I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I watched the movie when I was halfway through the book, so I thought I could skim through the rest, but as with all book to movie adaptations, this turned out not to be true. The book was much better than the movie, and had a lot of details integral to the story that were left out of the movie. I do think this will be a hit with a lot of my middle school readers. True, there is a lot of violence, but it doesn't seem over the top. The main character, although an alien, has teenage appeal as he falls in love with Sarah, the daughter of the real estate agent who shows them the house they move to in Ohio. This is after escaping possible danger from the Mogadorians (aliens desiring to take over Earth) in Florida. Although, there are sequels to come, the book is a complete experience. You aren't left hanging, as you are with a lot of recent series. For lovers of action movies and books, this is one to read.



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Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think if you are like many of my middle school students who loved the Lightning Thief series by Riordan, you will love this new series,The Kane Chronicles. The Red Pyramid (first in the series) is about Egyptian Gods instead of Greek Gods, and the main characters are a brother and sister, Carter and Sadie Kane. But, the excitement and quirky sense of humor are very similar to Lightning Thief. The brother and sister, who have lived apart since their mother's death, are together on Christmas Eve with their father visiting a British Museum. They do not realize that their father is going to try to summon an Egyptian God, Set, during the visit. When their father makes his attempt to summon the God he blows up the Rosetta Stone, and unleashes five Gods, one the mortal enemy, Set. The God overpowers their father in the explosion, but Carter and Sadie escape. As they try to find out what happened to their father, the two discover they have magical powers, which they must use to save the world from the evil Egyptian Gods. With exciting short chapters, and humorous banter between brother and sister, the book is sure to please followers of Rick Riordan.



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