The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Sadie and Carter Kane have lived apart since their mother's death six years ago. Sadie lives with their grandparents in London, while Carter travels the world with their Egyptologist father. Carter and Dr. Kane only get to visit with Sadie two days each year, and this Christmas Eve is one of those days. Dr. Kane and Carter pick Sadie up and head straight to the British Museum where Dr. Kane wants a closer look a the Rosetta Stone. He tells Carter and Sadie to lock the curator in his office and stay out of the room. Instead the teens sneak back just in time to see their father blow up the Rosetta Stone and unleash Set, an Egyptian god. Set traps Dr. Kane in a coffin and makes him disappear, and the teens barely get away with their lives. Now, with the help of an uncle they haven't seen for years, the teens travel the globe to find out what happened, escape the myriad of monsters chasing them, and find a way to stop Set and rescue their father...before Set can complete his evil plot of destruction.


The Red Pyramid was not the easiest book to get into. There is so much setup that the plot drags...at first. After about 75 pages the action picks up and it simply doesn't stop until the very last page. I really enjoyed this book and think this series might end up being even better than Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale

Marsh Seaver is being haunted. Or hunted. Or both, really. It started with little sounds, like creaks and drips. Then darkness where there should have been light. Then hallucinations. Finally a creature from Marsh's own imagination, the Gravedigger, appeared and tried to kill him. All of this started the day his best friend, Cooper, disappeared. Now Marsh must team up with Cooper's sister, Sydney, to find out exactly what happened to his friend and how, or why, it's tied in with the sinister Gravedigger. Before it's too late...

D.J. MacHale is a well-known author of the 10-book Pendragon series. This new series, Morpheus Road, is horror/thriller instead of sci-fi, and should be exceptionally popular with his current fans. It reminded me a little of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movie, where the evil guy seemed to pop up everywhere and anywhere and the characters never seemed to be safe.

If you're a fan of horror movies, the good ones where the suspense builds on itself and puts you on the edge of your seat, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Annual Poetry Contest - Honorable Mention

Fire Blazes
Night turns to ash
The sun rises
Arms of light reach to grab
The darkness that recedes
And life awakes
From deep in slumber
Upon the golden earth

Bridget Pettigrew
6th Grade
Our Lady of Sorrows School
Poem may not be reproduced without author's permission.

Annual Poetry Contest - 3rd Place Winner

The Color of Death

Drip, Drip, Drip,
Goes the thick substance;
As it slowly moves down my arm to the floor.

Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh,
Goes the setting sun;
As it throws its blazing color over me.

Rustle, Rustle, Rustle,
Goes the petals of the rose;
As they fall to cover my broken body.

Roar, Roar, Roar,
Goes the mighty flame;
As it rises up over me - making shadows dance over and around my sobbing form.

Hush, Hush, Hush,
Goes my body;
As my thick life force flows from my body to water the ground.

Victoria Boyce
10th Grade
Everest Academy
Poem may not be reproduced without author's permission.

Annual Poetry Contest - 2nd Place Winner

An Ache, or a Hankering, or a Bit of Both

I miss the mountains.
The fireflies in the evening,
the mosquitoes in the afternoon,
and the fresh air,
so deep that it can scarcely be breathed in.
I miss the feel of bare toes in the cool creek,
bare toes on the dry grass, on prickly dirt, the rough rock and smooth stone.
I miss the long days of going uphill without stop,
losing myself in the trees,
searching for the perfect view
and learning that the trail never ends.
I miss flashlight tag at night
and the big, glowing lanterns that dimmed in the radiance of the fire.
We read folklore aloud on those nights,
the characters somehow becoming more vivid than reality
in the dark that shrouded us.
I miss the toasted marshmallows that we nibbled on
and the hushed whispers as we fell asleep
under a roof made of black sky
and twinkling stars.

Sarah Jane Thielman
17 years old
Homewood High School
Poem may not be reproduced without author's permission.

Annual Poetry Contest - 1st Place Winner

Come Now, Brother

Come now, brother, let us hunt
Follow the scent, chase the wind.
Come now, brother, answer my call
The night has come.

Come now, brother, chase me,
Hunt my tracks, hunt my trail.
Come now, brother, I lead you
The hunger is upon me.

Come now, brother, follow me
Smell the prey, taste the fear.
Come now, brother, search with me
The bloodlust wakes inside us.

Come now, brother, aid me
Drag him down, bite his neck.
Come now, brother, eat with me
Let us savor our meal.

Come now, brother, run with me
Search for refuge, hurry home.
Come now, brother, let us sleep
Let us close our lupine eyes.

Michael Correro
Grade 10, Homewood High School
Poem may not be reproduced without author's permission.