March 29, 2024

26 and 27 in my 2011 book blogging challenge.

Yes, I’ve been spending my time off reading children’s books. I need to preview them for the children, you understand. That, and I’m sort of an 11-year-old at heart. I like books written for middle schoolers.

This week I’ve enjoyed spending some time with Ancient Egyptian mythology via the first two books in Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles. The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire introduce us to Carter and Sadie, a brother/sister team who happen to be descendants of two powerful houses of pharaohs. They also happen to be the most powerful magical children born in centuries, and as such, the Egyptian gods want to use and abuse them, and the magicians want to kill them.

You know, standard procedure when your birth is the stuff of prophecy.

The stories are set in the contemporary world. Except for their magical powers, Carter and Sadie are normal, iPod listening pre-teens. They are, as such, easy for kids to identify with as they face their challenges and make their tough decisions. Like all good heroes of mythological stories, these two must overcome their own temptations in addition to fighting bad guys. They have to learn how to control their anger and to get up and try again when things look grim.

These books make for a fun introduction to Egyptian mythology. They make the gods and goddesses and traditions of the Pharaohs understandable for modern kids (of all ages). They also offer some life lessons for regular kids without any magical powers.

The speaking voices are by far the best parts of the books, however. Carter and Sadie narrate their own stories, and they are two wise-cracking kids. They are also typical siblings always taking cracks at each other. They are fantastically funny story-tellers.

Rick Riordan is a former middle school teacher who started writing stories for this age set for his own children. He has done his homework well. He remains true to the real histories and mythologies of Egypt in his stories of the Kane children. He also remains true to his audience. The books are written for middle schoolers, and they are vastly appealing for that age group.

For adults, I’m not so sure the books would be all that captivating. They are not books for children and adults. They are for children. I enjoyed them because I have a particular interest in mythology and because I loved the characters. Some adults who are still children at heart might enjoy them for the same reasons. Just don’t expect them to be something they aren’t. Don’t try to critique them as books for grown ups. They aren’t that. They are for kids, and for the kids, they are excellent.

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