The Sword of Summer

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan, 2015 Disney-Hyperion Books

     On the streets of Boston, Magnus Chase and his two companions, Hearthstone and Blitzen, survive on their wits. After Magnus's mother mysteriously dies chased by otherworldly wolves, he fled from a questionable uncle, Randolph, and has survived two itinerant years. 

     On his sixteenth birthday, Magnus discovers his Uncle Randolph has set his cousin Annabeth and her father, Uncle Frederick, after him. Randolph catches his nephew and cryptically sends Magnus on a mission to find the Sword of Summer--a mythical and magical sword belonging to the Norse god Frey. A fire giant, Surt, arrives and demands the newly obtained sword from the young man. 

     Magnus awakens after his fight with Surt in Valhalla: the realm of heroes. Memories of wolves and fire seem to herald the end of days--the Norse Ragnarök. Magnus learns he is the son of the god Frey and the Sword of Summer is his birthright. The Valkyrie who brought Magnus to Valhalla, Sam, introduces him to his hall-mates: X, Thomas Jefferson Jr, and Halfborn. His friends Blitzen and Hearthstone reveal themselves to be a dwarf and elf, respectively. 

     While Magnus is happy to see his old friends his frustration rises as the various authorities threaten and cajole him, trying to get the Sword. Magnus, Blitz, and Hearth go searching for the sword--missing after the fight with Surt--and are joined by Sam whose participation hinges on obtaining the sword to regain her Valkyrie status, lost when she chose to bring Magnus into Valhalla. 

     The quartet travels through the realms as they gather item after item to trade in their quest for the Sword and to re-secure the Fenris Wolf. Loki and those who would encourage Ragnarök try to bargain with Magnus, but the young warrior has an over-developed sense of justice and will not back down from his plan to save the world. 

     Despite the ever-growing to-do list Magnus, Blitz, Hearth, and Sam continue to fight to prevent the end of the world. Readers who enjoyed Riordan's Percy Jackson series or the Blackwell Pages will enjoy this new look at the Norse myths. The story is written for middle-grade readers, with an eye toward modern social conventions and considerations.  The Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy ties back to Percy's adventures through his cousin, Annabeth Chase.  

Conceal, Don't Feel

Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita, 2019 Disney-Hyperion

     Arendale's Princess Elsa has magic--she can create ice and snow out of thin air. She and her younger sister, Anna, love to play with Elsa's magic, but when Elsa accidentally hits Anna with a blast of her magic something goes wrong.
     Their parents take the two princesses to the trolls on the Great Mountain. Grandpappy Troll reveals that the accident could result in Anna's death if they cannot remove the magic. Grandpappy proposes to remove all memory of magic--but Elsa cannot stand the thought of losing the joy Anna finds in her gift.
     Elsa's interference has catastrophic consequences for the sisters: If Anna and Elsa are physically too close together the ice magic would spread to consume Anna's entire body. The king and queen must make a choice and request the trolls work a memory spell across the kingdom until a solution can be devised.
     Years later Arendale believes Elsa is an only child, heir to the throne, and an excellent successor to her father. The princess applies herself to her studies, but she is lonely. A sudden shipwreck brings Elsa to the throne far earlier than anyone expected, but at eighteen the crown Princess must have a regent and the magic of her past comes shuddering back under the stress of leadership and her new role: a magical snowman named Olaf becomes the reclusive young queen-to-be's best and only friend.
     Elsa struggles to keep her magic under control as she prepares for her looming coronation and Olaf is more audacious. When a visiting dignitary begins to court her, Elsa finds a slow, comfortable courtship until he attempts to badger Elsa and her regent to announce their betrothal. The stress causes her magic to break free and Elsa releases winter across Arendale in the heart of summer.
     Anna has grown up in a comfortable cottage at the base of the mountain. Regular visits from her adoptive mother's best friend are the highlight of Anna's memories. Both women insist Anna stay in the small village until the time is right, but the vivacious Anna dreams of opening her own bakery in the big city. The lovely court lady brings Anna stories of her family and gifts too fine for the daughter of a humble baker. Anna's most treasured moments are the stories of the crown princess Elsa. She feels an affinity for the girl and, after the loss of the king, queen, and her courtly visitor, deep sympathy for the princess.
     Elsa's sudden winter means destruction for the people outside the capital city -- summer crops are hidden beneath feet of snow and people lack basic supplies. Anna somehow knows she is meant to find the princess and help her, but she can barely walk to the barn without help. Accompanied by the handsome, but not-so-charming Kristoff and his reindeer friend, Sven, Anna sets off to find the princess and the secrets she hides.
     What if Elsa's fear of her own magic and losing her beloved sister caused the spell to save Anna to curse both girls to be separated their entire lives? This take on the blockbuster Disney story is a vivid re-imagining of two sisters struggling to find themselves and finding each other. Conceal, Don't Feel is written at a middle- to high-school level and readers will enjoy this Twisted Tale.

Poison

Poison by Bridget Zinn, 2014 Hyperion Books

     Kyra is sixteen years old and on the run after she tries to kill the crown princess. She's a highly skilled and very gifted potions master but life in hiding is not her preferred state of affairs. No one seems to understand that Kyra had a reason - a very good reason - for trying to kill the heir apparent, so now she's avoiding the King's Army and trying to regroup and save her kingdom.
     Leading the hunt is Kyra's ex-boyfriend, Hal. He is also a skilled potion master, though thankfully not as good as Kyra. When she tried to murder Princess Ariana Hal followed along with the rest of the court to hunt her down and continues trying to keep her from finishing the job.
     In escaping from Hal and the King's Army Kyra runs across a magic pig and inept adventurer who help her along the way. Fred and his dog help against the usual dangers: goblins, thieves, and witches - even surviving the threat of being eaten. But they're no help against the attraction Kyra feels for her companion.
     She doesn't let her charming, if sometimes bumbling, companion distract from the quest at hand: find and kill the princess. Kyra is relentless and the reader discovers the reason behind her single-mindedness in a flashy conclusion.
     Poison is a fantasy of spunk and snark with a strong female lead. Kyra does experience romance in the traditional fairytale mold, though she refuses to allow it to subvert her plans. This is a fun read for young teens and Zinn's only novel as she succumbed to colon cancer prior to the novel's release.

Elite

Elite by Mercedes Lackey, 2016 Hyperion Books

     After Ace and his mysterious partner attempt to murder Joyeaux during her Elite trials Ace is taken into military custody. The partner remains a mystery but Joy and her uncle, the Prefect, continue searching.
    As part of the Elite Joy is sent on assignment with other Elite for more dangerous and bigger monsters. Working with Hammer and Strike, brothers who use shield walls as weapons, gives Joy a different perspective on both her tactical and her magical skills. She gets a more thorough look at the bigger badder monsters getting through the barriers - evens allows her to discover new creatures.
     When the Prefect designates Joy to patrol the sewer and maintenance tunnels under the heart of Apex City, she discovers there may be something even bigger than Otherworld monsters roaming the city. Joy encounters the murdered bodies of several psimons - humans with particular mind-control and reading abilities. The head of Psi-Corps appears to have it out for Joy; when she confronts both Joy and her uncle in his private office. After the meeting Joy thinks she may have a better idea of who wants to use her as a pawn against the Prefect.
     But the Apex has greater problems than internal jockeying for power. The Otherworlders are beginning to band together. After the entire Elite force is called out to protect a smaller city nearby the hunters notice the Folk among relatively run-of-the-mill monsters. With these more brazen attacks becoming more pointed attacks on Human installations. Joy is surprised to receive an offer of camaraderie from the Folk Mage who waylaid her train from the Monastery.
     "Things are not as they seem." He warns just as the army loses control of Ace and he is taken to the Otherside. Joy's minimal downtime is reduced even further when Ace vanishes and the mysteries begin to mount even as the hunters discover new abilities and band closer together to form a stronger defence for the humans of Apex.
     Intended for teen and young adult readers Elite features mounting tension as the unknown looms closer and closer. Political maneuvering and secrecy drive the story as Joy and her uncle try to piece together why the Otherworlders have become so bold, who is helping Ace, and what is the point of the increased attacks? Readers of all ages will enjoy Elite highlighted by Lackey's irreverent sense of humor.

Hunter

Hunter by Mercedes Lackey, 2015 Hyperion Books

     Joyeaux Charmand has been hunting monsters since her hounds broke through the barrier between realms to protect her from the mythical creatures who seek humans as sustenance. The monsters feed off Manna - a lifeforce humans produce in abundance. The hounds team with hunters to protect humans who haven't been gifted with either hounds or magic.
     Since the death of her parents Joy has lived high in the American Rockies at a monastery where the Masters train Hunters and normal citizens alike to defend themselves. Above the snowline the monsters cannot last long and even the Fair Folk tend to avoid the snow-encased stronghold.
     When the Prefect - Joyeaux's uncle and the man in charge of the nation's hunters - requests the mountain civilisations send a hunter. The Prefect is aware that Apex City does not know how many hunters are holed up on the mountain and his request for Joy's presence is a subtle reminder of how precarious the monastery is. Joy goes to the capital and joins the Apex Hunters.
     Her journey is not without incident: when drakken follow their train and manage to break through the protective cage with the help of a Folk mage in a lavender costume. In Apex City Joy discovers the Hunters are more like celebrities than real hunters. They distract the cits from how many monsters are breaking through the barriers with rankings and cinematics. More and more dangerous creatures are getting through the barriers protecting Apex - so dangerous Joy can't help thinking someone inside the city is helping them.
     When Joy's friend and mentor is murdered by a vampire Joy and her uncle team up to discover who is behind the infiltration. Another batch of monsters calls out most of the hunters including Joy's greatest rival Ace and his younger brother. The battle ends with the death of Ace's younger brother and Ace blames Joy even attacking her in public. The politics of Apec City nearly cost Joy her life as she seeks to protect the cits and help the Prefect find his enemies.
     Though it may be too late to stop the human monsters ruling over Apex City Joyeaux finds she still wants to protect the cits--the people kept in ignorance. Teens and young adults will be able to relate to Lackey's take on government control of the populace and information. Readers who enjoyed Michelle Krys's Wicked and Liz Braswell's A Whole New World will find a similar attitude toward the global mythology featured throughout the story.

Winds of Salem

Winds of Salem by Melissa de la Cruz, 2013 Hyperion

     Freya Beauchamp is sixteen, living in 16th century Salem Village and working in the home of a prominent family. She has a special gift which she keeps hidden from all but a close few: Freya can do magic.
     In the twentieth century Freya's family struggles to bring their missing daughter home. Ingrid searches the library for clues of her sister in history books, while trying to balance a relationship with the hunky police detective. Johanna and her husband Norman go searching for Norm's brother and his time-keeping abilities. Freyr, Freya's twin, has some troubles of his own to sort out. His new bride is still working toward her college degree, and caring for Ingrid's brownies has put a serious kink in their relationship.
     While Freya lives through the Salem witch trials, she is blissfully unaware that if she dies this time around it will be permanent. Someone wants the Beauchamps out of the picture badly enough to disrupt magic across time to succeed. The Beauchamp family battles to save one of their own in this third installment of the trilogy.
     Reincarnated into the modern world, the gods and goddesses of Norse mythology are subject to both mortal and immortal law. Older teens and young adult readers will find Winds of Salem a polarized culmination of the witches' journey with some mature content.

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan, 2009 Hyperion

     In the last of Percy's adventures against Kronos the battle for Olympus has moved to New York City. Chiron shares with Percy the prophecy which has driven the Olympians and the son of Poseidon understands the role he is to play in the battle ahead.
     Percy and Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, travel to the Underworld for a chance to make Percy indestructible. The campers of Camp Half-Blood (without the Ares cabin) join the forces of Olympus with Percy Jackson at their head and the battle wages on.
     Elizabeth Dare, a mortal Percy, Annabeth, and Grover met at the Hoover Dam, appears and reveals Percy is not the hero of the great prophecy. She doesn't know who it is, but promises to help as best she can. She explains a monster brought by the Titans can only be defeated by a child of Ares--heralding the arrival of the Ares cabin.
     As Kronos inhabits Luke Castellan's body he must fight Luke himself to maintain the semi-mortal form. When Annabeth shocks Luke back to his normal self the demi-gods have a chance to defeat the Titan. Percy's decision to allow Luke to destroy the vessel Kronos has stolen from him has the power to turn the tide for or against the demigods and Olympians, and only he can make the decision.
     With the final battle Percy and his closest friends lose companions, friends, and great warriors. They face insurmountable odds in the hope they can maintain the world they've come to protect. Percy learns to respect the forces around him and recognize that he can share the burden and glory of his responsibilities. Intermediate through high school readers can enjoy Percy's adventures, as well as readers of all ages.

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, 2008 Hyperion Books

     After The Titan's Curse Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have separated for the new school year. Percy is dragged back into the fight between the Greek Gods and Kronos's army from his high school Freshman Orientation. When two demons disguised as cheerleaders attack Percy the young woman who can see through the mists, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, helps him escape.
     Back at Camp Half-Blood the danger is escalating. Kronos's forces are heckling at the boundary of the camp and the magic keeping the demigods safe begins to buckle. Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Tyson answer the call of Camp Half-Blood's Oracle and quest into the Labyrinth under the camp.
     Using Princess Ariadne's magic string Percy leads their adventure under camp into Daedalus's maze. The Labyrinth stretches under the United States and the friends encounter old allies and new dangers throughout their journey.
     The dangers mount as the inevitable crash between Olympus and the armies of Kronos nears. Percy and his friends continue to face obstacle after obstacle with the hope they will manage to rescue and protect their world from certain destruction. Like the first three books in the Percy Jackson series young readers will enjoy the mysticism and the adventure of The Battle of the Labyrinth.

The Red Queen's Daughter

The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov, 2007 Hyperion Books

     Mary Seymour was orphaned when her mother, King Henry VIII's final queen Katherine Parr, died a mere week after her birth and her father, Thomas Seymour, was executed for treason. She lived with one of her mother's friends until the lady's death when Lady Strange brought the eight-year-old Mary into her household and gave her a mission. Mary was to become a White Magician helping to protect the rule of the Virgin Queen.
     But her time at court is very different from the other ladies-in-waiting: Mary is not intent on finding a husband, in fact she wants nothing to do with love or marriage. When her powerful cousin Edmund Seymour begins showering Mary with attention her purpose is clouded. Mary attempts to resist the folly she's watched other women succomb to, but something about this young man speaks to her--Edmund is the dark to her light; a powerful force aiming to overthrow the order she helps to establish with Queen Elizabeth's reign.
     Keeping true to her purpose, Mary attempts to fight her feelings for Edmund. But she soon learns the truth in her guardian's insistence: Light cannot exist without Darkness, Good must have Evil to counterbalance and give meaning to it. Mary Seymour begins her tale with the black and white ideology of a child and grows into young womanhood understanding that the world exists in shades of gray. Her story is aimed toward older teens and young adults, but readers as young as seventh grade will understand the intrigues of court.

Serpent's Kiss

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz, 2012 Hyperion Books

     After they've managed to save the world and gain their right to use magic, Joanna, Ingrid and Freya Beauchamp are back to living their lives in North Hampton on Long Island. Freya has been approached by her twin brother Freddie, and Freddie insists Killian was the one to commit the crime Freddie's been imprisoned in Limbo for. Ingrid's relationship with Matt Noble, the detective, is off to a rocky start. And Joanna has a spirit causing chaos trying to contact her for help.
     Freya is torn between her love affair with Killian her true love and fiance and the accusations of her twin brother Freddie. To top it off, Freddie wants her to keep his presence a secret from the rest of the family and her magic is failing. When she orchestrates Freddie's reappearance into the family fold Freya hopes it will ease some of the tension between herself and Killian.
     Though she and Matt have decided to try something more than a distant flirtation, Ingrid is having second thoughts. She is not the sexy seductress her sister is, but that shouldn't stop the eons-old virgin from having any relationship with a man. When Ingrid finally believes she might be able to have some relationship with Matt her life is turned topsy-turvy by a brood of child-like pixies.
     Joanna asks her estranged husband Norman for help with the persistent spirit, but her daughters' hopes for a family reunion is spoiled when she absentmindedly invites her gentleman-friend to Thanksgiving dinner. Life for the Beauchamp women seems to be thrown into tumult by the discovery of a traitor setting up Killian and Freddie for the collapse of the Bofrir and destruction of the gods' powers. With their family in danger the Beauchamps stand together to face whatever may challenge their lives and their home.
     In the second installment of their story, the Beauchamp women use their magic to fight for what they believe in--family, freedom, and fun. They've known someone has passed the blame for his nefarious deeds to Freddie, they assume it is Loki, the god of mischief. When life gets in the way each woman perseveres. Their story is more appropriate for more adult readers; each woman bends the rules in a different way to advance her cause for good.

Witches of East End

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz, 2011 Hyperion Books

     After the Salem Witch Trials Joanna, Ingrid, and Freya Beauchamp were forbidden from using their magic, and in the last three hundred years they've refrained. But the limitations are beginning to chafe; they want to help people. Joanna has powers of renewal and destruction; her daughter Ingrid can see into the future and weave down-home magic with her knot-work; Freya, Ingrid's sister and Joanna's younger daughter, crafts love potions.
     When Freya falls for a local magnate the whirlwind romance seems like many she's experienced over the years. However it's Bran's brother Killian Gardiner who satisfies Freya's appetite for romance, excitement, and fuels her adrenaline rush. And Freya isn't the only one discovering romance: Ingrid finds an unusual attraction to a local police detective.
     With the joy of a new relationships the women discover themselves taking risks with their magic--one simple charm becomes another and soon the trio are practicing forbidden skills. Through the magic they discover forces at work in North Hampton, a grey mass over the ocean and unnatural nature around the town. Joanna seeks out her estranged husband in New York City for help with the situation.
     Chaos whirls around the town faster and faster, until Johanna and Norman discover it is the byproduct of Killian and Bran Gardiner's age-old battle over Freya and the breakdown of the boundaries between worlds. Memories of eternity return to the Beauchamps as they discover their history as Norse gods and goddesses.
     Though their lives are those of normal people, the Beauchamp family are immortal and personify their realms of power--Joanna is a mother with power over life and death, Ingrid is a librarian dealing with the daily lives in the community, and Freya is a bartender at the local pub.
     Both Ingrid and Freya live their lives anew, each rediscovering her magic and her heritage in each generation. As they learn to navigate the changing world each young woman makes mistakes and questions her place. Witches of East End is a book for older teens dealing with the struggles of women navigating life, love and age-old relationships cast into shadow by the near destruction of the Earth.

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, 2007 Hyperion

     When Annabeth and Artemis are kidnapped Percy and the campers at Camp Half-Blood team with the Hunters to find the two young women. The story starts six months after The Sea of Monsters when Grover finds two strong demi-gods at a school in the Northeast: Bianca and Nico di Angelo. They discover that the vice-principal is a Manticore and interested in the two demi-gods.
     Percy attempts to stop the Manticore from kidnapping the di Angelo children and is poisoned by one of his scorpion thorns. He is too weak to fight and is brought along with the demi-god children to the edge of a cliff where the Manticore's allies plan to collect them. Percy sends a message through his empathy link to Grover and the satyr comes to the rescue with Annabeth and Thalia.
     Suddenly silver arrows rain down on the Manticore and the Hunters of Artemis reveal themselves. The part-human-lion-scorpion monster attacks Percy and Thalia and Annabeth attacks him with her knife. The two fall off the cliff. Artemis appears and reveals plans to hunt a monster capable of killing the gods. She sends her hunters to Camp Half-Blood while she hunts and Thalia joins the crew leaving her brother in the care of Camp Half-Blood. When they return to camp Thalia and Percy are forbidden from rescuing Annabeth.
     After Chiron announces the camp would play Capture the Flag with the Hunters the campers scatter to prepare. Percy goes to the Oracle with a dream of Annabeth holding up the sky in the place of Atlas. The Oracle doesn't respond, but later goes to the Captain of the Hunters--she never leaves the Big House. It is determined Thalia, Bianca and several other members of the assembled groups will quest to save Artemis and Annabeth.
     Percy is kept at Camp Half-Blood, until a dream reveals Artemis has taken Annabeth's place and the questers only have until the Winter Solstice to rescue them. He wakes to find Blackjack (a pegasus) in his cabin asking him to rescue a sea-cow whom Percy names Bessie.  To stop Nico from following, and to further his own goals, Percy takes off on Blackjack to follow the quest.
     The quest encounters skeletal soldiers created from dragon's teeth, dirt, and blood; the Nemian lion; Apollo; the Erymanthian Boar; skeletal soldiers again; and Talos, a mechanical monster that Bianca defeats but that kills her when it lands on electrical lines. All the while they are moving westward and arrive at Hoover Dam to discover a girl who can see through the mist: Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Rachel helps Percy escape the skeletal soldiers and meet his friends, and the group escapes.
     In San Francisco Percy wrestles Nerus, the old man of the sea, and discovers Bessie is the creature Artemis searches for. With help from Dionysus and Posiedon they manage to get the sea-cow back to Camp Half-Blood. The troupe continues to where the earth meets the sky on Mt Tam to rescue Annabeth and Artemis. Percy fulfills his part of the prophecy and the demi-gods trick Atlas back into his prison between earth and sky. After a meeting with the gods on Olympus the heroes return home to Camp Half-Blood.
     Riordan's take on Greek Mythology in the modern world is fascinating, not only in how he interprets the creatures of the past into today's terms and technology, but in how he brings the characters to life with his stories. Percy's destiny still looms before him and his friends are but a single battle from being taken from him, but the son of Poseidon fights for the continuation of his world. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover stand up for each other and defy both fate and authority to protect their friendship. The Titan's Curse is aimed at older elementary readers and may be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, 2002 Warner Books

     When her daughter, Amanda, begins to lose touch with reality after her husband’s death, Adrienne begins to tell her about a relationship from the past.

     Three years after her divorce Adrienne was watching a bed and breakfast in Rodanthe, South Carolina, when she met Paul. Paul’s wife had filed for divorce and his life began to fall apart. When he stayed at the Inn in Rodanthe, and met Adrienne, Paul was on the way to see his estranged son in Ecuador. The two met and were attracted to each other; the connection was different than either of their marriages and, in the middle of a terrible storm, became lovers. Paul was only scheduled to stay for five days. During that time Adrienne and Paul shared their lives and declared their love for one another.

     Adrienne’s story for her daughter didn’t seem relevant to Amanda’s situation, but after their five days were over, Paul continued to Ecuador to see his son. Adrienne was his inspiration to become a better parent and they planned to meet again. They wrote love letters back and forth, continuing their relationship. Adrienne offered some of the letters to Amanda as proof of Paul’s love.

     The sudden end of her mother’s relationship doesn’t inspire Amanda to jump back into life, but her memories of her mother at the time of its end remind her that her children are waiting for her. Adrienne’s love story becomes the force pushing Amanda to get back to her life and her boys, who depend on her.

     Adrienne’s story is about the love between two people later in life, unlike many romances which focus on young love and people just starting out. It focuses on love as it blooms, changes and is lost. Nights in Rodanthe is a romance novel that features the death of a loved one, which may be difficult for young readers. It is aimed toward an adult audience. 

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, 2006 Miramax Books

     Percy Jackson is having nightmares. First he dreams his best friend Grover, a satyr, is being chased by a cyclopes and needs his help. But when he wakes and goes to school, Percy is in danger himself: giants are attacking and he is saved by his half-brother Tyson, a cyclopes in human disguise. Annabeth, the daughter of Athena and Percy's other best friend, brings Percy and Tyson to Camp Half-Blood, just in time to rescue the camp from two rampaging bronze bulls.
     Not only is the camp under attack, but Thalia's tree has been poisoned and the wards protecting the camp weaken as it does. Chiron, the centaur camp director, is blamed for the poisoning, fired, and the demigod Tantalus is released from Tartarus to replace him.
     When Percy dreams Grover has the Golden Fleece, Tantalus sends Clarisse (a daughter of Ares) to retrieve it to repair Thalia's tree. Hermes comes to Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth to send them after the Golden Fleece as well, he even provides them with travel gear and the trade winds. Poseidon sends three hippocampi (aquatic horse-like creatures) to take them across the sea.
     The hippocampi take the trio to the Princess Andromeda, a cruise ship owned by Luke Castellan and the Titan army. They escape only to run into the Hydra. It nearly kills them when Clarisse appears sailing the confederate ship CSS Birmingham and saves them. The group then sails for the Sea of Monsters in the Bermuda Triangle when the CSS Birmingham is broken up by Scylla and Charybdis. Tyson and Clarisse are presumed dead and Percy and Annabeth are shipwrecked on Circe's island spa and resort--where Circe turns Percy into a guinea pig. Annabeth rescues him and they sail away. They continue to the Sea of Monsters, but must pass the island of Sirens. Annabeth begs Percy to tie her up and let her listen to discover her true desires. He concedes, but forgets to take her knife and it is Percy's turn to save Annabeth.
     They reach Polyphemus's (the cyclopes who has captured Grover) island, are reunited with Tyson and Clarisse, find the Golden Fleece, and rescue Grover. But before they finally escape Polyphemus confronts them. He sinks their ship and the hippocampi return to ferry the group to the mainland. They rush back to Camp Half-Blood, but are kidnapped by Luke who admits to poisoning Thalia's tree clearing Chiron. Percy is injured when he and Luke grapple for the Fleece, and Percy is rescued by the Party Ponies, centaur friends of Chiron's.
     When they arrive at Camp Half-Blood the Golden Fleece removes the poison from Thalia's Tree, but also ejects Thalia (Zeus's daughter) who was turned into a tree when she died protecting the camp to prevent her soul from entering the Underworld. The adventurers realize it was Luke's plan all along and Thalia's return could affect the Great Prophecy.
     Despite their difficulties in working together and their parents' hatred, Clarisse, Percy, and Annabeth work together to save their home. Their journey resembles the Odyssey and Odysseus' journey through the ancient world, though there is more at stake in terms of the fate of the world. The petty disagreements such as who uses which weapon during training fade into the background when the demigods' world is threatened--they work together to achieve something greater than themselves.
     Like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters is directed at a younger audience. Middle elementary readers will enjoy the quick pace and the introduction to classical mythology.

The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Hyperion 2010

     When estranged siblings Sadie and Carter Kane are reunited for their semi-annual visit there is something odd about the family trip to the British Museum's Egyptian Wing. When their father breaks apart the Rosetta Stone to release five ancient Egyptian gods their entire worlds fall apart. Julius Kane is possessed by Osiris and captured by Set, the god of chaos. Sadie and Carter are swept away to New York by their Uncle Amos before the magicians from the House of Life may capture them.
     In New York Amos's house is the New York base of the House of Life, and full of mysteries, along with some out-of-the-norm pets: Khufu, a baboon, and Philip of Macedonia, an albino crocodile. Amos explains that Sadie and Carter are the Blood of the Pharaohs--descended from ancient royal lines. But before they can begin to train as magicians of the House of Life Amos vanishes and their home is under attack. Sadie's cat, Muffin, transforms into the cat Goddess Bast before they children's very and leads them to the safety of a portal. However, before they can truly escape, Bast is attacked by the scorpion goddess Serquet. The two are rescued by Zia, a magician from the House of Life.
     Zia brings Sadie and Carter to the House of Life headquarters where they meet Iskandar, the Chief Lector and Head of the House, who invites the Kane children to train there. Both Sadie and Carter begin to spirit travel in their dreams: Carter has visions of Set planning to destroy North America and conquer the world, and Saide has visions of the Egyptian Pantheon and their struggles to maintain Ma'at--the order of the universe. After a particularly restless night at the House of Life, Zia leads Sadie and Carter to a test which will determine their expertise. Before they can finish though, Iskandar is found to have died after two thousand years as Chief Lector, and his replacement, Desjardins orders their execution for housing Isis and Horus. Zia sends them on their path to end Set's plan, but the House of Life is hot on their trail.
     In the end Sadie and Carter are faced with life-altering choices and must surrender to their destinies to save the world from Chaos. Blending human creativity with the power of the gods, they change the course of history and set the stage for an even greater battle. Sadie and Carter's story examines and challenges the ideas of fate and convention, the House of life is mired in convention refusing its members the chance to defeat the enemies who truly challenge Ma'at and use all the resources available. Sadie and Carter learn the value of friendship and family ties as they discover their true motives and shed the false motivations to find themselves.
     This is the first in a new series from Rick Riordan chronicling the adventures of Sadie and Carter Kane as they discover more about themselves and their ancestors in order to help balance order and chaos in the universe. The book is appropriate for readers as young as third grade.