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Percy Jackson + Ancient Egypt = New Riordan Series (for ages 8-15)

I was at the bookstore with my middle child in search of the new Clementine book and the latest Ivy and Bean book. We found the new Clementine but we had the latest Ivy and Bean. As we were checking out, I noticed this pile of books behind the counter.

Me: ”Is that the latest Riordan book?”

Checkout Lady: ”Yes, it is.”

Me: ”How is it? I heard it was about Ancient Egypt.”

Other Employee, much younger: ”So awesome!”

Me: ”Better than Percy Jackson or worse?”

Both Employees: ”Well… different. Not better or worse.”

Me: ”I have to have it. Ring me up again please.”

So, I told Capability:Mom – she has a new blog design, check it out!– that I had it and we both thought that it was weird that this independent bookstore was hiding books behind the counter such that you have to ask for it specifically to buy them. Aren’t they trying to sell books over there or is this such a hot property that they can hide the goods? Or is this because the book is only supposed to land in certain hands? …

Capability:Mom’s kids are big fans of Percy Jackson as is my eldest so I thought I’d speed through the book, review it and pass it on. I read about a page when said eldest noticed the book and appropriated it for herself. Three days later she pronounced the book even better than the entire Percy Jackson series which is a huge compliment because she sped through the Percy Jackson series in a matter of weeks and LOVES it.

I finally got my hands on the book and finished it late last night. My oldest kept popping up to check where I was in the book and sigh with contentment saying, “Oh that is such a good part.” I don’t want to spoil the book for you so I’ll only give hints about the plot but suffice it to say that this series is another winner that will turn into a movie very soon. Get your hands on it and be sure to scan the shelves behind the check out counter or ask for it. This is a stealth sell as if you have to qualify to get it; they don’t want the book in the wrong hands because, you know, they are recruiting … you’ll learn more about that if you read the book.

Carter and Sadie, the books protagonists, are brother and sister but have been raised apart for six years since their mother (complicated back story).
After their father gets into a fix, they must work together to save him, and, of course, the world as we know it.
They discover their interesting bloodline and some latent powers (think demi-god but with an interesting twist).
You’ll learn a lot about the gods of Ancient Egypt as well as an overview of Ancient Egypt by reading this book. And here’s a link to Ancient Egypt from Wikipedia if you want more. I’ll search for more books on these topics appropriate for kids and post on these later.
Like the Percy Jackson series, this is an epic battle (requiring at least 5 books) of Good versus Evil but in this case, it’s Chaos versus Order. There is also a time deadline where Very Bad Things Happen If Someone Isn’t Stopped Within Days.
Like the Percy Jackson series, families of both Gods and Men are involved. Again, the humans involved are special.
Finally, like the Percy Jackson series, there is a lot of cross country U. S. travel and some overseas travel as well which is a fun way to learn geography!

That’s all I can tell you without spoiling the book for you. Buckle up for the ride and enjoy every word!

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. [chapter book, ages 8-15]

Aug 25, 2010 | 3 comments View Post

In Living Color: How Ancient Greek Statues Really Looked … (for Percy Jackson Fans!)

I found this from the Best of Digg. For those interested in Ancient Greek Civilization, Greek Mythology or just plain old Percy Jackson fans, check out this post from ColourLovers that depicts ancient Greek sculpture and how they really looked based on scientific research…

Here’s the link. It’s titled Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity.

Aug 24, 2010 | 1 comment View Post

Greek Mythology Picture Book today, Percy Jackson in a few years!

I am a self-confessed mythology geek so I am always touting the Percy Jackson series as Harry Potter Meets Greek Mythology and getting kids to try out this series. But my five-year-old was a little left out; The Lightening Thief was too scary for him so he saw a different movie that day. But now things are looking up for him. Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas bridges the gap so perfectly between Greek Mythology and Percy Jackson in this wonderful and mythologically accurate picture book. Karas tells the story of Zeus as a youngster and how he became the King of Gods minus some gory details.

This book is now the new favorite bedtime story and G. Brian Karas softens the gory details while still keeping the story accurate and age appropriate. While some book critics suggest that this book is appropriate for grades 1-4, my preschooler is loving this book so I am going to go a bit younger. The nice thing is that this book covers many of the characters that I was not even that familiar with in such as the Hundred Handed Ones the Percy Jackson series so when your young one gets a bit older, she or he will be able to segue nicely into the series. And from there, maybe even the National Mythology Exam?!

[picture book, for ages 5-10]

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May 29, 2010 | 5 comments View Post

Mythology for Kids: D’Aulaires and The National Mythology Exam

A Mom Friend told me about D’aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Her oldest son went through a Greek Mythology phase so intense that it included creating an after-school class at a friends’ house to study for the National Mythology Exam.

My Mom Friend was lucky to find the D’aulaires books at a library sale and scooped them all up. It provided the basis for their study. I wasn’t familiar with D’aulaires’ so I’m grateful to my Mom Friend who actually checked the book out of our school library and had her daughter get the book home to me via a series of backpack transfers. It’s a great series. It is chock full of illustrations but also has detailed accounts of each story. This is perfect for grades 3rd through 7th.

I told my oldest about this exam, and she’s excited to try to pass it. The Mom Friend warned me that the exam is difficult and not all the kids passed the exam. No matter! It sounded like the kids all enjoyed having a common goal.

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Here’s information about The National Mythology Exam:

The most prominent undertaking of Excellence Through Classics is the National Mythology Exam. Since 1989, the exam has been offered to students in elementary, intermediate, and middle school grades three through nine. By far the majority of students taking the exam are middle school students. The format of the exam is multiple choice and includes a thirty-question section on Greek and Roman mythology which is required for all students in grades five through nine. Students in grade six through nine are also required to answer ten questions from at least one literary subtest. Their subtest choices are: the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, African Myths, Native American Myths, or Norse Myths. The questions for each subtest based on an epic focus upon only one book of the epic each year.

Here’s a Sample Exam:

General Mythology Example Questions — (30 question general section
required for all students)

The Greek and Roman names which do NOT belong together are
a. Juno and Artemis **
b. Minerva and Athena
c. Vesta and Hestia
d. Mercury and Hermes

The item associated with Hades is
a. a cap of invisibility **
b. a trident
c. an anvil
d. a magic wand

Aphrodite is to Venus as Poseidon is to
a. Vulcan
b. Neptune **
c. Pluto
d. Jupiter

Arachne and Athena competed in a
a. tug of war
b. foot race
c. weaving contest **
d. beauty pageant

The god who ruled the Underworld was called
a. Hades
b. Pluto
c. Both A and B **
d. None of the above

One of the following statements is true.
a. Uranus was Father Earth.
b. Amaltheia cared for baby Hermes.
c. There were twelve Titans. **
d. Gaea was the wife of Cronus.

The ROMAN god who protected travelers and thieves was
a. Ceres
b. Mars
c. Mercury **
d. Vulcan

Poseidon was the Greek god of
a. hunting
b. the sea **
c. merchants
d. the hearth

Ares was an unpopular god because he
a. caused tidal waves
b. guided people down to Hades
c. made the seasons change from summer to winter
d. was vain and cruel **

Hephaestus was a skilled
a. jeweler
b. blacksmith
c. weapon maker
d. all of the above **

Sample questions for the second section, Myth Exam Theme (Atalanta)
#31-40.

Atalanta was raised in the wilderness by a
a. hunter and his wife
b. she-wolf
c. shepherdess
d. she-bear **

Atalanta and Melanion were transformed into lions because they
a. cheated in the footrace
b. refused to return the golden apples
c. did not show the proper respect to Zeus **
d. all of the above

Sample questions for the subtests #41-90.

The Iliad, Book XXI: The following questions refer to the quote below.

“Do you not see what a man I am, how huge, how splendid and born of a great
father and the mother who bore me immortal?” (XXI: 108-109)

The speaker is
a. Hektor
b. Achilleus**
c. Patroklos
d. Lykaon

The “mother” referred to is
a. Venus
b. Hekabe
c. Thetis **
d. Pasithea

The Odyssey, Book XXIV

A Greek whom the suitors did NOT meet in the Underworld was
a. Akhilleus
b. Laertes **
c. Agamemnon
d. Patroklos

When Odysseus first saw his father in the orchard,
a. he ran forward and kissed him
b. he sent his companion ahead with a gift of gold
c. he decided to interrogate him **
d. he immediately began to tell him of his adventures

The Aeneid, Book XI: The following question refers to the quote below.

“Was it you, poor boy, that Fortune
Would not let me keep when she came smiling?” (XI: 56-57)

Aeneas was speaking about
a. Turnus
b. Evander
c. Pallas **
d. Iulus

On her shoulder Camilla carried
a. a golden bow, Diana’s weapon **
b. an owl, Minerva’s wisdom
c. a cape, Mercury’s deceit
d. a bronze ax, Vulcan’s strength

Native American Myths

In The Woman and the Giant, Kinak is exceedingly
a. kind **
b. honest
c. patient
d. handsome

At the end of Hare and Otter, Hare
a. learns his lesson
b. decides eels were not worth the work
c. defeats Otter and keeps his eels **
d. all of the above

African Myths

In The Invisible God, Motsesa woke in her new home and discovered that
a. all of the gifts for Bulane had vanished
b. food appeared whenever she was hungry **
c. she was covered in dust
d. calabashes full of water surrounded her

In The Bride and the Monster, the Moselantja’s most surprising feature was
a. crab claws where hands and feet should have been
b. a long tail with a mouth at the end **
c. a pumpkin vine that grew from his belly
d. a pair of beautiful blue eyes

To buy any of the books listed, please click on image of book

OR buy from PragmaticMom Store on the right column of my blog

Mar 28, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Percy Jackson: Add-On Books Get Rave Reviews

An addendum to Percy Jackson: The Movie and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.

It’s always sad when a really great series ends, so there are always “add-on” books to prolong the experience but are not really the same as the book series. My daughter LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the Percy Jackson series so much that she also got really into Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. She’s been begging for the “add-on” books. I got her The Ultimate Guide through Scholastic at school and she told me that it helps her to understand the series better. Now she wants the other two. Will I buy them? Of course! It is really sad when a great series ends so why not?!

An addendum: The Ultimate Guide is a great book and it also has this magnetic half-cover that kids love. The Demigod Files just arrived and she is loving it! Rick Riordan wrote both and they are actually great books on their own.

———————

We just saw The Lightening Thief movie, my 4th grader and I, after both of us had raced through the 5 book series. It was a nice bonding experience because we both loved the series and were sad when it ended although we are hopeful that the last prophecy has set up a new series with six new half-bloods?… [note to self to email author Rick Riordan and beg him to write more books]. My 4th grader is 10-years-old so we are beginning to get those first offshoots of teenage temperament: stomping off, slamming of doors, rolling of eyes, etc. But at this movie, we both thoroughly enjoyed it though we both agreed that the book was much better than the movie which is always music to my ears. While the movie needed to strip down the plot into a more streamlined and film-able version losing many characters along the way, there were also elements of special effects that brought the book to life: Poseidon emerging from the sea and turning into a mortal, Percy controlling the water from the water towers, and Hades emerging from the campfire.

My daughter was also disappointed that Annabeth didn’t look like the character in the book with grey eyes. Still, Percy Jackson looked like a young Zac Efron and that’s never a bad thing. But the biggest surprise to me was my daughter’s deepened interest in Greek and Roman mythology. After trying to construct a list of the gods by trolling the internet, I finally remembered the mythology books from my childhood that I loved and gave it to her, not exactly knowing if the books were too advanced for her. I think because the stories are all short, it hold her interest and is appropriate for 4th graders on up to adults.

I have included a link about Edith Hamilton , (12 August 1867–31 May 1963) was an American educator and author who was “recognized as the greatest woman Classicist.” I’m not sure why they had to say greatest “woman” Classicist… but she really is great and her work has stood the test of time.

Link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Hamilton

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(under Book Reviews and Middle School and Grade 3-5). Thank You!!

Mar 07, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Harry Potter + Greek Mythology = Percy Jackson Series

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

I took a day off the computer yesterday and just read books 2 through 5 of the Percy Jackson series. I have to say it was the best day ever! This is a really wonderful series with wide appeal both in age and in gender and the range is ages 8-adult. There is also no weak link in the series and every book stands on it’s own, though I do suggest reading them in order. I’ve included my previous book review of the first book, The Lightening Thief, below, and can add that I stayed up way past my bedtime, AGAIN, to finish the last book. They Are Simply That Good!

I’ve added the classic Mythology by Edith Hamilton which I read and loved as a child. You may as well capitalize on an interest in Greek Mythology and even Roman Mythology that this series will instill in your child. The Usborne is great for younger readers but Edith Hamilton is THE expert and her Mythology book has greater detail.

I also wanted to add that I bought the 5 book set listed below; the one that looks like it’s in a treasure box. It’s $52 but the books are all hard cover, so I feel like it’s a bargain. Also, I never found any of the Percy Jackson books sitting on the library shelves and I was too lazy to reserve so it was easier to just buy the set. My 4th grader was just as excited as I was to open the box, and she abandoned Harry Potter, Book 6, to dive right in. She also LOVED them which was very gratifying to me. I do feel that I’ll get good use out of the books as I’m quite confident all my kids will go through this series at some point and LOVE IT!

The Lightening Thief by Rick Riodan. This is “Harry Potter meets Greek Mythology” and it’s a fantastic read! It’s such a page-turner that I stayed up to 2 a.m. to finish it! This is a MUST READ before the movie comes out!

Percy Jackson is an ADD, dyslexic 6th grade hero who has trouble staying in school because, as it turns out, he’s no ordinary human but a half-blood related to one of the big three in Greek Mythology. He must find and return Zeus’ lost lightening bolt to prevent WWIII. This series makes Greek Mythology come alive so I’ve included a Greek Mythology book as well. The level of difficulty is slightly easier than Book 1 of Harry Potter; this book is 375 pages long, normal sized type. [ages 8-14]

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OR (New!) buy from PragmaticMom Store on the right column of my blog. Thank You!!

(boxed set of first three books, $11.69)