The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1)

Carter and his little sister Sadie have spent most of their life apart. After their mom died, Sadie went to live with her grandparents, and Carter stayed with their dad. Dr. Julius Kane is a famous Egyptologist, and Carter travels extensively with him, never staying in one spot too long.

One day a year, on Christmas, the three reunite. Dr. Kane and Carter meet Sadie at their grandparents house, and head to the British Museum...Sadie can't believe that her dad is wasting their one day together on another museum... Neither Sadie OR Carter can believe what they see when they follow their dad into the Egypt exhibit.

He seems to be chanting, and the Rosetta Stone is glowing blue! Then some ghost or demon or something rises up and locks their dad in a coffin! Then these other two people show up, and the creepy guy disappears...but Sadie and Carter have no idea what is going on! Their uncle Amos comes to pick them up, and he has a few more answers. It turns out their families are descended from the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt...and that magic really exists...and Egyptian gods are real, and their dad just woke several up and set them free. Oops? Suddenly, Sadie and Carter are expected to go to the House of Life, and learn magic, so they can save their father (who is locked in a coffin, remember)...and defeat the evil god Set, who wants to destroy the world. Also, they only have 5 days.

Luckily, they have some helpful (if somewhat unconventional) allies. Sadie's loyal cat is actually the goddess Bast, and they bring along Uncle Amos's pet baboon Khufu. They also recruit the help of Thoth, the god of knowledge, to learn how to defeat Set. They even visit the land of the Dead, and Anubis (who Sadie thinks is really hot) on their quest.

This action packed adventure has a perfect blend of mythology and modern, along with a good dose of humor, and a touch of romance. This is another gem by Riordan, and highly recommended for fans of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

"'Carter,' Amos said, 'the Egyptians would not have been stupid enough to believe in imaginary gods. The beings they described in their myths are very, very real. In the old days, the priests of Egypt would call upon these gods to channel their power and perform great feats. That is the origin of what we now call magic. Like many things, magic was first invented by the Egyptians. Each temple had a branch of magicians called the House of Life. Their magicians were famed throughout the ancient world,'"(Riordan pg 72, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1)
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (The Kronos Chronicles, Book 1)

Riordan, Rick. (2010). The Red Pyramid. New York, NY: Disney/Hyperion Books.