Description
Title: Kane Chronicles 1: The Red Pyramid
Author: RIORDAN RICK
Format: PAPERBACK
Publication date: 28/03/2011
Imprint: PUFFIN BOOKS
Price: $19.00
Publishing status: Active
‘I GUESS IT STARTED THE NIGHT OUR DAD BLEW UP THE BRITISH MUSEUM . . .’
CARTER AND SADIE KANE’S dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos . . .
Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and Carter and Sadie must run for their lives. To save their dad, they embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo to Paris to the American South-west and discover the truth about their family’s connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years.
The pharaohs of ancient Egypt are far from dead and buried. And so, unfortunately, are their gods . . .
Retro Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan Review by Jennifer LaGarde
by CBethM
Its difficult to call a Rick Riordan book underappreciated and keep a straight face, but compared to Percy Jackson and his pals, Carter and Sadie Kane, the heroes of Riordans The Red Pyramid are practically unknown. Even so, Red Pyramid is my favorite Riordan blockbuster though not for the reasons you might think. True, its got all the earmarks of a Riordan YA juggernaut: plenty of action, a new monster around every corner, a couple of budding romances and lots of embedded mythology (in this case Egyptian) to inspire and delight. However, what I love most about this book (and indeed the Kane Chronicles series as a whole) is how, in the middle of all their heroics, Carter and Sadie, quietly, and with very little fuss, break down racial barriers in what might be the most homogenous of all literary genres.
Indeed, minority characters, (never mind heroes), are rare in fantasy fiction, making Sadie and Carter Kane, our biracial heroes, unusual to say the least. The Kane siblings are the children of a white mother and an African American father both Egyptologists with a direct lineage to the pharaohs. That said, while Sadie has very light skin and looks white, like her mother, Carter has dark skin and looks more like his father. And while their racial identities dont drive the story or become a thematic element, there are moments when Carter and Sadie react to their differences in authentic and understated ways: Carter considers denying that Sadie is his sister when her behavior is too embarrassing, while Sadie wonders how life has been different for her darker skinned brother.
And while there is one scene in which Carters father warns him that as an African American man people will judge him more harshly and therefore he must always look impeccable, for the most part, Carter and Sadie are informed by their race, but not defined by it. And this is where I think Riordan accomplishes something masterful: instead of using the pulpit of his pen to preach about judging people by their actions rather than their skin color, he weaves a tale in which his characters are too smart, funny and well developed to be pigeonholed by their race. To the reader, Carter and Sadie are not black or biracial heroes. They are just heroes.
Finally, as a teacher librarian, I am keenly aware of how important it is for students of all backgrounds and ethnicities to see themselves in the pages of a book. At its core, reading is an exercise in empathy and empowerment. Just as a book can help the reader gain a greater understanding of what its like to walk a mile in another persons moccasins, so too can relating to a character help the reader feel validated and, ultimately, less alone. Unfortunately, for so many of our African American students, the books in which they most often see themselves are strikingly similar lots of urban fiction filled with troubled teens from dangerous, often impoverished backgrounds, succeeding despite the mountain of obstacles in their way. And while I count many of these titles as favorites, (see Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes or just about anything in The Bluford Series), its nice to be able to add to that list a book like The Red Pyramid: A fantasy fiction adventure that all students will enjoy but in which African American/biracial students, in particular, get to see themselves as strong, well adjusted, magic wielding heroes.
Series: The Kane Chronicles
ISBN: 9780141325507
Pages: 528