Book 3), The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues

With yet another author, book 3 follows Amy and Dan to Japan in search of the next clue. But circumstances force them to consider an alliance with Uncle Alistair-Natalie and Ian Kabra have snuck onto Amy and Dan's flight (while getting them kept off it), kidnapped Nellie, and stolen their belongings, along with the latest clue. But Alistair has already betrayed them once, can they really trust him?

This book has been a real progression in the series because it has finally begun to force the other families to develop (both in terms of how much we know about them and in terms of who they are and the lengths they are willing to go to win). Their motives aren't as clear as they were in the first two books because they are beginning to question themselves. And though things don't seem to have changed all that much, I have a feeling they've set in motion some big changes that will affect the future of the race.

This time, there was a little more indication that it was a different writer because he tended to use words like "cool" and "lame" more often than the other books did. Though appropriate for the age of the children in the book, it stood out because it hadn't been used so much in Books One and Two. Even with this, the book flowed well with the others. It continues to impress me how closely the different writers have managed to follow each others' styles (I figure the goal is to draw in fans from each of these author's other successful series, which is why I tried the first book-I like Rick Riordan).

I'm excited to see where this series is going (though I do wish the books came in soft cover so that they weren't so expensive. $13 for such a short book does seem excessive.)

Proceed with caution if you have not read book #1, The Maze of Bones, and book #2, One False Note, as this book begins just where the last book ended. I mean, you could have put the 2 books together and thought you were just flipping the pages between chapters. And, I will warn you again - do NOT start this series if you don't plan on buying all of the other books in the series as it is highly addictive! The series just keeps getting more action packed and more exciting as I learn more about the characters and what the clues lead to. I did not feel that this book was as strong in historical content as the previous two so I kind of missed learning about Japan & Korea through the eyes of the characters, however, from what little bit the author included, I can tell that the characters would agree with a lot of my descriptions of Tokyo, as I have had the good fortune to travel there twice so far. It was fun to learn a little bit more about ancient samurais and feudal Asia, though.

The characters are separated more in this book and there are a lot of other characters including Alistair Oh and Ian Kabra who play vital roles in moving the plot along so the author jumps around a lot on his points of view. You will read one chapter from Dan's POV, then jump to Amy, then Ian, then Alistair, then Alistair's uncle, etc. All of this helps move the plot along, but does make it a little bit more difficult to follow for younger readers and takes a little bit of the surprise out of discovering their motives as they simply tell you what is going on in their heads. I loved that some of the "villains" started to show some heart in this entry in the series. Ian starts doubting the Lucian way, which is to achieve your objective at all costs - including the cost of lives. Alistair feels guilty for trying to kill Amy & Dan and double crossing them in previous meetings as he finds they remind him more and more of his own loveless childhood. It seems that Amy & Dan have finally found some relatives who believe in them and want to help them succeed. This sets you up for a whopping shocker of an ending so brace yourself and make sure you have book #4 handy!

I think that boys in particular will enjoy this book as it is all about ancient warriors in feudal Japan and Korea. What boy doesn't like swords and dream of having the moves and stealth of a ninja? I also think it is great that the authors are going to take the characters around the world and not just focus on Europe. It opens up a little bit of a window to young readers about areas and people that they may not consider reading about until they are older. Through Peter Lerangis' clear and concise writing style, we find the plot rapidly moving forward and foreshadowing into what I believe will gradually happen throughout the rest of the books in the series. As with previous books, this title comes with a pack of 6 cards that you can use to play games and collect clues online. An installment not to be missed!

The pace of this series is really picking up. This book takes place over the span of just a few days at the most. And new alliances have been formed and broken. First Dan and Amy are rescued by their Uncle Alistair Oh. Nellie their au pair is kidnapped by the Kabras siblings. Irina makes a few very brief appearances, and the Holts attempt to use brawn over brains one more time.

This book is the fastest pace of the three so far, starting right at the end of One False Note and racing to a cliffhanger in book 4 Beyond the Grave. In this book we journey from Italy to Japan to Korea. The main historical figure we find out about is the Hiyoshimaru or Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the mystery of his lost treasure.

This book was a bit of a race, from places and events and on and on. It felt rushed compared to the previous two books in the series. It also raced along with less dialogue and less description, the scenes were not as vivid and the facts were often just revealed. In my opinion this is the weakest of the first three books. This series has fantastic potential, with the combination of 7 authors telling a unified story over 10 books. But this one falls short of what has gone before. We can only hope that book 4 returns to the intensity and power of story portrayed in the first two books The Maze of Bones and One False Note. We can also hope that Lerangis does a better job when his turn comes around again for book 7.

The book does progress the overall story, and we do have a better idea of where the 39 clues are leading us, something to do with Alchemy. We also find out more of the history of the Cahills including the origin of this branch of the family dating back to the 1500's. The family dates back to Dublin and Gideon and Olivia Cahill. Gideon perished in a fire, a theme we are encountering again and again. We also find out a little more about Thomas and Kate, the founders of two of the modern branches of the Cahill clan. This book is good, just not great like the others in the series. Yet it definitely leaves one desiring book 4.

When Grace Cahill passed away, relatives oozed out of the woodwork in hopes of getting their hands on her fortunes. But Grace wasn't your typical old lady, and she didn't leave this world in typical fashion either. Instead of a will and an inheritance, she left behind a quest involving 39 clues that lead to a vast wealth and the highest authority imaginable. Now, six teams of Cahill relatives are racing around the world, chasing after intricately placed clues left behind by other famous Cahills, like Ben Franklin. The race is on, and there aren't any rules.

Fourteen-year-old Amy and her 11-year-old brother, Dan, make up one of the teams. Orphaned and unwanted by everyone except their beloved, and now deceased, grandmother, the siblings don't have anything to lose and have decided to go for it. But unlike their opponents, they have no money, no connections and no special training, not to mention the fact that they're just kids. Plus, Amy is shy and stutters when she's nervous, and Dan tends to be impulsive. This team has the odds of winning seriously stacked against them. But they do have a few pieces of jewelry from their grandmother to sell for expenses, a very cool au pair traveling with them, and, above all, a great deal of spunk, smarts and determination. And they've kept up with their opponents so far, somehow.

In the third installment of this bestselling series, Amy and Dan follow the clue of the samurai swords to Japan --- or at least they try to do so. One of the rival teams, Ian and Natalie Kabra, trick them and take their seats on the plane, leaving Amy and Dan stranded at the airport without any tickets, au pair, sword clue or passage to Japan.

Before they can give up completely, another rival, Uncle Alistair Oh, shows up offering an alliance. Not wanting to trust him, yet not having much choice, Amy and Dan agree to share information with their uncle and jet over to Japan on a private plane. After some research at the library, they find things that set the ball rolling into non-stop action, including a run-in with another rival team, an actual ninja fight, a hidden room in the subway depths, encoded messages, hidden treasure in a secret cave, and discovering the actual heart of the 39 clues secret.

It isn't too long before Amy and Dan reunite with their au pair, who manages to gain a bit of a foothold on her own with some added income to aid in the race. Along the way, Amy and Dan can't help but begin to have faith in their team alliances, caring about them as friends and family, but at what cost to the 39 clues and their hearts? Will their tentative trust ensure the win of the race, or the loss of their lives?

Author Peter Lerangis takes his leg of the race seriously, daring to delve into the fascinating world of Japan with mystery and adventure. He pens clever riddles, rips open emotional scars of family loss and loneliness, and includes hysterically funny wisecracks at just the right places. Colorfully descriptive language paints a vivid picture in the reader's mind: "They were swords --- a tower of them, arranged neatly in a crisscross pattern. The hilts jutted out, some fancy and jeweled, others dented and dull. They looked like hands, reaching out as if daring someone to pull, which would probably upset the pile like a falling house of cards." Lerangis also cleverly slips in some good old-fashioned advice, applicable to everyone at some time or another in his or her life: "`Dan, you must never, ever give in,' Alistair said encouragingly. `A problem is merely a solution waiting to be found.'"

THE SWORD THIEF lifts and carries The 39 Clues series on its way, which incidentally will continue with book four due out in June. In the meantime, log on to [...] to hunt for the clues and have a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT, THE BLACK POND and GHOSTS OF THE U.P.

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

When Natalie and Ian steel their plane tickets to Japan and hijack their babysitter, Amy and Dan are forced to rely on Alistair Oh to get them to Japan and the next clue. After throwing Irina off their trail the three are kidnapped by the Holts and then chased by the Japanese members of the Tomas branch called yakusa, who are intent on killing them. With all these people out to get them will they survive to find the next clue and can they trust their companion not to be the one who stabs them in the back?

With a multi author series you had to know someone would eventually drop the ball and not remember all the facts present in previous novels. Lerangis is unfortunately the one who let the ball drop. While his plot is still interesting, the contradictions between this installment and the first two novels are massive. For example if you've read the second novel you'll remember that when Mr. McIntyre makes his appearance in the second novel to find out why the tracking device he placed on Grace's cat has stopped moving, he encounters Alistair who accused him of stealing a clue. When Alistair storms off he leaves the device behind and Mr. McIntyre has it during the conversation with the Man in black. In this novel Alistair has the tracking device on him on the plane. Also Amy and Dan claim to have believed Alistair was the one who planted it on them, but no mention of that was ever made in the second novel To list all the discrepancies would be time consuming at best and probably highly tedious to read, but that give you an idea of the discrepancies I found. Considering a child's memory is usually significantly better than an adult's it surprises me that Lerangis was not more careful when he picked up his installment of the series. With Korman having followed through so well, it's disappointing that Lerangis dropped the ball. Another way this installment differs from others in the series is while the first two novels were filled with historical information offering children an entertaining way to learn, this offers very little in educational information and focuses more on the characters than anything else. It includes the start of a preteen love story plot before decimating that near the end of the novel and other subplots involving the pasts of secondary characters. It was a close third person, fairly well written with a fast paced plot, but wasn't told primarily in Amy and Dan's point of view, but more in the points of views of what were previously secondary characters.

My final issue with this book is the ending was confusing, under explained and didn't completely make sense.

While most of the characters presented were fairly well presented they didn't remain true to form with their previous appearances. Amy becomes kind of sappy, Dan is almost a brat and the two seem to fight like cats and dogs. Ian is portrayed as less mental and more emotional and though some serious depth is added to this character it doesn't fit with his previous appearances in the series. Irina and the Holts were apparently of little interest to Lerangis as their appearances were a cameo at best. Jonah Wizard and Mr. McIntyre apparently didn't interest him at all as they didn't appear in this novel. Alistair Oh receive some major character development as well but again not all of it fits with his previous appearances.

Overall this was a good installment, but not a great one. I look forward to seeing what the next author in the series does with this development.

This is probably one of the greatest books in the 39 Clues. In this book, there is no way for Amy and Dan Cahill to get the clue other than teaming up with their uncle, Alistair Oh. But is that a really good idea? After all, Alistair has taken the clue and run before, leaving the Cahill kids in the dust. And trusting other relatives has almost gotten them killed before. So they need to follow Alistair's path to the clue without letting him in on anything more then he needs. Read the book to see if they get the clue successfully or if Alistair leaves Amy and Dan in the dust - again. Peter Lerangis does a good job of tying this book in with the others, and didn't miss a fact from book 1 or 2. That's more I can say for some of the other, later books in the series.

When Grace Cahill passed away, relatives oozed out of the woodwork in hopes of getting their hands on her fortunes. But Grace wasn't your typical old lady, and she didn't leave this world in typical fashion either. Instead of a will and an inheritance, she left behind a quest involving 39 clues that lead to a vast wealth and the highest authority imaginable. Now, six teams of Cahill relatives are racing around the world, chasing after intricately placed clues left behind by other famous Cahills, like Ben Franklin. The race is on, and there aren't any rules.

Fourteen-year-old Amy and her 11-year-old brother, Dan, make up one of the teams. Orphaned and unwanted by everyone except their beloved, and now deceased, grandmother, the siblings don't have anything to lose and have decided to go for it. But unlike their opponents, they have no money, no connections and no special training, not to mention the fact that they're just kids. Plus, Amy is shy and stutters when she's nervous, and Dan tends to be impulsive. This team has the odds of winning seriously stacked against them. But they do have a few pieces of jewelry from their grandmother to sell for expenses, a very cool au pair traveling with them, and, above all, a great deal of spunk, smarts and determination. And they've kept up with their opponents so far, somehow.

In the third installment of this bestselling series, Amy and Dan follow the clue of the samurai swords to Japan --- or at least they try to do so. One of the rival teams, Ian and Natalie Kabra, trick them and take their seats on the plane, leaving Amy and Dan stranded at the airport without any tickets, au pair, sword clue or passage to Japan.

Before they can give up completely, another rival, Uncle Alistair Oh, shows up offering an alliance. Not wanting to trust him, yet not having much choice, Amy and Dan agree to share information with their uncle and jet over to Japan on a private plane. After some research at the library, they find things that set the ball rolling into non-stop action, including a run-in with another rival team, an actual ninja fight, a hidden room in the subway depths, encoded messages, hidden treasure in a secret cave, and discovering the actual heart of the 39 clues secret.

It isn't too long before Amy and Dan reunite with their au pair, who manages to gain a bit of a foothold on her own with some added income to aid in the race. Along the way, Amy and Dan can't help but begin to have faith in their team alliances, caring about them as friends and family, but at what cost to the 39 clues and their hearts? Will their tentative trust ensure the win of the race, or the loss of their lives?

Author Peter Lerangis takes his leg of the race seriously, daring to delve into the fascinating world of Japan with mystery and adventure. He pens clever riddles, rips open emotional scars of family loss and loneliness, and includes hysterically funny wisecracks at just the right places. Colorfully descriptive language paints a vivid picture in the reader's mind: "They were swords --- a tower of them, arranged neatly in a crisscross pattern. The hilts jutted out, some fancy and jeweled, others dented and dull. They looked like hands, reaching out as if daring someone to pull, which would probably upset the pile like a falling house of cards." Lerangis also cleverly slips in some good old-fashioned advice, applicable to everyone at some time or another in his or her life: "`Dan, you must never, ever give in,' Alistair said encouragingly. `A problem is merely a solution waiting to be found.'"

THE SWORD THIEF lifts and carries The 39 Clues series on its way, which incidentally will continue with book four due out in June. In the meantime, log on to [...] to hunt for the clues and have a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT, THE BLACK POND and GHOSTS OF THE U.P.

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

When Natalie and Ian steel their plane tickets to Japan and hijack their babysitter, Amy and Dan are forced to rely on Alistair Oh to get them to Japan and the next clue. After throwing Irina off their trail the three are kidnapped by the Holts and then chased by the Japanese members of the Tomas branch called yakusa, who are intent on killing them. With all these people out to get them will they survive to find the next clue and can they trust their companion not to be the one who stabs them in the back?

With a multi author series you had to know someone would eventually drop the ball and not remember all the facts present in previous novels. Lerangis is unfortunately the one who let the ball drop. While his plot is still interesting, the contradictions between this installment and the first two novels are massive. For example if you've read the second novel you'll remember that when Mr. McIntyre makes his appearance in the second novel to find out why the tracking device he placed on Grace's cat has stopped moving, he encounters Alistair who accused him of stealing a clue. When Alistair storms off he leaves the device behind and Mr. McIntyre has it during the conversation with the Man in black. In this novel Alistair has the tracking device on him on the plane. Also Amy and Dan claim to have believed Alistair was the one who planted it on them, but no mention of that was ever made in the second novel To list all the discrepancies would be time consuming at best and probably highly tedious to read, but that give you an idea of the discrepancies I found. Considering a child's memory is usually significantly better than an adult's it surprises me that Lerangis was not more careful when he picked up his installment of the series. With Korman having followed through so well, it's disappointing that Lerangis dropped the ball. Another way this installment differs from others in the series is while the first two novels were filled with historical information offering children an entertaining way to learn, this offers very little in educational information and focuses more on the characters than anything else. It includes the start of a preteen love story plot before decimating that near the end of the novel and other subplots involving the pasts of secondary characters. It was a close third person, fairly well written with a fast paced plot, but wasn't told primarily in Amy and Dan's point of view, but more in the points of views of what were previously secondary characters.

My final issue with this book is the ending was confusing, under explained and didn't completely make sense.

While most of the characters presented were fairly well presented they didn't remain true to form with their previous appearances. Amy becomes kind of sappy, Dan is almost a brat and the two seem to fight like cats and dogs. Ian is portrayed as less mental and more emotional and though some serious depth is added to this character it doesn't fit with his previous appearances in the series. Irina and the Holts were apparently of little interest to Lerangis as their appearances were a cameo at best. Jonah Wizard and Mr. McIntyre apparently didn't interest him at all as they didn't appear in this novel. Alistair Oh receive some major character development as well but again not all of it fits with his previous appearances.

Overall this was a good installment, but not a great one. I look forward to seeing what the next author in the series does with this development.

This is probably one of the greatest books in the 39 Clues. In this book, there is no way for Amy and Dan Cahill to get the clue other than teaming up with their uncle, Alistair Oh. But is that a really good idea? After all, Alistair has taken the clue and run before, leaving the Cahill kids in the dust. And trusting other relatives has almost gotten them killed before. So they need to follow Alistair's path to the clue without letting him in on anything more then he needs. Read the book to see if they get the clue successfully or if Alistair leaves Amy and Dan in the dust - again. Peter Lerangis does a good job of tying this book in with the others, and didn't miss a fact from book 1 or 2. That's more I can say for some of the other, later books in the series.

Okay, I'm 29 years old, and reading this decidedly tween books which, by all rights, should not interest me. They're farmed out to different authors, allowing the writing to go faster while keeping up an okay quality. It makes each book feel a bit different as we switch author style, with a slight change in character personalities as each writer interprets them differently.

But I keep going! It's like National Treasure for kids. But still with plenty of treachery and danger (or simulated danger; after all, the publishers aren't going to kill people off here like they would in an adult series). And, most interesting, the "villainous" other parties to the hunt are being humanized with each book. In this one, it's the Kabra siblings and Alastair Oh we get to know, making them less obstacles and more actual relatives who have a connection, be it small, to Amy and Dan's lives.

This book has a bit of romance in it, which many readers might be fine with, but I was just going "you're relatives. You're relatives. I know it must go back dozens of generations, making you about as closely related as anyone else on the planet, but you know you're related, STOP THAT!"

Also, I had this moment in the book, as they're mentioning all the Cahills among the different nations and ethnicities, that there's got to be a large portion of the population whom are actually Cahills. Unless they interbreed?

Which would explain the romance....

I'm just...going to forget all this.

But I shouldn't think it all over too much. This is just quick adventure book, and if it gets your kid reading, all the better!

A Book Review of 39 Clues: Sword Thief
by Jerome, Grade 7, Yangon International school
Imagine being a part of the most powerful family full of unreliable relatives and famous
inventors. Two options exist: take one-million dollars and live normally or participate in a clue
hunt to discover the secret of the Cahill power and become the most powerful person in the
world. Amy and Dan have chosen to participate in a serious quest to discover the secrets of the
Cahill power. On this risky trip, will they survive? Discover the answer in the Sword Thief, by
Peter Larangis, an author of book three and seven in the 39 Clues series.
The secrets of the Cahill family are hidden around the world. The only way to reveal the
secret is to discover the 39 clues. Having found clues one and two in earlier books, finding the
third clue depends on their unreliable uncle and their enemy cousins. To obtain clues, the three
characters have to travel to Korea and Japan. In Japan, Amy, Dan, and their uncle Alistair are
chased by the Yakuza to the train track. Suddenly they hear a honk from seven feet behind. What
has happen to them? Are they dead or alive? Similar events highlight their adventures as they
interact with their enemies who want to prevent the discovery of the Cahill secret.
The book Sword Thief by Peter Larangis grabs a reader's attention. As the story unfolds, small
clues are discovered in an effort to uncover the main clue. Larangis has done a great job building
the conflict between the characters and their relatives. The characters' meet face to face in
dangerous events which make the reader excited as the story flows to the climax. The climax is
the part where the reader is fully grabbed by the story. Also, the author's use of dangerous events
holds reader's attention. Though some of the events are unbelievable, the action keeps one on the
edge of his/her seat effectively builds the suspense one expects in an adventure story.
Any teenager who loves mysteries and clue hunts will enjoy The Sword Thief because there
are mysterious clues which keep the reader wondering what happens. Many of small clues will
eventually add up to 39 clues. On a scale of one (low) to five (high), I give this book a five
because this is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. The book interests me so
much that I couldn't stop reading this book since I hold it.

Another student's perspective

The Book Review of The Sword Thief
By Hennry, Grade 7, Yangon International School

Imagine a situation in which believing in one's cousins and uncles can be a death sentence In the Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis, the protagonists' task is to find 39 clues around the world in order to uncover the secret of the power of Cahill family, the world's richest and strongest family. Lerangis, the author of more than 160 books, had written this book for the third clue. Clue one- found, Clue two-found, Clue three-starting to find.

Amy and her brother Dan are searching for the third clue with their unreliable uncle, Alistair and their enemy, Kabras. The adventure leads to three mysterious places that nearly ends the life of Amy and Dan. They met with a Japanese guy name Yakuza in Tokyo. He gave Amy and Dan troubles like Amy's foot stuck in the rail road when the train is going to hit in three minutes. The conflict of the book affects the book because to accomplish their purpose the protagonist have to work with the antagonists. When Amy and Dan first met Kabras they were fighting like Kabras steal Amy and Dan's air ticket to Japan. The conflict of the book is shown in very specific way. It is not very clearly. While Amy and Dan work with them, they always argue. Arguments were almost about the alchemy, a study of the chemistry from the middle age.

This book was had a slow stent but when it reaches to like chapter three and four, the story seemed to move so quickly that it could be challenging to follow. Throughout the book the author tries to offer some insights into the concept of trust. If Amy and Dan did not trust with Kabras, they will not be able to find the clue. Yet if they over trust the others, Amy and Dan could be betrayed. The emotions of the characters also changed the view of Amy and Dan to Kabras. At first Amy behaved harshly and very rude to both Kabras but later on Kabras did
. . . to Amy, so she become kinder as the story goes on. I didn't like the point of being kind to your enemy. They would had betrayed if you are kinder.

The Sword Thief is certain to catch the attention of most young adults because it is mostly about action of Amy and Dan face the multitude of dangers. On a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), I give this book a four because even though the plot and the clue is fascinating, there are some parts where the story proceeds too quickly.

Yet another nice addition to the "39 Clues" series.

Here, in BOOK THREE, the clue hunt takes the Cahill siblings to Japan with their Uncle Oh (a character we learn a good deal about in this installment). The Kabras also play a more prevalent role in this book.

I felt this book had a bit more "overall arc" than the second book, which sometimes just felt more like a restatement of the first book but with different clues.

I'm not sure if the "clue/mystery" part of the series was best in this installment, but overall I enjoyed the story and was happy to learn more about the various characters.

On to book four! :)

Boy these series are getting better and better. I started reading the first one and got hooked on them. They are in Japan still running from family and one who comes with them their Uncle Alistair but can they trust him or is he up to something. They bring him along just not telling him about what they find. But he does know certain things that they know nothing about. Everywhere they turn they have to keep an eye out for someone they might be looking for the clues but they are also on the fun to stay alive.

The 39 Clues: Book Three: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis may be the weakest book so far in the series, but that does not make it a bad book. Quite the contrary actually, for it was a fun read, but looking back it, was not a very good book. So, if you already have the book, read it and then come back to this review. If you are a fan of the first two books, this probably is worth your money. So here is my review of The Sword Thief:

SPOILER ALERT. This book takes place directly after One False Note, and centers around the Swords that Amy and Dan found at the end of that book. They are at the airport when right away we run into our first two recurring problems; unneeded drama and poor explanation. There is an unexplained bomb threat, causing everyone to leave and so Amy and Dan can not board the plane. This is very unneeded. This whole chapter serves only to drive it into and straight out the other side of people’s skulls that the relatives are evil. It also is an easy explanation for why Amy and Dan would team up with their Uncle, Alistair Oh. One last thing that annoys me about this first chapter; it gets rid of Nellie for the first half of the book. Nellie had a perfect role in One False Note, and I was excited to read about her in this book. But alas, she was the last one on the plane, which for some unexplained reason was not grounded. We meet her later on, but it is still kind of annoying.

When I think about it, this first chapter is the whole book in a nutshell: overly dramatic and unnecessary. I do have a few other gripes with this book, like that the Yakuza(some sort of crime group) are a massive threat for one, maybe two chapters, before the book forgets that they exist, but that is it. Those two issues plagued the entire book, with the exception of, oddly enough, the ending, where the drama fit what was set up and the lack of explanation gives the author of the next book something to work with.

I give this book 3 stars. The action makes it fun as a mindless read, but the recurring issues make it less enjoyable than its 4 and 5 star precursors. However, this was not a bad book, so while I still recommend that you get it, it isn't the best in the series.

Although Book 3 is shorter than its predecessors, it is well written in that it is rich in both action and character development. The characters have become real again, easy to embrace. The action is surreal yet described in a manner that the reader feels as if in the thick of it. Through Uncle Alastair's self-talk, we see glimpses into his childhood and hidden emotions, rendering his character multi-dimensional. What may be presumed "bad guys" are now being unveiled to the reader in more true form. Good character development, great humor, exciting action...an excellent book! See the full review within character education guidelines and parent/teacher activities at [...] and our commentary for discussion at [...]

I have been hooked with this books ever since Sunday. I read the first two books in one day, but I had to wait for this one. As soon as I got it, I started reading it, and I couldn't stop. Like the first ones, I finished it in one blink of an eye. It only has a few action parts, but amazing action parts. They really got me hooked! The other parts were of Amy, Dan, Alistair, Nellie and-surprisingly-the Kabra siblings dicovering hints to find the next clue.And there were so many parts that had me laughing, too.

Amy and Dan Cahill are journeying to Tokyo, to find the next clue in a giant treasure hunt that their grandmother's will initiated.

They siblings fall in stride with their elderly relative, Alistair Oh, once again --- this time forming an alliance --- which could be a deadly decision. Unless their other alliance with the Kabra siblings proves to be more deadly...

Lots of intrigue for middle grade readers. I liked the historical aspects that the readers gains from the story, whether its all true or not.

The 39 Clues
The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis is amazing. Amy and Dan are going to Japan with their uncle. The to kids escape multiple situations is a really cool thing I like about the book. In every book ends on the best part (who does that?) That is something I really hate about the book(s). I say, “ if you want to read the series you have love mystery as well as adventure.”
So, I hope you read the book and the series.

By: Carlos V.

I really enjoyed books 1 & 2 in this series. The writing in this third book simply did not engage me nearly as well as in the first two. The author of this one didn't explore the history nearly as much as the first two did. The action seemed cliche and I found myself pushing through the book just to finish it and find out what happened. Disappointing, but not so much so that I won't move on to Book 4 in the series...

when i first started reading this book i really thought that this was going to be like the first two. there is nothing wrong with that but after a while it gets all to the same. But an interesting twist happened. Amy and Ian up a tree...

After reading the 1st and 2nd 39 clues I expected the best from this author but found myself not able to read past the 1st chapter!!! I thought it would get better as it went, but no such luck. If anything, it got worse... I HATED IT!!!!!! It was boring and the cards and games on the internet are just an advertising ploy. These people don't care about writing GOOD books, they just care about money. The 3rd book is just like the 1st and second, a boring chase that tells young readers you can't trust your family. good message! It seems like the author ran out of anything to write so he just copied his earlier(and better)books. If you are smart you will not read this book!

{My Thoughts} – Amy, Dan and Nellie are on the go again. This time they are on their way to Japan following yet the latest clue they have discovered in the fast pace hunt of the 39 Clues. They have a bit of a problem at the airport where Nellie ends up leaving them behind because of a random check that had pulled them out of their line and prevented them from boarding the plane without them, A lot of chaos happens once the plane finally leaves without them on it. Then end up rushing out of the airport and being rescued by none other then Uncle Alistair.

Uncle Alistair then takes Nellie’s place for a remainder of the book. I have to admit a lot of what he says in this book is sort of cryptic and I can’t wait to see what it all actual means, in other words I am hoping it will be explained later on in the series. The kids have no choice but to trust him and their adventure officially begins.

At this point it gets super fast pace and really hard to put down. I read it in one sitting. It was that hard to walk away from. I really do enjoy these nice fast reads. I do believe that we learned some rather tasteful information in this book about Amy, Dan and Uncle Alistair. There is always so much packed into such a small amount of pages, that occasionally it leaves you with the expression, omgosh! This book ends with them in Korea! I wish I could do half the traveling these kids are doing!

I believe still that anyone that is a fan of National Treasure the Disney movies will enjoy this series. It is similar but much more vivid I suppose I would say. The imagery that is built with words is incredible! Also on a side note: I truly enjoyed “The Magic School Bus” reference I had run across! It made my day, I always enjoy things that make me think about my childhood! It’s amazing that children today know and love that cartoon as much as I did when I was a child! Way off base here!

To sum it up, this is a wonderful book and I can’t wait until I finish the next one, which by the way is on my bookshelf calling my name!