In an effort to get over the Percy dry spell, I thought I’d give Rick Riordan’s other ventures a try:
The Red Pyramid grabbed my attention from the very first line: “We only have a few hours, so listen carefully.” Since the death of his mother, Carter has been traveling all over the world with his dad, who is an archeologist. His sister Sadie, however, has been living with her grandparents in London, and only sees Carter and her father twice a year. The relationship between Carter and Sadie is rather strained, since they are practically strangers — until their dad decides to blow up the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum. Nothing brings a brother and sister together like being possessed by gods and running for their lives. The siblings are on the run from Egyptian gods who want to destroy the world, the House of Life who wants to destroy them, and any other suspicious obstacles they meet along the way.
Throughout the story Rick Riordan brings up some very interesting observations about mixed race families: Carter is dark-skinned like his father, while Sadie is light-skinned like her mother — people look twice when they say they’re related. Carter’s father makes it a point to let him know that as a person of color, he needs to try harder to look and act his best at all times– which just isn’t fair to him. But as Julius say, “Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same… Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself.” There’s a lot of pressure on Carter! Meanwhile, Sadie has a more rebellious streak: she has the freedom to dye her hair with different colors, wear combat boots along with her school uniform, and break the rules any time someones say “Don’t…” Still, the siblings find a way to care for each other, join forces for the greater good of the world, and come together as a family.
With humorous chapter titles, slightly deranged and funny-looking gods, as well as some passive aggressive clay statues, The Red Pyramid makes for a really fun read. You just need make sure to keep your accents straight while reading!
Doodles and Words 