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!

Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, C. P. (1999). Bud, not Buddy . New York: Delacorte Press.

Bud, not Buddy is a 2000 Newbery Medal Winner Book.

Bud is an orphan boy that lives in Flint, Michigan in the 1930's, a time when African Americans were still not widely accepted. When Bud is mistreated once more by his foster family, he decides to run away from their home and not go back to the orphanage. Bud carries with him a suitcase with all his "valuable" items: some rocks, flyers about a musician - Herman E. Calloway, a picture of his mother, and a blanket. After a failed attempt to "jump" a train that will take him west, Bud decides to go to Grand Rapids where the man he believes is his father (Calloway) lives. After walking for a long time, a generous driver, Lefty Lewis, picks him up with the promise of taking him to his destination.

When they finally arrive to Grand Rapids, Bud tells Calloway and his musician friends that he is his son. Calloway rejects him but the main vocalist of the band "adopts" Bud telling him that they will call places and look into Bud's past to determine whether he truly is Calloway's son. When Buddy shows Mr. Calloway some of his rocks everyone connects him with Calloway's stranged daughter that had disappeared 11 years ago. Bud is glad to know that he has a new home and his life will forever change because he has find his new family: Mr. Calloway and his band.

Bud, not Buddy is a great book that invites the reader into a 10 year old boy's search for his stranged father. I can see how some of my student can relate to this topic, in our society, many of our students don't know where their parents are and the separation makes them feel like they are missing something. The story of Bud looking for a home and potentially a better life is very touching and gratifying at the end.