning Thief is still the absolute standout of post-Harry Potter children’s fantasy, and the entire Percy Jackson series is exceptional (and so are the audio books). I also loved his contribution to the 39 Clues franchise, Maze of Bones, which I plan on reading to my 4th graders this year (what better way to tie in lessons about all the reference resources in the library?). So I was really excited about the first installment of his new Egyptian gods series The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid. I even had great mythology displays planned around his books. But I was really disappointed with this one.
The premise of the series is promising. Brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane have grown up separately since the death of their mother. 14-year-old Carter travels the world with their father, a famous Egyptologist. 12-year-old Sadie lives in London with her maternal grandparents. But during their family Christmas holiday together in London, strange events unfold and their father disappears. It’s up to Carter and Sadie to unlock centuries-old family secrets, find their father, and understand new powers they’ve discovered within themselves. And the answers all lie hidden in Egyptian mythology. Now, at this point if you know anything about Percy Jackson you can guess where this is going, but I won’t spoil it for you if you don’t.