The Red Pyramid

Riordan, R. (2010). The red pyramid . New York: Disney/Hyperion Books. 

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is a New York Times bestseller.

Carter and his father, Julius Kane are visiting Sadie in England, Julius accidentally releases Nephthys, Isis, Horus and Osiris, he becomes a host for Osiris and goes to the underworld leaving his two children to deal with his "death." Sadie and Carter go with their uncle Amos to the Brooklyn house and learn that the god Set is planning to release Apophis who will destroy the modern world to rule and bring back the ancient world. Carter and Sadie become involved in a quest to stop Set from gaining the power to release Apophis, they meet Zia and Chief Lector Iskandar, magicians of the First Nome (in Egypt), they meet and work with other gods that are against the chaos that Set is about to create. When Kane children go to the Red Pyramid in Phoenix, the battle between Set and the children ends with Set joining them to stop Apophis and the children are rewarded by Horus and Isis, the Brooklyn house will be repaired and they will be allowed to call on other children whom have the blood of pharaohs to be trained magicians for the next trial, Apophis will return...

I enjoy reading this fast-paced adventure book, Sadie and Carter are siblings that have lived separate lives and have to learn to work together for a greater good, Sadie learns a lot from Carter and the reader can see how she accepts her new life and begins to enjoy having a brother to share things with. Both teenagers "fall in love" with Egyptian figures and become attached to their peculiar uncle Amos. Rick Riordan has the ability to write humorous books that can also be intriguing!

The Lost Hero

Riordan, R. (2010). The lost hero . New York: Disney/Hyperion Books. 

The Lost Hero is a New York Times Bestseller.

Jason wakes up surrounded by an unknown group of teenagers, they claim to be his friends and Piper appears to be his girlfriend but he can't remember anything! When they arrive at the Grand Canyon, they're attacked by a group of storm spirits and Jason surprises everyone including himself with his ability to fight with a sword. Jason, Piper and Leo are rescued by Annabeth who was looking for her boyfriend Percy Jackson, she takes them Camp Half-Blood a Greek camp for demigods. Where Jason, Piper, and Leo learn that they are demigods and each one is claimed by their god parent. During their stay at Camp Half-Blood, Jason receives a quest to rescue Hera from evil forces. Throughout their mission Jason and his friends meet with different gods that try to stop them from rescuing Hera but one way or another they come out of dangerous situations triumphantly and are able to continue. On one of their encounters with a pack of wolves, Jason, Piper and Leo are rescued by Artemis' hunters, Thalia one of the hunters, is Jason's sister and she helps rescue Piper's father and Hera.
Jason remembers part of his life and knows that he was part of a Roman camp where Hera had taken him from and placed Percy Jackson instead. The Roman demigods along with the Greek demigods will have to join forces against the evil Gaea and other beings that are trying to destroy the world.

I enjoy reading Rick Riordan's book, this "sequel" to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians brings in new characters that have the same struggles and fight the evil forces of the unhappy gods. I enjoy the humor and the twists that the story takes connecting the characters with one anther and with their parents. I recommend this book for students that like humorous adventure reads.

The Throne of Fire

Riordan, R. (2011). The throne of fire . New York: Disney/Hyperion.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan is a New York Times bestseller.

Exposition: Carter and Sadie Kane, two young magicians, are trying to retrieve an ancient Egyptian scroll. Carter was told by the god Horus that Apophis, the god of chaos is going to rise and they will have to collect the three sections of the Book of Ra to wake the sun god.

Conflict: Carter and Sadie, once again, must leave their regular lives in order to save the world from the evil Apophis. Their adventure requires them to risk their lives and the lives of those whom they love.

Rising Action: Carter and Sadie fight some gods that oppose waking Ra in London and travel to Russia to find the second scroll,  as they are able to escape the evil magician that wants to wake Apophis, Set sends them to Egypt for the third scroll. In Egypt, Carter and Sadie have to split and face challenges such as saving Walter, a magician trainee that Sadie likes, and waking Zia, another godling that Carter has been in love with since her shabti saved them when Set was trying to kill them in The Red Pyramid.

Climax: Carter and Sadie, with the help of Bes and Walter fight Desjardins and Menshikov, two of the three most powerful magicians in the world. The Kanes send Walter and Zia to help their uncle Amos in Brooklyn while they search for Ra in the Duat and wake him up. Carter and Sadie defeat Menshikov with Desjardins' help in the Duat but Apophis was awakened and execrated by Desjardins.

Falling Action: The Kanes return to Brooklyn to aid their uncle's team that has been attacked by magicians that support chaos.

Resolution: Ra leaves the children to take on his duties, uncle Amos - now the most powerful magician,  becomes chief Lector and returns to Egypt with Zia, Carter and Sadie Kane become the magicians in charge of the Brooklyn House and will prepare for Apophis' return...

Personal Reaction: I enjoy reading Rick Riordan's books, they are easy to read even if they're lengthy. Rick Riordan's use of dialogue and precise vocabulary, add depth to the story. The dialogue between characters takes the readers to a place in which he/she can actually visualize these teenagers and how they act toward each other with their teen attitudes and inner conflicts. Riordan's use of vocabulary to describe the situations and places, and sometimes even mock/refer his other books add to the visualization process of the reader as well.