Red Pyramid: Graphic Novel

After turning a new generation of tweens onto Greek mythology, Rick Riordan shifted his storytelling skills to reviving interest in Egyptian mythology in the trilogy entitled, The Kane Chronicles. Here, Orpheus Collar and Jared Fletcher bring the 452-page book to life in this graphic novel in just 192 pages. For those unfamiliar with the books, the trilogy centers on a brother and sister, thirteen-year-old Carter and twelve-year-old Sadie Kane. Their parents were prominent Egyptologists, but five years earlier, Ruby Kane perished when a spell she and Julius were performing went wrong, and Julius went on the run. A complicated custody battle ensued and the siblings were split up with Sadie living in London with her maternal grandparents and Carter traveling the world with his father. The two siblings have had twice yearly visits ever since but hardly know each other. It is on a Christmas visit that Julius brings the two to The British Museum to inspect The Rosetta Stone as part of his research. He devises a ruse to distract the curator and after instructing Carter and Sadie to stay away, uses the relic to summon Osiris. The spell goes awry and Julius is entombed and abducted by Set, the Egyptian God of Evil. The children soon learn that they are descended from Egyptian pharaohs on both sides of the family and have supernatural powers. Oh, and they have six days to save the world from Chaos. Riordan’s writing is quite vivid and visual and this graphic novel brilliantly conveys the action, humor and intelligence of the original. The art, simply put, is gorgeous – vibrant colors and energy bounce off the pages. Carter and Sadie are attractive, the gods and goddesses are mysterious and the monsters are terrifying. Readers who might be intimidated by the novel’s size won’t miss much as this abridgement captures the essence of the novel. Readers who have already read the novel will be tickled to reread this graphic novel adaptation. It’s perfect. 192 pages Ages 10 and up 978-1423150695 Recommended by: Brenda Kahn, Librarian, New Jersey USA