Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
More end-of-times excitement with a heavy dose of humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say this book provides a thrilling and humorous conclusion to the series, with some praising its educational value regarding Egyptian mythology and relatable sibling dynamics, while others criticize the presence and execution of a love triangle involving the main character. While it has its enjoyable moments and strong messages, some readers found it lacking compared to its predecessors and felt the character development and plot resolution left much to be desired.
- humor
- educational value
- love triangle
- character development
- action-packed
- enjoyable moments
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
It's the end of the world yet again, but this time Apophis, god of chaos, means business. He's building up strength, dividing the Egyptian gods and the magicians so they can't fight against him. He's even sucking souls of the dead into his vortex. Can he be stopped? Carter and Sadie Kane, teen leaders of the Brooklyn house of magicians, are doing their best. They've got a crazy plan and only two days to enact it. And they need the help of everyone they can recruit, from an evil magician's ghost who knows Apophis' weakness to a senile sun god prone to randomly shouting \"Cookies!\" to a small pack of kindergartner magician initiates who wield crayons dangerously.
Is It Any Good?
Author Rick Riordan really has his formula down: Great kid characters + huge challenges + plenty of humor = tons of fun. Oh, and kids are actually learning something, too. THE SERPENT'S SHADOW can't help but be a page-turner, with Sadie and Carter narrating their way through almost-Armageddon. Especially when you get to chapter headings like "'Take Your Daughter to Work Day' Goes Horribly Wrong" and "I Become a Purple Chimpanzee."
Middle schoolers on up will even like the snippets of romance, though Sadie ends up in a rather awkward situation. The series could wrap up nicely here, though Riordan definitely leaves his options open in his lengthier-than-usual wrap-up.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they're learning by reading this series. How much did you know about Ancient Egypt before? What parts of Egyptian mythology are similar to Greek mythology? What's vastly different?
There are plenty of fantasy and sci-fi books about end-of-the-world scenarios. Why do you think this is a popular topic? Do you like this aspect of the series or something else?
What makes Carter and Sadie stand out? Who are your favorite fantasy characters?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Hyperion Books for Children
- Publication date : May 1, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 11
- Number of pages : 416
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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