But while Carter's been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie asks politely if her brother can have a sample before they sail on.Since his mother's death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. When they are faced with a scary demon in the underworld it comes out that he's not only Lord of Blood and Wine, but also Lord of Perfume. Great one-liners come out of nowhere to lighten the mood when facing all manner of horrible creatures and almost certain death. They also have that signature sardonic wit that Percy was known for. History lessons aside, this is a fun ride and mostly because Carter and Sadie are such great characters. Now that kids know what a ba is and how to pull things out of the Duat and restore Ma'at, etc., etc., subsequent novels in the series will be an easier read, but this one may take a couple read-throughs to get it all straight. There are so many gods and their backstories to keep track of, but then that's the history of ancient Egypt: complicated.

Percy Jackson fans will probably be satisfied, but they have to like ancient history as much if not more than they like god-on-monster action. The audiobook version is read by Kevin R. Carter and Sadie, despite their differences (raised different places, and Carter looks more like his black father while Sadie looks like their white mother), are constantly looking out for each other as they deal with some harsh realities about Egyptian history and their place in it. At the beginning of the book Carter and Sadie, who lost their mother a few years before, deal with the disappearance of their father, whom they fear will never return. There are plenty of battle scenes against gods and monsters that feel very much like fantasy, with a bit of bloodshed, and some scenes in a bleak afterlife. While Percy cavorted with Greek gods and half-gods, brother and sister Carter and Sadie come face to face with ancient Egyptian gods, magicians, and god-monsters. Parents need to know that this series is by Rick Riordan, author of the hugely popular Percy Jackson series. Plus, Lexus, Doritos, the Lakers, Twix, Skittles, Oreos, and Mountain Dew.

Plenty of quick mentions of products, some multiple times like Coke, Cheerios, and Friskies (enjoyed by the cat goddess).

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