Sadie Kane's Birthday (or, What else to celebrate on March 17th)

We all know what we’ll be doing on March 17^th--drinking and laughing and celebrating all things Irish.  Maybe the truly bookish among us will page through The Confession of St Patrick or Dubliners or--my personal favorite--How the Irish Saved Civilization.  If you’re me, you will be doing everything listed above.  And yes, I’m Irish.  For real.

But I will also be raising a glass to honor the birthday of one of my favorite female heroines--Sadie Kane.  Alongside her brother Carter, Sadie kicks modern-day butt using Ancient Egyptian magic.  The Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan supposes (much like his other series do) that a certain ancient mythology is not as dead as we think it is.  In fact, Egyptian gods still tread the world, and the globe itself is divided into 360 Nomes--clusters of magician communities.  Sadie and Carter learn that they are themselves descended from pharaohs from way, WAY back, and they make a home at Brooklyn House.  And that’s only the start of things.  As the trilogy goes on, they have to prevent a certain snake from eating the sun and destroying the world.  That’s right, eating the sun.

The books are presented as transcripts of a rushed audio recording wherein Carter and Sadie pass the microphone back and forth, each telling different parts of the story (and sometimes hitting each other).  Whereas Carter is more studious and calm, Sadie is the feisty one.  She often tells off confused deities and acts rashly.  Case in point: Even though the world could end in four days, Sadie insists on heading into London so she can celebrate her 13^th birthday (on March 17^th!) with her friends.  Of course, this celebration gets wrecked by a giant baboon and vulture disguised as her grandparents, and Sadie ultimately defeats them with the help of a supernaturally ugly dwarf god, but hey, you can’t win them all.

To celebrate Sadie’s birthday, maybe you’ll want to dress like her.  She is known for wearing combat boots, sporting a leather jacket when off-duty (because it gets in the way of performing magic—duh!), and has purple highlights throughout her hair.   

Or you could quote some of Sadie’s more memorable lines (don’t forget her British accent):

• The last thing I wanted was my embarrassing death by fruit bats posted on youtube.
• So, yeah. Our cat was a goddess. What else is new?
• Right, and [the god] Set will just stand there calmly while I read him to death.
• Somebody get a can opener.  I’ve got a god in my head!
• As of this moment… My brother's name is Punching Bag.
• I wondered if I would appear on a temple wall painting someday. A blonde Egyptian girl with purple highlights running sideways through the palm trees, screaming "Yikes!" in hieroglyphics as Neith chased after me. The thought of some poor archaeologist trying to figure that out almost lifted my spirits.
• I didn't ask for the Speedo Patrol!

So as you prepare for March 17^th, don’t forget to look up Sadie Kane in the Kane Chronicles, starting with The Red Pyramid.  (In case you’re wondering, the audio version is outstanding!)  I raise a glass to you, Sadie Kane.  May the road rise to meet you!