Book 2), One False Note (The 39 Clues

Exactly as advertised - came with the online game cards - was shipped quickly - these books are great for children around the age of 11 - clean and high adventure - well written (this adult enjoyed as well)

I was very disappointed in this series. The first of the series was actually well written but this book was repetitive and not fun to read; in fact, my grandson asked me to just stop reading so we could tell our own stories. Although I did purchase one additional book in this series, it was not well written either. Personally, I think a series should be written by one author and that author should be totally involved in what s/he is writing about. I'm sorry but I can not recommend this series.
Karyl Wade

This book continues the adventure that started in the first book - Amy, Dan and the rest of the Cahill family continue the search for the 39 Clues.
If you liked the first book, you will surely like this one too. Like the first book it's easy to read and it's impossible to put it down!

Good plot
Like
Yes
Uru
Luigi
Irie ieiejek
Wie ieiejekm
Ieiejek with
Wie ieiejek
Eeèìieueudueueueueueueueurudrir7r7r7r7r6d6d6r6eudididdidididididI did jdjdjdjrjrjrjrjejeke
Eue6eue6dydyeyeydydududjdjrjrjrj
Energy
I

{My Thoughts} – I like that this series is written though different authors. It will definitely help to keep things fresh.

Amy, Dan and their Au Pair, Nellie, head off to Europe in search of more Ben Franklin and Mozart clues. The siblings have an interesting plan in order to obtain all the clues that are needed to solve the ending mystery. They are under the belief that as long as they are with Nellie they will succeed and I can’t say I disagree with them, but I can say they have some rough travels.

Amy and Dan have a few brushes with death in this book as they did in the first. They also have some run-ins with the police, and many of their insane must defeat all and get clues to keep to themselves relatives. They siblings however, prove to be quite resourceful and are capable of keeping up with the rest of their relatives even though they don’t have all the perks of being rich and having everything pretty much handed to them.

I like that they are part of a non-privileged class in a sense and that they are overcoming those that assume to be greater. I kind of makes me think of Harry Potter. Orphaned children, overcoming the odds, defeating those that would otherwise be considered evil. It really is turning out to be a wonderful series to read and I can’t wait to pass it onto my children. This series is kind of making me want to finish reading or re-start the Harry Potter series. I don’t know for sure yet, I do have a load of books to read before that can happen.

I do think that this is a must read book for anyone that enjoyed the National Treasure Movie Series and Harry Potter even Sta Wars quite honestly. They all seem to have a little something of each in common. Main thing being the whole main characters are orphaned. It might be just what you need to read if you want different but similar takes on the stories you have read or heard before.

Another delightful installation in a book series that can easily be described as "National Treasure for kids." Our protagonists are Amy and Dan, two members of the Cahill family, a clan supposedly so connected that nearly every important historical figure in the world is a member. Which, given how far-reaching the members are, seems like it should logically include EVERYONE on Earth by now, but I digress.

The clan is on a hunt for the secret of the Cahill inheritance, and they are competing against one another with all their tricks. Some of which could prove deadly. This story focuses on Mozart and his equally-talented (but unsung) sister, and drives home how very many people are fighting against Amy and Dan, and how deep the legend of the Cahills goes.

Good fun. No, not historically accurate in its entirety, but this book could spark your young reader to check out some other books on Mozart. Or perhaps just read more of the 39 Clues. Really, it's the reading that's important, and this will get them turning pages!

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

Following a musical score from Mozart as a clue, Amy and Dan Cahill make their way to Vienna on an all never hunt for the next clue. Their au pair Nellie becomes their partner in crime as they break into hotel rooms, museums and strong holds of family branches. Despite the fact that they were supposed to be the only ones in possession of the second clue it seem that almost everyone is still hot on the chases and hard in the running. With the least amount of advantages how will Dan and Amy ever find the third clue?

When more than one write writes the same series you can't help but compare them. One thing I can say for this series so far is I didn't notice any contradictory facts between the two novels. As this is a common issue in shared series I have to applaud the writers for being so thorough on their story related facts. This was a well written mostly close third person with first person thoughts, mostly from Amy's point of view. Actually unlike the last novel, very few scenes came from Dan's point of view. While it did include a lot of interesting tidbits about historical figures, mostly Mozart, it didn't contain the same wealth of knowledge offered in the first novel. While I still feel this fictional novel offered some decent educational appeal, it just wasn't to the same degree as the first novel. There were some sections where the verb tense seemed a little varied which was odd for a professionally published novel, but it wasn't large sections, it was a present tense verb here and there easily overlooked if it's not a pet peeve of yours. Over all story wise it was a good second installment and a strong addition to the series.

Where this book really lost something compared to the first novel was its secondary character development. The search for the clues is a cutthroat and deadly competition at best. These characters are supposed to be playing for keeps, however most of the secondary characters barely make more than short cameo appearances in this novel. While we did get scenes from their points of view which I liked, they seemed less involved and less of a danger than they did in the first novel. We did however gain some major character development in Nellie, the au pair and the main characters, Dan and Amy remained true to form with some growth and depth added.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this book thought it doesn't have the same talent evidenced as Riordan's series debut, it's still a good addition to the series. I'm looking forward to reading the next title.

Another fun installment in the 39 CLUES series!

Here, in book two, author Gordon Korman takes the helm from Rick Riordan to steer the Cahill siblings toward their next destination and their next big clue.

It's obvious that Korman and Riordan have different writing styles, and I admit it took me a few chapters to adjust, but once I did I ended up enjoying Korman's style quite a bit and felt he continued with the feel of the characters and the structure of the plot.

Are the books literary masterpieces? No, not really. But, they achieve something brilliant in their own way.
The great thing about these books is how easy they are to read and how quickly one can (and wants, in my case) to read through them. Of course, this does lead to sense of wanting/needing more. Sometimes I felt the arcs of the characters weren't as clearly defined as the arc of the plot, so that kind of was a bummer because I was left wanting more. I know this book is just one in a huge series, but still, I wanted more for the emotional place the characters were at the time.
However, the good of all this is that the books (so far) are page turners and I absolutely love the fact that you can "play along."

I've already ordered my copy of book three! I'm glad I embarked on this journey with the Cahills and I can't wait to take the next step with them.

I was surprised to find how seamlessly this book worked with book one. After all, with two different authors, you can hardly expect the writing styles to match completely. But if there were differences, I didn't notice them. It could be that had I read them back to back I might have seen it, but as it was, having two different writers didn't bother me as all. (I think Rick Riordan also gave the first book a simple style that isn't very difficult to emulate.)

Amy and Dan's clues take the first to Vienna and beyond, ultimately landing them in Venice where the only way to get around is by foot or canal. Nellie, the children's au pair, comes more to life in this book as she takes a slightly more active role in ensuring the kids' safety. (There's a little bit of question as to why she really cares so much about the Cahill siblings since she didn't really have much of a connection to them in the US. I kind of want her to secretly be scheming against them but waiting until the very end to turn-they did say trust no one right?) A part of me also hopes that Amy and Dan find some special letter from Grace to them at some point. Even though they know she's been giving them hints and information for the contest all along, it feels like it would be nice closer for them.

The series does a great job of making you suspicious of all but still wondering if maybe a temporary alliance might be a good idea. (A very temporary, highly suspicious alliance, but still.) One of the biggest mysteries I'm looking forward to having answered is which branch of the Cahill family are Amy and Dan a part of and how did their parents really die? (And of course, what is this powerful secret, but that will have to wait a long time. 39-40 books is it?)

I'd love to learn more about the history of some of the members of the Cahill extended family. We've got bits of history on each but I think there is still more to delve into that could add an extra dimension. Wouldn't it be interesting if there was reason to feel for the Kabras even as they are awful and sinister?

On a side note, I am exceedingly jealous that this author published his first book when he was fourteen. And more than a little impressed.

Book By: Gordan Korman
Review By: Abigail Thomas

Review: There are four branches of family and founders in the Cahill family they are: Lucian branch founded by Luke Cahill, Tomas branch Founded by Thomas Cahill, Ekaterina branch founded by Katherine Cahill, and the Janus branch founded by Jane Cahill. The Cahill Family are looking for 39 clues, the person who finds them all controls the whole world.

The siblings Amy and Dan Cahill, and their au pair Nellie Gomez found a clue that leads then to Vienna Austria. The clue was music written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Amy does some research on Mozart and finds out that he had an older sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart. Amy and Dan go to a library, where they try to check out the original copy of Nannerl's diary. They find out that it was stolen by Jonah Wizard of the Janus branch, another competitor for the thirty-nine clues. Amy, Dan, and Nellie go to his hotel and steal the diary back.

When they get back to their hotel, Nellie translates the diary and notices that three pages are missing from it. In the diary it tells about a song titled "The Place Where I Was Born." So the do some research and find out that Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. So they go to Salzburg, Austria. Once there, Amy and Dan follow another competitor Uncle Alister Oh of the Ekaterina branch. They follow him to the Salzburg catacombs where someone explodes the building they were in. When the dust settles they see a thought to be rival The Man In Black.

While they were gone, Nellie finds a tracking device planted on their cat, Salidin's collar. When they get back Amy plants the tracking device on Alister Oh while he naps. Then she steals a clue from inside his cane.

They followed the clue to a CD shop, in which they find a secret entrance to a Janus stronghold. They break in and find the three missing pages of the diary. The pages tell how Nannerl though that her brother was going crazy looking for some kind of rare Japanese metal. She blamed Fidellio Racco for her brothers debt because he sold the metal to her brother for too high of a price. Amy and Dan go to Fidellio Racco's mansion. (which is now a museum), but Ian and Natalie Kabra of the Lucian branch, try to attack them. Ian and Natalie fall into a bobby trap and get knocked unconscious. They find out that the rare metal is tungsten, which leads them to Japan.

In the end Alister Oh finds the tracking device. He also finds out that the tracking device belongs to William Mclntyre, a long time friend and lawyer of Grace Cahill.

Personal thought: I think that this was a great book that you would love to read. Sometimes it can be funny, other times it can get depressing. Warning: If you don't like depressing books you won't like the whole 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 eleven-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.

Amy and Dan are now entering the next phase of the race. Some sheet music composed by Mozart leads them into Vienna, the Austrian Alps and even the watery canals of Venice. Dan isn't thrilled about touring more boring museums, but the boat chase through the canals make up for some excitement. Amy still worries constantly about everything, but manages to keep her head clear in case of emergency, which is about every other second with relatives hot on their tails. One team attacks them on the train to Vienna, while another makes their move in the Salzburg Catacombs. Someone else even hides a tracking device on them. Amy and Dan were warned not to trust anyone, and that is turning out to be very good advice. It seems some are willing to do anything for the 39 clues --- even kill!

Gordon Korman has written the second book in Scholastic's multimedia series The 39 Clues and has done an amazing job. Fast-paced and overflowing with lots of action, ONE FALSE NOTE is a thrill to read. Korman writes with an expressive style that not only brings the foreign settings to life, but also draws out Amy and Dan's personalities and emotions into full light.

"Amy felt a creepy unease as she stepped inside the mountain --- as if they were being swallowed by something ancient and immutable, an immense, silent creature as old as the earth itself. Amy and Dan exchanged a look of pure dread. The Paris Catacombs had been lined with human bones, grotesque skulls leering from all directions. This may have been lower on the ick scale. But the sense of leaving the familiar for the freakish and threatening was even greater here."

You may also find some inspiration in your own life after sharing Amy and Dan's adventures and their strong drive never to give up despite the odds they face.

Fans of The 39 Clues will be thrilled to know that the wait for book three won't be too long --- THE SWORD THIEF will be available in March. In the meantime, log on to [...] and start hunting for the clues yourself!

My name is Jack Andrews. I loved this book because the story is written in picture perfect detail. "One False Note" starts off with little Amy and Dan Canhill on their adventure to find the 39 clues. Their hunt takes them to Vienna, Austria. They had found a piece of sheet music in the first book. Jonah Wizard (a Janus-one of the 4 branches of the Canhill family) had stolen a diary written by Mozart's sister. Amy and Dan stole into Jonah's hotel room. They took the diary and a little Jonah Wizard action figure with a little code on the back of it to play on a computer game. Later, they were in their hotel room and another Canhill burst in! She said that she had Nellie (their babysitter)and would give them Nellie for what they stole from Jonah. They gave her the toy action figure as a decoy and she gave them Nellie. Amy played the sheet music on the piano downstairs in the hotel lobby. The song gave them the hint to go to the place that Mozart was born. Amy and Dan went to Mozart's house and hid in the bathroom until night. They played a couple of notes on his harpsicord. Then they were tied up by the Cobras, who were also looking for the 39 clues. The Cobras played their own incomplete copy of the music and the organ blew up and they were knocked out! Amy and Dan untied themselves. They realized that in the word "Gateau" was all of the notes of the harpsicord, except "t" and "u". "T" and "u" stood for tungsten, and tungsten was the next clue.

'One False Note' picks up right where the first book in the 39 Clues series left. Amy and Dan Cahill have joined their fellow heirs in a race around the world, for the ultimate prize (which still remains unknown).

I love how these books are able to teach kids about history and geography, by creating vital clues or problems concerning certain educational topics. In book #2, Amy and Dan have followed their first clue to Vienna. They learn much about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart. Trap doors, secret societies, and the next clue await!

Amy and Dan barely escaped with their lives in the French catacombs. Now, they're on their way to learn more about Mozart. They're not alone in tracking down these clues, but is someone tracking their movements? From the train ride out of France to the escape from Venice, Amy and Dan barely survive. They're not above stealing clues from other Cahills, breaking into hotel rooms, distracting store clerks in order to search their store, and entering the Janus branch's secret underground hideout. The trail for Mozart leads them through Germany, Austria, and Italy and all countries lead them into danger. but they're determined to play, after all, their life depends on finding all 39 clues first.

My Thoughts: A great second adventure that left me anxious for Amy and Dan while rooting for them all the way. The action driven plot made me read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting the 3rd book.

Gordon Korman the author of a fantastic novel the 39clues book 2:one false note. It inovle Amy and Dan going on a adventure and solve mystery around the world. The setting takes place in Europe when Amy and Dan are two hours from Paris to go to a banquet to receive there quest and watch a video of there grandmother changing her will while she's dying. So Amy and her cousin finds theirs clues and head for the hotel. Then while on the computer while observing Mozart last sheet music before he dies. Dan pointed out that the music repeat on the third line. Then the lady said that someone stole the art book from the art muesum. So Amy ,Dan,and theirs cousins solve the mystery and figure out that the lawyer was behind this and he tried to confuse them .I would recommend this
book because its adventurous book that will make you feel like a dectective.

After Rick Riordan laid the foundation for Scholastic's event-driven, history-drenched, cross-platform series, 39 Clues: THE MAZE OF BONES, YA fave Gordon Korman picks up the baton for the second leg of the journey. Korman pulls out all the stops up as he ratchets up the thrills and pace in 39 CLUES: ONE FALSE NOTE.

The series is projected to run for 10 novels. The five writers involved with the books will write two volumes apiece. All of the writers are heavy hitters in their own rights. Scholastic didn't spare the expense to put this series together.

In addition to the books, the series has online support as well as a collectible card game. The contest connected to the books offers $100,000 to the person who solves the final mysteries of the Cahill family. The Cahill family is related to numerous historical figures around the world. Benjamin Franklin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and several other people kids will recognize from school work as well as movies are all tucked into the pages.

Korman begins his offering immediately after the events of the first book. Amy and Dan, the Cahill siblings orphaned by a tragic accident, start out on a passenger train with their au pair Nellie and their grandmother's cat Saladin and immediately run into another family searching for the 39 Clues. They quickly manage to outwit the Holt family (again!) and continue on their way to ferret out the secret of the clue they got in Paris.

This time the clue centers on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most brilliant musicians in the world. Mozart is supposed to be part of the Janus branch of the Cahill family. So far, the Cahills are broken up into four branches: Lucian, Ekaterina, Janus, and Tomas. Dan and Amy don't yet know which branch they belong to, and this will probably be part of the big mystery of the books.

The action remains fast and frantic throughout the book, taking our young heroes from Paris to Germany to Austria to Italy. Korman does a really good job of presenting the history as well as the geographical views of those countries. Young readers will get a smattering of history and the landscape as they barrel along through the furious action and blistering dialogue.

Korman also does a fantastic job of capturing all the personalities of the kids, their au pair, and even Saladin the cat. Korman mixes up the story viewpoints a lot, cycling through his characters so the reader more or less knows what everyone is doing all at the same time. This builds a lot of suspense as traps seem to be everywhere.

I particularly enjoyed the bits about the secret passageways. I expect a lot to be made of them, and it might get to be fairly repetitive as the series goes on, but that's one aspect I never seem to tire of.

One beef I had about this book was that I didn't feel like I had a fair chance to figure out the clue. It was too hard and too distant even for me as a fairly well-read adult. I figured out how to decipher the clue, but not all the information was given. I was able to stay ahead of our heroes in the first book. I really hope that kind of mystery returns because I enjoy being able to figure things out on my own, and I'm sure there are a lot of young readers out there that feel the same way.

Jonas Wizard, the rap star of the Cahill family, comes to the forefront in this novel as well, but it's really his dad I don't care for. Some of the characters are really creepy and villainous, and some are just dumb, but there are others that I have to wonder about. But that's part of the magic of this on-going mysterious soap opera. Thankfully the third book, 39 CLUES: THE SWORD THIEF comes out in two more short months.