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16 January 2011

The One Where I Rave About What I Read

ok, so that was my attempt at naming my blog posts like old FRIENDS episodes, and then I realized, pretty much all my posts could be titled this, but I'm still amused by it, so I'm going to leave it.

Anyway, I read two books this weekend, Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech and The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.  Two totally different styles, but two awesome books.

Unfinished Angel is told from the perspective of the Angel, who lives in an old tower in a Swiss village.  The tower (and attached house) are soon purchased by the Pomodoro family who hope to live in it and build an international school in the village.  Plans are soon thwarted when Zola, the daughter, discovers that there are homeless orphan children hiding in a nearby barn and asks the Angel for help.  I don't want to say much more because I don't want to ruin anything.

But I will say, I loved how Creech gave the Angel an accent, like it was an English Language Learner (calling them "peoples" and "childrens" and just getting words mixed up).  So, because of that, if I had this book in my classroom, I would do it as a read-aloud, so my students could hear rather than see (and possibly get mixed up), or wait and give it to a child who has more advanced English skills.

The Red Pyramid is another of Rick Riordan's epic series (The Lightning Thief, Heros of Olympus), only this time, instead of focusing on Greek and Roman mythology, its centered on Egyptian mythology (although, there is a pretty funny reference to the "others" early on).  The story is supposedly a transcript of a recording done by the two main characters, Sophie and Carter, about their adventures.  Sophie and Carter are brother and sister, but are raised apart since the death of their mother (Why?  You'll see.)  Carter and their Dad, Julius, pick up Sophie for their 6-month visit and go to the Museum of London.  There, Julius purposefully breaks the Rosetta Stone (NOT THE COMPUTER PROGRAM!) and unleashes 5 ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, including Set, the God of Chaos.  Julius is entombed in a golden sarcophagus (like Osirus) and Set embarks on a plan to destroy the world as we know it.  And now its up to Sophie, Carter, some magicians and gods and goddesses to save the world. 

If you are a fan of either of Riordan's other series, then you'll love this.  Its got the same fast pace, sense of humor, and great mix of real and mythology.

So, to sum up...GO READ BOTH BOOKS!  You won't be sorry!

 

1 comment:

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