Helpful Score: 3
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
I started to read this book to my fifth graders, but it is long and the end of the year crept up on us and we didn't get to finish it. So I took it home and finished it myself. I loved it.
There are two main characters, Sadie and Carter Kane. They are brother and sister, but they are almost strangers to each other. When Sadie was 6 and Carter 8, their mother died and because of a bitter custody dispute, Sadie went with her mother's parents in London and Carter stayed with his dad. They only see each other two times a year. Carter travels with his father, an Egyptologist, and is home schooled, while Sadie goes to a public school in London. They really don't have much to say when they see each other.
One Christmas Eve, Carter and his father pick up Sadie and go to the British Museum for a research project. While there, Mr. Kane destroys the Rosetta Stone and unleashes five Egyptian gods into the world. He is entombed and leaves Carter and Sadie saddled with a mission to stop the god, Set, from destroying the world.
Many other reviewers have said that they couldn't tell the differences between Carter and Sadie's voices, but I could. Sadie was brash while Carter is more polite. They complimented each other in many ways. I loved getting two different points of view as I read.
Another character that I loved was Bast, the cat goddess, who took the form many times of Muffin, Sadie's cat. She was funny and you could tell she really loved the children. I had a little problem with the Egyptian mythology (I fell in love with Greek myths when I was younger), but enjoyed learning about it. I can't wait to read the next installment of THE KANE CHRONICLES!
I started to read this book to my fifth graders, but it is long and the end of the year crept up on us and we didn't get to finish it. So I took it home and finished it myself. I loved it.
There are two main characters, Sadie and Carter Kane. They are brother and sister, but they are almost strangers to each other. When Sadie was 6 and Carter 8, their mother died and because of a bitter custody dispute, Sadie went with her mother's parents in London and Carter stayed with his dad. They only see each other two times a year. Carter travels with his father, an Egyptologist, and is home schooled, while Sadie goes to a public school in London. They really don't have much to say when they see each other.
One Christmas Eve, Carter and his father pick up Sadie and go to the British Museum for a research project. While there, Mr. Kane destroys the Rosetta Stone and unleashes five Egyptian gods into the world. He is entombed and leaves Carter and Sadie saddled with a mission to stop the god, Set, from destroying the world.
Many other reviewers have said that they couldn't tell the differences between Carter and Sadie's voices, but I could. Sadie was brash while Carter is more polite. They complimented each other in many ways. I loved getting two different points of view as I read.
Another character that I loved was Bast, the cat goddess, who took the form many times of Muffin, Sadie's cat. She was funny and you could tell she really loved the children. I had a little problem with the Egyptian mythology (I fell in love with Greek myths when I was younger), but enjoyed learning about it. I can't wait to read the next installment of THE KANE CHRONICLES!
Helpful Score: 2
This isn't as good as any of the Percy Jackson books, in my opinion. It just doesn't have quite the same level of humor weaved into the story, which made those books so much fun to read. But, it's still really entertaining, and it's fun to read a story involving a mythology that most are probably far less familiar with. Let's face it, Egyptian Mythology as a whole is not nearly so well known as that of the Greeks. But, in a way, that actually makes this even better than it otherwise would be, since you really do pick up elements of those unfamiliar stories as you read the book. Plus, the book itself has a pretty interesting story of its own. I really enjoyed it. While it won't go alongside the Percy Jackson books as some of my all-time fantasy favorites, I will definitely be reading the future installments.
Helpful Score: 1
My first Rick Riordan book i've read so I have nothing to compare it too but I absoutely LOVED this book! It took some getting used to the writing (the two kids are talking into a tape recorder about what happened to them) but after I got used to that I came to really enjoy all the characters and came to wish I spoke Baboon! I am eagerly awaiting the 2nd in this series!
Helpful Score: 1
Love it! All my favorite Egyptian stories come to life before your very eyes! The action never stopped. Gripping, but it got a little tiring for both me and the characters. Can't wait to get the next one.
Helpful Score: 1
I was poking around the library recently and ran across this book, which I was drawn to due to my love of the first Percy Jackson novel, and I wanted to see what else Riordan had to offer. While I cant say I enjoyed this as much as The Lightning Thief, it was still an entertaining book and Im glad that I read it.
It took me awhile to get adjusted to the format this book was written in, which was essentially the story of what Carter and Sadie went through, transcribed from a tape they recorded for someone else to find. Its a clever concept, but I think Id like it better in actual audio format as opposed to reading it. Some of the chapters are told by Sadie, others by Carter, and it was mildly difficult at times to keep track of which one of them is telling the story at which point. At times, that didnt really matter depending on what was going on, but at other points it was a little more important because of the different skills they each possess.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
It took me awhile to get adjusted to the format this book was written in, which was essentially the story of what Carter and Sadie went through, transcribed from a tape they recorded for someone else to find. Its a clever concept, but I think Id like it better in actual audio format as opposed to reading it. Some of the chapters are told by Sadie, others by Carter, and it was mildly difficult at times to keep track of which one of them is telling the story at which point. At times, that didnt really matter depending on what was going on, but at other points it was a little more important because of the different skills they each possess.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
