Student Saturday - The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Student Saturday is a day I post reviews written by other students.  The review that follows is written by Garima

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan was one of the greatest books I’ve ever read! It was juicy on the flavor of surprise, adventure, and mystery. The book was about a young boy named Percy Jackson, a demigod. A demigod is a half god and half mortal child. He is in this camp called Camp Half-Blood, a place for demigods, like Percy. Percy is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. In this book, Percy has to stop Kronos, the god of time, since Kronos wants to take over Olympus and, the home of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. After all, if your fear of your children dethroning you comes true and you finally become your full self after a bad collapse, you would want to get revenge. This was Kronos’ idea of revenge. He wanted everything to himself. So, Percy goes on this magical adventure and meets allies and old friends that help Percy while on the road to stop Kronos and his army from taking over Olympus. What will happen? Read The Last Olympian to find out!

I think that students and teachers should read this book because the book has something that mostly everyone likes: a fictional adventure. Rick Riordan also has a good sense of humor in the book. The book reminds me of “The Chronicles of Kane because they both are by the same author, Rick Riordan and they are both about mythology. The only difference between the two books is that The Chronicles of Kane focuses on Egyptian Mythology, while The last Olympian is about Greek Mythology. The book teaches me not to always rely on friends too much, but when in need, ask for help. The book also taught me to never give e up, lose hope, and to always make the right decision.

The Fallen Pharaoh - S.W. Lothian

Wonderful Middle Grade Book that not only entertains but teaches about Ancient Egypt. 

Wow!  This third book is absolutely awesome.  I read it in under two hours.  JJ, Linc, Rani  join together once again to meet their friend Khafre.  He has both bad and good news to tell them.  His father has died and he is to be the new pharaoh. They are there to visit and have a good time. They are not there to fulfill a quest.  Upon arriving they are told that Khafre's father has died and Khafre is to become the new Pharaoh. They get to watch both the funeral and coronation.  Khafre doesn't really believe his father's death is an accident.  Suddenly he is gone.  The team must come together to find the Ankh of Life before Khafre's brother becomes the new Pharoah.  Without the Ankh of Life there is no protection for the new Pharoah.  It is up to the kids to solve this mystery and find the Ankh.

There were a couple of things that really stood out for me. I loved that they were able to travel to Paris. I love the addition of Mr. M, the mummy they found in Paris.  I am definitely interested in finding out more abut Leesa and why she is following the kids around.  Most importantly I am excited to find out what happens next in the book.  The book is well written and is such an intriguing adventure you can't put it down.  What I really enjoy is learning so much Egyptian information from a fiction book.  This is one I can recommend to my Humanities teacher and will definitely have a place on my shelf.

If you aren't familiar with S.W. Lothian then you need to check him out.

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Book Trailer - The Golden Scarab: http://youtu.be/g701xi11x9s

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The Quest Series by S.W. Lothian

I have always loved the idea of time travel.  Maybe that is why books like this one intrigues me so much.  This whole series is one that I will not only have on my shelves at school, but one I will promote to all of my students.  Our sixth grade Humanities teaches ancient Egypt.  I've always tried to have something that went along with their unit. There just were not that many books, especially good ones to go along with their unit, until now.

The Golden Scarab is book one in the Quest Series.  J.J. is 12 years old.  My students will identify with him because they are also middle graders.  J.J.'s father is the head curator at a museum.  His family visits the museum one day and J.J. wanders into an Egyptian exhibit.   The statue of Anubis begins to talk with J.J.  He is the protector of the mummy at the museum. He challenges  J.J. to find a friend and travel through time to find the Golden Scarab.  This scarab will save Egypt from Seth, an evil god. J.J. recruits his best friend Linc and they travel through time where they meet Rani, a young girl who also travels through time to help find the scarab.  The three of them must battle Uberdiles, find their way through mazes, and avoid booby-traps, and deliver the golden scarab to stop Seth.

That alone is enough to entice any child, young adult, or adult.  For me as a parent, grandparent, and teacher, I love the fact that this book, of interest to young and old will teach the reader about friendship, trust, courage, being a risk-taker, caring, and a balanced person.  This book embodies the IB learner profiles we teach at school.  In the mix they will find a wonderful way to learn about ancient Egyptian cultures, gods, etc.  Do I recommend this book?  You bet I do.

The Cursed Nile is book two in the Quest Series. In this great adventure the trio J.J., Linc and Rani are back to discover why the Nile has dried up in the past and present, and what has happened to Hapi the god who controls the Nile. Once again they have obstacles thrown in their path.  They will go against the uberdiles and giant crocodiles.  After all we all know the Nile is known for its crocodiles.

Instead of the evil god Seth we meet the evil god Sobek.  He has kidnapped Hapi.  Want to know why Sobek kidnapped Hapi?  You'll have to read the book.   There are great lessons about jealousy and the effects of what happens when you bully others.  Little Sphinx is another character we meet in this story.  Want to know how the sphinx lost his nose?   This is an awesome book.    The third book in the series "The Fallen Pharaoh" comes out June 1st. However, check tomorrow for my review of "The Fallen Pharaoh".

I am so glad that I have found a series that I can use in my classroom to re-inforce what they are learning in Humanities.