Book Nook

This is my Book Nook Column from July 2010 in "The Harrodsburg Herald" - highlighting "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Steig Larsson and "The Red Pyramid" (the Kane Chronicles) by Rick Riordan.

Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan - author of the PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS series - announces his next series to be released next May. This is a new middle-grade fantasy series set in ancient Egypt.

In THE RED PYRAMID, Book #1 of The Kane Chronicles, kids will meet Carter Kane, 14, and his sister, Sadie, 12, descendants of Egyptian magicians who battle gods accidentally released in the present. (Watch out for the god of chaos.)

You can read the entire press release at Publishers Weekly.

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1) by Rick Riordan

Children/Young Adult
Hardcover: 220 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545060397
ISBN-13: 978-0545060394

The 39 Clues series is like The DaVinci Code for children. Each book of this projected ten book series will hold clues to a mysterious fortune from around the world.

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans who learn they are distantly related to Benjamin Franklin. In order to win the fortune, they must collect and solve 39 clues – only two clues are presented in this first book.

Although this book is a blatant marketing ploy – trading cards and on-line games are also available – the book is fresh and clever and will appeal to most children. Although Riordan – author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series - plots the story arcs, several other children’s authors will also be writing installments. Gordon Korman – an award winning Canadian children’s author - writes the next book, One False Note.

The first Cahill card series features 56 thoroughly intriguing evidence cards that kids need to hunt down the 39 Clues. The oversize cards (3.25 x 5) are loaded with top-secret Cahill information and intriguing puzzles that unlock the family's secrets. Each pack contains 16 randomly assorted cards, with at least one rare or ultra-rare card per pack.

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians book #3) by Rick Riordan

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423101480
ISBN-13: 978-1423101482

This young adult book series is a great introduction to ancient Greek mythology. Percy Jackson is a teenager with half mortal and half god genes who lives in the world of ancient mythology. In order for this book to make sense, you really need to read the first two books in this proposed five book series: The Lightening Thief and The Sea Monsters.

In The Titan’s Curse, Percy is on a rescue mission to save his best friend Annabeth and the goddess, Artemis. Our hero must deal with various mythological beasts, as well as his ever growing mythological family – in particular, his distant, godly parents. Percy also learns there is a dark side to being a hero.

If you love Greek mythology and have been searching for a new series of books to read after the conclusion of Harry Potter, then Percy Jackson and the Olympians is just the place to start.