No. 1), The Maze of Bones (39 Clues

What a great idea for a book! Amy and Dan are brother and sister and they have to make a big choice. They can either collect 1 Million Dollars each, or so on an adventure. They decide to go on the adventure, and they had no idea what they're in for. They're involved in a world wide race. The only way they can know where to go is to solve clues that are hard and very dangerous. Many times, their lives are in danger. The people who are racing against them are member of their own family, and most of the members of the family, Dan and Amy never knew.

Dan and Amy's family is very famous. Everyone who is famous in history is part of their family in one way or another.

This is a really good series and has some interesting puzzles to solve.

Over all, it will hold your attention.

This is my least favorite Rick Riordan book so far. I'm curious to see how the rest of the series goes, since the other books are not written by him. However, with such an ever-growing to-read list, I'm not sure I'll get there.

It's definitely an OK book, and I like the geography/history included in the plot, but the writing is just not up to my current standards, everything seems rushed, and it simply didn't pull me in the way I like my books to do! The reading/writing seems geared to an age/ability level younger than RR's other books, but the plot is definitely no more mellow, and I probably wouldn't read it to my 6-year-old any sooner than I'd read Percy Jackson to him. Maybe when he can read it himself, it will be more appropriate.

I'm the Uncle that always gives the cool presents, lol. This is accomplished with my usual M.O. of getting kids what they ask for, or finding out what they are into and getting something related. However, I was at a disadvantage recently, because my sis-in-law wasn't much help on ideas. Knowing my nephew, who was 12 going on 13, I knew he liked to read. I saw this series while I was out one day and it looked intriguing. And I mean for me, I'm thinking of borrowing it, lol. However, since I never heard anything about this series and it was sold next to corresponding cards of some type (reminded me of a Pokemon kinda thing), I was worried he wouldn't like it.

He did like it though, very much. In fact, I just picked up 2 more today, because he put it on his wish list for his Birthday.

SOME SPOILERS:

This book is AMAZING. There is a lot of action, suspense, and adventure in this book, which also means there should be comedy. Amy Cahill's brother, Dan brings it.

Now to the review: The Cahill's are a BIG family. Their so big, almost every major figure in the WORLD is part of them. This whole adventure started with Grace Cahill, Amy and Dan's late grandmother changed her will. She decided to put all remaining Cahill's on a gigantic, but potentially deadly, treasure hunt. It all starts with a single clue leading to Benjamin Franklin. This clue leads Amy and Dan to Philadelphia to search for more of these clues. After that, they get wisped away to Paris. Now that they are in Paris, Amy and Dan must find out what the clues they already have mean. Soon after that, they are in an underground tunnel buried beneath Paris. They escape, but find themselves yet AGAIN underground when they almost get buried alive.

Amy and Dan luckily survive this attack too, but loose some vital information. They travel to a church and find a mural of all the Cahill branches represented in human form: The Ekatarina, The Tomas, The Janus, and The Lucian. In front of this mural, there is a vase. Inside this vase, there is a vial with an anagram on it. The vial holds mysterious green goop in it. Around the vial there is a piece of sheet music written by the mysterious WAM. After this adventure in Paris, the Cahill's are on the move again.

Overall, this book was amazing. You can have a laugh or be scared out of you wits. This book is one of my favorites, and I will definitely read it again.

My son is 9, almost 10. My daughter is 8. They enjoy reading but are always looking for new books. They also like getting on the computer and playing games and my son loves trading cards.

This book combines all three. You get a set of trading cards when you buy this book. You read the book, get online and enter the trading card codes. Online the trading cards have puzzles to solve, games to play that tie into the book series and short mysteries.

So far, this series is a large hit at my house and we anxiously are awaiting the next book (book 4 now).

This may be a shameless marketing scheme. But this book was enjoyable. It was written by Rick Riordan and we like his other books so we thought we'd enjoy this one. We were right.

I like that it covers different periods in history. I don't know that I would say it is educational so much as informative. The books have introduced us to such people as Mozart and in this book one, Ben Franklin. We have learned interesting tid bits about these famous people.

Fun and interesting.
Enjoy.

My nine yr old liked the book when she started reading it, but really enjoyed it after she was half way through the book. It is engaging and keeps the reader interested in the book. Initially, it looked like another "catchy title" book, but it turned out to be a nice surprise.
My nine yr old was able to guess most of the smaller clues, so the surprise factor was reduced a bit. She is now reading book two of the series and yet to see if she is able to keep that interest.
As a parent, if your child needs to build an interest in reading, this book has a good tendency to keep her or him interested and develop good reading habits. The book has reasonably well structured sentences for kids in the 8 - 10 yr age group.

I decided to wait until I had read the second book in the series, One False Note, to review The Maze of Bones. I wanted to see how well the books work without the trading cards, Web site, and contest.

Imagine that the Wizard of Oz had been written as a ten part book where you could read what happens to Dorothy and Toto along with clues to help get them home . . . with an opportunity to win a cash prize for solving the clues before anyone else. It would have been a nice publicity stunt, but the pleasure of reading about Dorothy's adventures would have been no less.

The 39 Clues provides a similar opportunity to my imaginary alternative to The Wizard of Oz. The series is a cross between The Amazing Race, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Survivor . . . constructed as a competition for youngsters.

As the book opens, an elderly woman, Grace Cahill, is dying. She instructs her attorney to employ "the alternate will." At her funeral, a handful of the 400 Cahill relatives who attend are invited by ticket to attend a reading of the will. During the reading, each person is given five minutes to choose between taking one million dollars or competing in a contest to solve 39 clues in order to become the heir to the Cahill destiny and become the most powerful people on Earth. They may compete as individuals or as teams. Most people take the money and leave.

Orphans Amy (fourteen) and Dan (eleven) Cahill are pressured by their great Aunt Beatrice (their grandmother Grace's sister) to take the money. She is also their guardian and says she will turn them over to the state to live in foster homes if they don't take the money. The two decide that they want to compete, having a chance to honor their grandmother's faith in them and their parents' memory. Naturally, the siblings form a team, but how will they compete without any money and adults to help them?

Within minutes the competition takes a potentially lethal turn as it becomes obvious that some of the Cahills will stop at nothing to win the competition.

In the rest of the book you'll get to know Amy and Dan better, meet their au pair, Nellie Gomez, and travel to Boston, Philadelphia, and across the Atlantic to Europe. An important American turns out to be important to solving the first clue, and you'll read a lot about that person.

Youngsters will like it that children are the stars of the book (and the contest) with adults playing a supporting role. Parents will be happy that the book contains a lot of interesting historical, biographical, and geographical information in a format that makes learning fun.

The book's main weakness is that it doesn't do much to develop the characters of Amy and Dan before the contest begins. As a result, you'll root for them as underdogs and wish them well . . . but you won't identify with them as closely as if you knew a lot more about them (as Roald Dahl did by introducing the Buckets in detail before launching the golden ticket contest).

The writing is otherwise quite good, and you'll find yourself slipping rather easily into the adventure fantasy (despite many details in the story that don't quite work in real life). I liked the excitement of The Maze of Bones better than the more intellectual focus of One False Note. The two books are rewarding for different reasons.

Don't expect, however, that the writing is the same or that the characters behave in the same way. As with any multiple-author series, there will be shifts from book to book.

To me, the only thing better than a good mystery . . . is a longer good mystery. With the prospect of ten books to keep me entertained, I'm looking forward to reading all ten.

I did look at the game cards and only found two that related to the first story. Those two didn't add much to my understanding of the book. The others seemed to relate to future stories, so they did give me a sense of the future story line. That part was nice.

I haven't tried the online site for playing the games because I'm not interested in the contest, but if that is something you enjoy, please do take a look.

I'm sure the focus will shift more towards the game in 2010 as the book series ends. But until then, you can just have lots of fun with the books!

If you like this story, I also encourage you to ask your relatives about your family's history. You might find that your relatives are connected to some pretty famous events and places. Wouldn't that be fun?

I loved the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series so I decided to give this one a try. At first glance it seemed very boring and I didn't want to finish it. But after a while they start to actually collect the clues. As for being appropriate there are some scenes that include violence and peril. All the clue hunters cheat on each other because of wanting the clues more than valuing the other clue hunters lives. In the first scene it has Grace Cahill in bed rewriting her will and she then dies. It also includes her funeral. There are mentions of a man in black and main characters Amy and Dan Cahills parents dying in a fire. There is a scene that includes the burning down of a mansion. The language is only mild.

The book "Maze of Bones", book one in the "39 Clues" series, by Rick Riordan, is a very well written book, in which the author keeps you jumping. Mr. Riordan really makes you have sympathy for the main characters, Amy & Dan, because of the loss of first their parents, and then their loving grandmother Grace. This book also teaches, through many events, that the friendship and teamwork between siblings (and in their case, nannies too) can literally save lIves! This book was really interesting and fun to read, and I can't wait to read the second action-filled book soon.
Thank you, Rose

This is the first book in an amazing new series. In it the Cahill's family matriarch passes away. In her will she leaves one million dollars to each family member, or they can trade that money-order for a clue that will lead to the treasure that will lead them to become the greatest Cahill of all time. There are four branches in the family: Janus, Ekaterina, Lucian and Thomas. Each branch has its own strengths and weaknesses. Our story follows Amy and Dan Cahill, orphans who choose to take the quest. The adventure crosses continents and has clues hidden in art, architecture, music and more.

This series will be unique in a number of ways. First, even though there will be 10 books in the series telling a continuous story, it will be told by seven different authors. Second, the website linked to the games has specific puzzles and games to play linked to each book. These games and puzzles are available only for a certain period of time. Third, each book comes with 6 clue cards; these cards unlock different things on the website. There are also supplemental card packs that can be purchased to supplement your clues. Scholastic is also giving away over $100,000 dollars to youth who solve the puzzles.

The story begins with Grace Cahill changing her will and dying. Then at her funeral the challenge is set to discover the 39 clues. After that things get interesting, with Grace's mansion burning down, family members threatening each other, bombs - and that is just the beginning of the adventure. They will travel across continents, through catacombs, museums and much more. Dan and Amy are at a distinct disadvantage, for unlike the rest of their relatives, they are not rich, famous, or experienced. Yet they were also Grace's favorites and she may have been grooming them for just such a challenge. Yet you have to read to find out.

This is a great book and a wonderful beginning of a new series. It is better than the Da Vinci Code, and will be a great read for people of all ages. It has great adventure, interesting scenes, places and puzzles. It is an absolute page- turner. I cannot wait to see what will happen next.

The 39 Clues:

The Maze of Bones - Book 1 - Rick Riordan
One False Note - Book 2 - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave - Book 4 - Jude Watson (June 2009)
Book 5 - Patrick Carman (August 2009)
Book 6 - Jude Watson (November 2009)
Book 7 - Peter Lerangis (February 2010)
Book 8 - Gordon Korman (April 2010)
Book 9 - Linda Sue Park (June 2010)
Book 10 - Margaret Peterson Haddix (September 2010)

Card Pack #1 - Books 1-3
Card Pack #2 - Books 4-6 (June 2009)
Card Pack #3 - Books 7-9 (February 2010)
Rare Card Pack (June 2010)

(First Published in Imprint 2009-03-20.)

I bought this book to read to my kids, after my son brought home book 10 from his last library day at school. I read one chapter of the book to him and had to have the whole series, starting at the beginning.

I was not disappointed! After deciding I couldn't wait for my kids to wake up to begin reading, I dove headlong into The 39 Clues world.

Rick Riordan is amazing. His characters are well thought out and I love his use of historical figures to weave a tempting and intriguing web of mystery. I devoured The Maze of Bones and when my son was told he only got to hear the first two chapters tonight, he cried. I know my family and I will enjoy every minute spent reading/hearing every one of The 39 Clues!

If you hadn't yet heard of THE 39 CLUES, you will be hearing all about it soon enough. DreamWorks has acquired the screen rights and Steven Spielberg will apparently direct the movie. As described in Variety (of all places), "THE 39 CLUES," which launches Sept. 9, is envisioned as a 10-book series to be released over two years. It's described as a multimedia adventure that will include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. The contest will run for two years."

Okay. A book with a bunch of gimmicks and prizes, right? Sounds a little fluffy, perhaps?

But the fact is that the first book -- THE MAZE OF BONES -- is great! Not only is it an engaging mystery and thriller, but it also taught me a bunch of neat stuff about geography and history and American cultural landmarks.

"Aunt Beatrice kept driving and muttering about spoiled children. Amy secretly went back to her huge book. The last two days, since they got the news about Grace's death, Amy had been reading even more than usual. Dan knew it was her way of hiding, but he kind of resented it because it shut him out, too.
"'What are you reading this time?' he asked. "Medieval European Doorknobs? Bath Towels Through the Ages?'
"Amy gave him an ugly face -- or an uglier-than-usual face. 'None of your business, dweeb.'
"'You can't call a ninja lord dweeb. You have disgraced the family. You must commit seppuku.
' "Amy rolled her eyes.
"After a few more miles, the city melted into farmland. It started to look like Grace country, and even though Dan had promised himself he wouldn't get sappy, he began to feel sad. Grace had been the coolest ever. She'd treated him and Amy like real people, not kids. That's why she'd insisted they simply call her Grace, not Grandmother or Gran or Nana or any silly name like that. She'd been one of the only people who'd ever cared about them. Now she was dead, and they had to go to the funeral and see a bunch of relatives who had never been nice to them..."

Yesterday I spent Jo's and Harry's birthday up on the Eel River, sitting alongside my favorite swimming hole, trying to figure out what facts might be of help in uncovering a clue. What's the deal with the random page numbering that suddenly appears? What so important about that photo?

The ten books are being written by different, well-known authors. This first one is by rocking writer Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame. The second will be by another of my faves, Gordon Korman.

"'And yet, all the previous accomplishments of the Cahill clan are nothing compared to the challenge that now faces you. It is the time for you to discover the greatest secret of the Cahills, to become the most powerful members of the family in history -- or to die trying.'"

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphan siblings. As we come to recognize, each has inherited some of the cognitive abilities of their talented, late parents. At Grace's funeral, it is announced that all the heirs in attendance have a choice: Each individual has the option of taking a check for a million dollars and walking away OR the option of taking a clue that will lead to another clue that will lead to another clue that will eventually lead to the REAL Earth-shaking inheritance.

And -- Shades of Hogwarts! -- when Dan bemoans the "bunch of relatives who had never been nice to them," he's not kidding! There are four different branches of the Cahill clan and it quickly becomes evident that those relatives who, along with Dan and Amy, opt for the first clue rather than the million bucks are going to stop at nothing to get a leg up on the rest of the family.

Of course, Scholastic does not want the relatives of booksellers and reviewers and librarians (not to mention the booksellers and reviewers and librarians themselves) to get a leg up on the general public in solving the mystery of the first book, SO THEY LEFT THE END OF THE DARN FIRST BOOK OUT OF THE ADVANCE COPIES THEY SENT US!!!

Which means that we, too, will be waiting for September 9th, when the fun begins. (You'll find the clock ticking down to the starting gun at the website.

Amy and Dan never knew how important their family was to human history. Once their beloved grandmother Grace dies, a reading of her Will makes the whole Cahill Family left to decide,take a million dollars and leave, or risk a chance of becoming the most powerful Cahill in the Family history. Dan and Amy jump at the chance and are ammidately in danger of their own Family,and a mysterious guy in black who apparently shows up every time something bad happens? In this book the mystery,pain,grief,and horror is just begining, with each relative with a secret. 39 clues,a big mystery,love and lost,and four different branches of the family,who have been fighting since the begining of time, are still repeating history in this Epic race to find the clues. Dan and Amy know one thing,
"They can NOT TRUST ANYONE",not even themselves.......
I really Loved this book a lot, the mystery combined with some history gives the new meaning to the mysteries of life. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have, and I am looking forward to reading the next book and possibly the rest of the series!!!!

Amy and Dan Cahill are just children who are now parentless and grandmaless. They have no one to really care for them except there nanny Nelly who will come with them on there amazing trip around the world. See what happened when their grandmother died she left everyone in the whole family a choice to either get their money or go on this hunt for clues. See the Cahills are a wealthy and powerful family who have secrets that are kept secret yet for some reason the whole family starts to worry when Amy and Dan join. Their just kids what are they going to do to them. They only have each other to count on now so they go for the hunt for the clues.

This book sucked me in right away. I devoured most of the book, but at about the 3/4 mark, I got bored wit it and had to push through a few chapters before I was sucked in again.

There are parts that are a tad unrealistic, or don't make sense and aren't explained in the book. But it's a kids book, so I give it some leeway. You can get away with alot more in kids books because kids don't analyze as much.

The first in a series of 10 books, "Maze of Bones" is the beginning of an adventure for the Cahill family. After the death of the family matriarch, Grace, the four branches of the Cahill family are called on to solve the 39 clues. The group who accomplishes this first will become the most powerful people on Earth. No one expects Amy and Dan, 14 and 11 respectively, to get far. They turn out to be cleverer than the others think, though--which puts them in danger from their competitors. From Philadelphia to Paris to Tokyo to Seoul to Cairo, Amy and Dan fight to stay ahead of the game without turning to deceit or violence like their distant relatives.

A bit like a YA version of Indiana Jones or (or National Treasure, if you prefer a more contemporary reference), the 39 Clues books are fun, exciting, and filled with enough tension to keep you turning pages. I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out so I can find out what happens!

It needs to be kindle unlimited. ്പതूल是啊呀呀我家...£&()"'-+/…,;:?!.$€¥¢§®©™·#%~^[]{}|\=*_><`¬yo bro so get ti work dude!!!!!!!! you just got [email protected] first her judge had a yellow hat today so you have smelly socks this year so too bad for you had from hat key line please only including under your today really even we wq find via because news most .

The Maze of Stones, the first book in The 39 Clues series, has all the elements of an exciting mystery--an interesting heroine (Amy 14) and hero (Dan 11), well-drawn villains (who seek to kill Amy and Dan), intrigue, and a fascinating mystery. However, unlike other Riordan books, the pacing is slow and monotonous. I wanted to see "what happens next," but not so badly that I couldn't have put the book down without regrets. I'm unsure whether I'll continue with the series. I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like mysteries and action-packed books you'll love The 39 Clues, Maze of Bones. In the book Amy and Dan Cahill get asked if they want to get a check that is worth [...] and walk away, or be the most powerful person in the world by participating in the 39 clue game.

I recommend you should read this book because there are lots of adventures in the story with scary and mysterious parts. I like the book because Dan and Amy Cahill do very dangerous and risky stuff like going into very unstable places. I hope you have a great time reading this!

My Mom got me the Maze of Bones book and some of the cards. I have to admit, I am not a reader! In fact if there is anything!! else to do I will do it to avoid reading. But, I really loved Maze of Bones. I loved the book because it doesn't really end. It keeps going and leads to another clue and another and so on. I liked the way the two kids even though they were alone and afraid at times they kept going. The other families or people looking for the clues were kind of weird and quirky and they made me laugh. I liked the cat Saladin ( murp:-) ). I think that maybe Amy and Dan's grandma knows something about the kids than we don't know yet. I think that they are really truly good and deserve something good to happen for them. I hope in the end Amy and Dan discover the secret first.

It needs to be kindle unlimited. ്പതूल是啊呀呀我家...£&()"'-+/…,;:?!.$€¥¢§®©™·#%~^[]{}|\=*_><`¬yo bro so get ti work dude!!!!!!!! you just got [email protected] first her judge had a yellow hat today so you have smelly socks this year so too bad for you had from hat key line please only including under your today really even we wq find via because news most .

The Maze of Stones, the first book in The 39 Clues series, has all the elements of an exciting mystery--an interesting heroine (Amy 14) and hero (Dan 11), well-drawn villains (who seek to kill Amy and Dan), intrigue, and a fascinating mystery. However, unlike other Riordan books, the pacing is slow and monotonous. I wanted to see "what happens next," but not so badly that I couldn't have put the book down without regrets. I'm unsure whether I'll continue with the series. I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like mysteries and action-packed books you'll love The 39 Clues, Maze of Bones. In the book Amy and Dan Cahill get asked if they want to get a check that is worth [...] and walk away, or be the most powerful person in the world by participating in the 39 clue game.

I recommend you should read this book because there are lots of adventures in the story with scary and mysterious parts. I like the book because Dan and Amy Cahill do very dangerous and risky stuff like going into very unstable places. I hope you have a great time reading this!

My Mom got me the Maze of Bones book and some of the cards. I have to admit, I am not a reader! In fact if there is anything!! else to do I will do it to avoid reading. But, I really loved Maze of Bones. I loved the book because it doesn't really end. It keeps going and leads to another clue and another and so on. I liked the way the two kids even though they were alone and afraid at times they kept going. The other families or people looking for the clues were kind of weird and quirky and they made me laugh. I liked the cat Saladin ( murp:-) ). I think that maybe Amy and Dan's grandma knows something about the kids than we don't know yet. I think that they are really truly good and deserve something good to happen for them. I hope in the end Amy and Dan discover the secret first.

Rick Riordan, best known for his popular fantasy series', picks up a new style while retaining his fantastic writing voice. The quality and detail put into the writing of the first book of The 39 Clues is far superior to many that crowd the shelves in the libraries. He approaches possibly violent or scary situations and writes them in a way that it tones down the frightening bit whilst remaining gripping. Though he writes in the perspective of third person, Riordan uses his writing voice to create three dimensional characters as opposed to just what an observer would see. Also, rather than have the standard brother sister fighting relationship, Riordan shows the deeper feelings of love combined with frustration between Amy and Dan. The Maze of Bones is a fantastic start to what is sure to be a seat gripping, page turning series.

See our full review using character education guidelines at [...] and commentary for discussion at [...].

I used this book as a read-aloud for part of a mystery unit I've been doing in a couple of my classes. The kids and I had so much fun! I love Rick Riordan's sense of humor, and my students begged me to read book 2, too.

Each book in the series has a different author, but they are all big names in MG literature, like Gordan Korman and Patrick Carmen. And they are all full of adventure, suspense, and MG humor. The brother and sister team make them equally appealing to boys and girls. These books are perfect MG reads!

I thought this book was a great way to start the series. It established the connection between the characters, what they were doing and what they were like. However, I think Rick Riordan came to get writers block when he injured some of the characters because he couldn't find a place for them in the book, instead of scrapping them entirely. Also, he made wayyyyyyyy too quick a jump from establishment of the characters to them trying to endanger each other. That's my opinion anyway.

I read a review of the 3rd book and thought, "I reckon my students would love that" so started with the first book in my grade of 5th and 6th graders. I can't believe the enthussiasm for the story! The independent research they're doing after reading the 39 Clues is amazing (I'm writing this from Australia, so the American references are completely lost on my students, however they then go home and find out what they didn't understand!) and BEG me each day to read MORE to them. I've never had this response to a book before.

They totally identify with Dan and Amy, there's enough in each story for each reading ability, that the lower readers are just happy to keep up with the story, the more advanced are trying to figure out what's going to happen next, busily researching Ben Franklin's inventions, anxiously awaiting the chance to share their prediction with their peers!

It's been really exciting reading this to a grade of usually suspicious, bored, disinterested students. The online clues element is great for those who have a home PC, and so far they've been proud to share their findings with those who've not got access to the internet.

I read this book. It very smart I don't know who say RICK RIORDEN is not a genius . but I gave four stars. It make no senes about all famous people is all cahill?? It so wrong it has to be another family name like Jackson or potter(I not mean Percy jackson or harry potter). All Cahill? Nope nope. However but I love this book.

I had been putting off reading this series because I am not really into mysteries. Now that I have read the first book, I can't wait to read more. Very well written with a lot of history written into it. I learned a lot. It's was exciting from start to finish and I read it in 1 night.

The main characters are Dan and Amy. In this book, Dan and Amy start on a hunt for the 39 clues. There are 10 books in this series, The Maze of Bones is the first one. I like this book because there is a balance of strategy and violence. Who ever gets all 39 clues will rule the world. 40 people get a choice to get one million dollars or to go on the hunt for the 39 and this book would be boring if they chose the money so they chose the hunt for the 39 clues.

I loved all the Percy Jackson books, so when I saw this book, (besides the fact that I love mysteries) and read that the first one was written by Rick Riordan, I had to get it. I'll tell you, I'm fourteen, and I loved it. I read it in one day, because I couldn't put it down. It really keeps you wanting to turn the pages and see what happens next. I bought the whole series, and I am still by The Emperor's Code (#8), but I already pre-ordered "Vesper's Rising", which is coming in April 2011, and I have high expectations about it! I recommend it to anyone!

My youngest daughter has to be forced to read. She must have class mates that are reading this series, because she asked me to buy the 1st book. She loved reading this book and kept wanting me to listen to her read some of the paragraphs. She loves books with humor in it. Anyway, she was up till 10pm last night trying to finish the last chapter and first thing asked if we could go by the second book today. Who is this kid and what did you do with mine?!?!

The 39 Clues Book Review
Rick Riordan
Reviewed By T.J.

The 39 Clues is an exciting and thrilling mystical, mystery with events that sneak out at you and make you want to read the book even more. The 39 Clues is about a brother and sister named Dan and Amy. Their mom and dad died in a fire so they live with Aunt Beatrice. Dan and Amy's grandma Grace dies and before she dies she says take the clue not a million dollars. At the graveyard Dan and Amy both win a contest. They can either choose from a million dollars or a clue. Knowing Dan and Amy they take the clue and it leads them through a world of very interesting action. Like when Dan and Amy found skulls on the wall numbered from 1 through 10. Then Dan thought of something very smart. SMASH THEM!!!!! But Amy said..... I give the book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Read it trust me.

39 Clues by Rick Riordan is a great book for kids who love mystery! I would mostly recomend this book to pre-teens and young adults. A young child might not be able to understand some of the content. The book is filled with many different scenarios where you have to predict what may happen next. The book is suspenseful to catch anyone's interest. When Amy and Dan's Grandma Grace dies they have the choice to take one million dollars or go for a life changing clue. Their journey to figure out the first clues is dangerous. Dan and Amy have to travel throughout the world with Nellie to find out the secret of the Cahill family that will change everyone's life forever! On their journey they run into some tough obstacles. Amy and Dan have to think outside the box and put both of their brains together.
My favorite part of 39 Clues is when Amy and Dan have to go through the museum. They are worried about the man in black that is following them. Amy and Dan have to escape before something drastic happens. My other favorite part is when Amy and Dan get stuck in the maze of bones. They have a adventurist journey which they just all their brain power to work through.

The Maze of Bones is the first book in the 39 Clues series. The book is about Amy and Dan Cahill, two orphans who were part of the Cahill family. This family is big and powerful. It is so big that they have Branches. There are five Branches of the Cahill family: Janus, Lucian, Tomas, Eketrina and Madrigal. Benjamin Franklin and Mozart were also part of the Cahill family.
The book begins with the loss of Amy and Dan's grandmother. At their Grandmother's funeral, she chose 40 people from the family who were given a choice of $1,000,000 or to accept a first clue in a life or death adventure to become the most powerful Cahill in the world. Amy and Dan chose the first clue. There were 6 other teams that participated in the challenge. The other teams were: The Kabras, the Holts , the Starlings, Johan Wizard, Irina Spasky and Allistar oh.
The adventure followed the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin. They traveled from Philadelphia to Paris searching for clues and battling traps from their opponents. There were sacrifices and puzzles to solve as they searched for clues in this great adventure.

The first in the "39 clues" series is entertaining. It starts a tale about a quest but accomplishes only a first clue that involves Ben Francklin and apparently "ruling" families of the world. somewhat confusing as to why, and a bit intimidating - i don't think i will read 39 books if there are 1 clue per book

I ordered this for my son for Christmas. It arrived yesterday and it just sat there...enticing me. So I started to read just a bit to see what the hoopla was all about and lo and behold, I got sucked into the story.

I have absolutely no problem with the cards being part of it. My son collects cards from different things--why should this be any different than his Pokemon collection? He'll be reading...bonus #1....he gets to collect cards...bonus #2...and it's online as well...big bonus!

I'm sure from reading the other informative reviews, you know what the plot line is already, so I won't be redundant. But I will tell you that I really think this series -- and all the items that accompany it -- is going to be the next "in" thing for kids in the 8-13 age group. And I think that's a good thing. The books draw kids into reading (anything that draws kids to books is way cool!), and the website that goes with the series is pretty neat: kids sign up and get to be a member of the Cahill family and look for clues. (You can check out the website yourself at [...] I'm not crazy about the chance to win money, but that's just me...I don't think money should be a huge motivating force for kids. They've also put out collectible trading cards, so you can tell the marketing team was working overtime here.

I purchased the Maze of bones for my nephew (age 10) and a friend's daughter (age 12) and they are both crazy about the book and the whole concept, so it crosses gender lines, which I like.

If you have kids in this age group, I'd recommend this. It's fun and may cultivate an interest in reading other mystery series.

I thought this book was very interesting. The fact that the book had an online feature to it made it very exciting. For me, I have found it very difficult over the years to find a book that I could actually stick with and read the whole series. Whether you like books or not, try these ones. They are very good and anyone who likes (or doesn't like books) will love to read them!!!! :)
This book is about two kids 14 and 11 who go and travel the world in search of the 39 clues. This book specifically deals with Benjamin Franklin and some of his inventions. Just because this and all the other books mostly deal with history and historical artifacts, these books are still very enjoyable even if you don't really like history. If you like mysteries,or are just looking for a book that you hope you will finally like, try these books.

They are definitely worth it!!!!!!!!! :) Lastly, don't think these books are too young for you, because I am 13 and I loved reading these books. :) :) :)

This book was very well written by Rick Riordan. The plot was great with some twists and turns. Rick Riordan did a great job setting this book for the rest of the series for the 39 Clues. The whole idea of it is crazy that family would do things like that for each other and to each other. I am excited to read the rest of the series. I would have given it four and a half stars if I could because the book was great but not amazing. I would recommend this book if you like adventure, action or a good puzzle.

My daughter is 8 (strong reader) and has been mesmerized by this book. I had to force her to go to bed at night and she woke up 3 times in the night trying to get me to let her continue to read this book. The online site is wonderful. Literally this website (it's free) will keep your kid busy for weeks. It has a place to put the codes from the collector cards you get when you buy this book. There are hundreds of mini missions your child has to discover. Vocabulary would be appropriate for 5th grader and up. If you child is an avid reader (mine is) a 3rd grader could start this book with some help from an adult. It is the best $12.00 I have ever spent on her.

This book is awesome and intense it has action and adventure but also has some mystery in it and kind of keeps you thinking like what's going to happen next. If your the kind of person who loves mystery or action adventure then get this book it is incredible.
( P.S you might become addicted!)

I picked up this book because I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series so much.
I was not let down by Riordan!! I also see there will be a different author for each book in this series. A very inventive concept to make a website to play along and gather your own clues along with the books.

This book is an easy read but also had the mystery, symbolism and race around the world to find the clues like that of National Treasure or the Amazing Race only on a younger level. I am hooked.

I was a little hesitant with skulls floating across the front cover. So, I had to give it a preread for the kiddies. This book was an addictive read! And it passed with flying colors. (And for the record the skulls respresent and scary historical place along their adventure)

The adventure starts out at the Cahill mansion with orphaned Dan and Amy Cahill attending their grandmothers funeral. At the reading of the will, they along with others are challenged to take the money ($1 million) or go on the 39 clue adventure to learn the Cahill family secrets which is suppose to be more powerful than they can imagine! Those who have taken the challenge are now competing against each other for the family prize... but they don't know what the prize is!

What makes this book a thrill is the mix of historical facts with fantasy. Much like you know it... The National Treasure movie series. Unfortunately there isn't a Nicolas Cage running about this book but let's face it... it is a kids book. Same kind of adventure just geared toward a different audience.

There are not many books that my husband, myself, and 9 year old son will race through. My 9 year old can't wait for the next book to come out... We can't wait for the next book to come out. It sorta' reminds me of the newspaper series that would come out every couple of weeks in our local paper when I was growing up.

Although, you might be a little hesitant about letting your kids on the website that they have set up for the book... Not to worry they need your permission to enter and there is no exhanges between visitors. It is completely safe. There are also cards (aka "clues") to collect. Personally, I am not fond of them but it looks like with only 10 books they will be short lived in my house. The "clues" make the book seem more real.

All in all this is the best "fresh" series for "tweeners" I have seen in a while.

I like R.R. he's one of my favorite authors. I thought these books looked so good, but I was disappointed from the first page. It just seemed so formulaic. Perhaps I'm way outisde the target audience. I am in my twenties, so I'm certainly not the target market. But I think books for kids should still have depth. There needs to be consequences and rewards for making decisions. My biggest problem with this book is the fact that all the characters are sterotypical. I just couldn't get into it, but I still read three of the books in this series, hoping I'd get into it. It never happened.

How could you stupid idiots(those who gave a bad review)say those things?this is a great book!1st of all,the cards are not for trading,you only get one of each,trading cards are random so u hav a chance 2 get more than one so u can trade for something you don't have.2nd,I'm on book 7 and it gets better.k?Dan gets more mature and amy gets very confident.most importantly,the Kabras get "some relative help"that hates Dan and amy WAY more than anyone else.and the holt kids are nicer.irena is gone and i have no idea wat happened to johna.lastly, Alistar is in a lot of troble.3rd,Dan is not as immature as you think,i act a lot like him(I'm just i bit smarter).4th,the cards are not for making people buy the book,they are just a fun perk,so you can have fun with the book when you're not reading it.5th,their is only 11 books not 39,then their is a second seiries that just started but its based after the hunt is over.ok,that's all i have to say,now stop being such haters,and you adults,just because you are at a more advanced level of reading dosen't mean you need to dis the book.their,i think i made my point(by the way,i never read any of those other books like Percy Jackson or Harry potter or even magic tree house.)

First, the bad news: this series of books is part of a multi-platform marketing campaign that uses the web, clue cards, and books to promote the brand. If you don't like commercialization, the series will bother you.

However, the text, it moves at a great speed for kids, there are puzzles to solve, there's a back story that is well-developed, and it is just plain fun to read. I wouldn't call it great kid lit, but it's entertaining and will get even the most book-averse kids to keep on reading.

this book is great it is about dan and amy cahill on a dangerous quest witch could kill them or make them the most powerful person on the planet and its not going to be easy with there competition there reletives wich are stronger and smarter.but you have to read all the books to find out what happens
.

by marvin 9 years old

My 11-yr. old son is an avid reader. In order to connect with him, I sometimes like to read what he is reading. Most of the books he reads are much more advanced, and I have trouble getting into them because fantasy/sci-fi is not my preferred genre.
The 39 Clues is a really easy read, and I found it enjoyable. Dan and Amy are likeable heroes. I was able to talk with my son about it (what would you do? what do you think will happen? what are some of the clues you found? character analysis, etc...).
we have not bought the cards, nor has my son asked for them, so I think that there is a lot more to this book then just selling cards!

These are interesting and enjoyable books. Many people have complained that you can't enjoy the books unless you buy the cards. It's true that the website and the card packs contribute to the experience, but I enjoyed the books even before I bought the cards. The fact that these books are written by different authors does lead to some inconsistancies, but it's an interesting concept.

What would you chose: a one million dollar inheritance, or a clue which will enter you in a race that could make you the most powerful person on earth? Amy, Dan Cahill, and their au pair, Nellie, chose the clue and quickly get entangled in unforgettable adventures that take them to the underground mazes of Paris where they find themselves in the midst of treachery, double crossing and even kidnapping. The story will keep you at the edge of your pants all the way to the surprising ending.

As a mother looking for a new series to get my kids into, I was rather disappointed by this first book. As I read it, this first book reminded my of a Hollywood movie, where you had to suspend your disbelief and pretend you really cared about these characters, then maybe you might enjoy it. In short, the two orphan teens travel internationally with their college-aged au pair in search of the second clue of their inheritance treasure, while their cousins and aunts and uncles try to KILL them. Yeah, really wholesome book. The puzzles were not particularly clever and the story not particularly well written. For a book with deeper characters, more twists, puzzles/clues that readers can actually solve, try the Mysterious Benedict Society. BTW, this review is solely on this book and not on the cards and website, of which I have no experience.

The book 39 Clues Book 1 is okay. It has a cool web site. It also has onomatopeoias like "rip". It has good pictures, too. However, it has hard words that I don't know. I would recommend it to 10-11 year olds because they will understand the words better.

some people ghink that there will be 38 more books after the first but theres not there are 11. then there is another series called cahills verses vespers which has 6 books then there is the 39 clues unstoppable which is still coming out. its a great series to read or barrow from the library but wouldnt recommend buying because that would be a pain in the butt.

This book and all that have followed are just amazing. I like how they have different authors write different books for that they can produce then quickly. Maze of Bones is good but my favorite is the tenth book in this series, Into the Gauntlet, where everything is rapping up. Or so we think...

My family and I were in St.Charles,Illinois and saw this book at the Main Street Bookstore on the corner. We went in and saw a bunch of the 39 clues books we thought of getting them all so we did. I highly recommend it to ages 7 and up.

This is a good book! I think Rick Riordan is an excellent writer. Since the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a good series, I decided to read this book. When I read it, it amazed me!
Since I read the Maze of Bones I'm going to read the book one false note!

The card-book thing sounds cheesy, but it really is fun. The storyline is engaging, and the series is still going!
It's not TRADING cards, more playing interesting minigames on their site. Just call it a good story with some free minigames and you won't be disappointed.

some people ghink that there will be 38 more books after the first but theres not there are 11. then there is another series called cahills verses vespers which has 6 books then there is the 39 clues unstoppable which is still coming out. its a great series to read or barrow from the library but wouldnt recommend buying because that would be a pain in the butt.

This book and all that have followed are just amazing. I like how they have different authors write different books for that they can produce then quickly. Maze of Bones is good but my favorite is the tenth book in this series, Into the Gauntlet, where everything is rapping up. Or so we think...

My family and I were in St.Charles,Illinois and saw this book at the Main Street Bookstore on the corner. We went in and saw a bunch of the 39 clues books we thought of getting them all so we did. I highly recommend it to ages 7 and up.

This is a good book! I think Rick Riordan is an excellent writer. Since the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a good series, I decided to read this book. When I read it, it amazed me!
Since I read the Maze of Bones I'm going to read the book one false note!

The card-book thing sounds cheesy, but it really is fun. The storyline is engaging, and the series is still going!
It's not TRADING cards, more playing interesting minigames on their site. Just call it a good story with some free minigames and you won't be disappointed.

The 39 Clues is a shameless money-grab by Scholastic, cranking umpteen different volumes of this series, in addition to selling "collectible" cards to unlock the mystery. It was also written to be a movie, with flat characters, cheesy one-liner dialogue, and cookie-cutter action scenes. And although it has some interesting historical facts sprinkled throughout, it does it in a ham-fisted way that makes National Treasure look like Citizen Kane.

This book cribs from numerous other, more successful and more interesting, series for young readers. For example, there are a lot of parallels to draw between this and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

1. Both sets of characters are orphans.
2. Each have irresponsible guardian(s).
3. There is a mysterious fire/accident.
4. There is a family full of irresponsible, evil, or mischievous relatives.
5. There are secrets and riddles which rely on the ingenuity of young children wise beyond their years.

Here's the big difference: A Series of Unfortunate Events had wit, humor, and a soul. This book lacks all three.

--chancelee.com

This is a great book because there are so many competitors that try to kill each other (except Amy and Dan). They learn that they are really important and related to many famous people throughout history. You never know who you can trust in this game. Amy and Dan travel all over the world to discover the secret of the 39clues.

Hello! My daughter and I bought this book a be
cause my daughter LOVES the 39 Clues books. It
Turned out to be a great birthday gift the whole family enjoyed! Thanks so much for the speedy delivery!

I ordered this item; "The 39 Clues" because it was described as "like new". There is water damage on at least 1/3 of the pages. Very disappointed!! But, my son needs the book for a school project and we dont have the time to wait for the whole return process...so I guess we're stuck with it. However, I will think twice before buying another used book from here again.

I am 8 years old, and I thought this book was amazing. This is great mix of adventure, mystery and humor. It is a little scary, but more humorous. I thought the characters were ingenious and all the clues added up at the end of the book. I think this book would be great for third or fourth grade kids who enjoy mysteries and trying to figure out things for themselves. I like the way that all the books have different authors, and I think I might like Rick Riordan the best.

In the words of my 8 year old:

The Maze of Bones was intriguing and full of adventure. I like how the author kept me interested with very vivid descriptions. I could envision the scenes and the characters in my mind. I loved the quote at the beginning as it grabbed my attention. The author took me on a journey through the catacombs of Paris.
The main characters are Nellie, Dan, and Amy. Nellie is Dan and Amy’s nanny. Amy, the older sister, tries to keeps Dan out of trouble (but not all trouble). Dan is lively, pure crazy, and has a big sense of humor. Amy is shy and kind of a bookworm.
I highly recommend this book to you. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

This book is really great and it's really cool. So it's a book about a 14, I think, year old girl named Amy. And her brother, an 11 year old boy named Dan. It was such a great book because they have to compete against their cousins. They run away from the cops to get away from trouble if they get in trouble. And it's really funny. Well, not funny. Really cool, I meant. There's really fun surprises.

As I am, I tend to be "reluctant" with the whole area of ADD, but this book has won me over, for even as long as 2 hours. NO EXAGGERATION. The book kicks off with the funeral of Grace. The grand mother of two kids: Dan and Amy Cahill. As part of Grace's will, the people attending the funeral have a choice to join the search for the 39 clues, or walk away with 1,000,000 dollars, and so the two siblings join the hunt.

P.S: they may actually may write 39 books. I'm on book 7!

This is from my 8-year old son. I love the whole series! I think that this book "the maze of bones" is by far one of the best! I love them so much when I get a new one I read nonstop till I finish it (I get through them pretty quick that way).

My 2nd grader loved this book. He didn't want to put it down and asked for the next one right away.

There are a few challenging words but this gave him the chance to look them up.

He has recommended this book to all of this friends.

My son - who is 8 - is totally thrilled with this book, the website, & figuring out the clues. He loves going online to work through the clues himself and looks daily for new material. I honestly think it is because of this book that has gotten him to want to read. We read it out loud together every night - I love to watch him digest the material and come to conclusions on his own. I am recommending this series to all his friends as it is a good way for them to learn about history and get involved.

This book is not like a lot of books, boring and that kind of thing, it is a humerous and mysterious book. I did not get this book from the store.com but, got the last copy from my school bookfair. It is an awesome book and has an awesome game. I finished it 3 days after I got it. It is an addicting book and you should read it!!:-)

I am 8 years old, and I thought this book was amazing. This is great mix of adventure, mystery and humor. It is a little scary, but more humorous. I thought the characters were ingenious and all the clues added up at the end of the book. I think this book would be great for third or fourth grade kids who enjoy mysteries and trying to figure out things for themselves. I like the way that all the books have different authors, and I think I might like Rick Riordan the best.

It's a story about siblings. They were orphaned at 6 and 7 and traveled often without a permanent home. Their grandmother died and left a challenge to them in her will: $1 million each or solve a clue. They chose the clue. Solving the clue meant they would become the most powerful people in the world.

This may be the best series I have ever read! I seriously read books 1-10 in 4 days thats how good they are! I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes mysteries. Just wait till you start them, you literally wont be able to stop.

I'm 8 and I've listened to the audio book 39 clues maze of bones. I love it because all of the adventures they have with a baby sitter too! they even have adventures to different countries around the world. My guess for how long it is is about 2 hours. I think the kids that would like this are between the ages of 5-14.

I heard about the series on NPR and knew it was something my 9 year old would love. Come to find out that I love it too! My daughter and I both love the storyline and the premise behind the series with finding clues, learning about history and interacting via the website. Great for all ages, fun way to engage with your kids and great educational opportunity.

Tgis book be s a copy! It copys the westing game they are totally the same idea! It is a spoiler alert all the way don't read this book because I promise whenyou read the westing game you will be shocked

I thoroughly enjoyed this book series. I loved the twists and turns they incorporated into each book to keep you on your toes. A definite page turner for me. I'm catching up in the Cahills vs. Vespers series, also another book series I would recommend to anyone who likes something fresh, adventurous and mysterious.

Got Book 1 for my 10 year old daughter. She read the entire book in days, joined the website, and talks about these a lot. She keeps asking me to get her all 39 books - she really loves this series. Previously loved the Daisy Meadows books and still likes Nancy Drew. Hope the next few in the series come out Soon. I love to encourage her reading, and this book brings in educational subjects including travel and history. We highly recommend this book.

I bought this book for my 9 year old son and he read it in just 3 hours! He loved the book and can't wait for the sequel. I also bought him the cards. Together we accessed the website and used the cards to decipher the clues. We had fun working on this together.

I am so curious after the first book of this series that I must continue reading all the books vigorously. It's a great mystery for kids and adults alike with no nonsense intrigue and adventure. The kids in the book are also awesome characters and very similar to the Baudelaire children of the Lemony Snicket series. Keep you posted as I read each book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book series. I loved the twists and turns they incorporated into each book to keep you on your toes. A definite page turner for me. I'm catching up in the Cahills vs. Vespers series, also another book series I would recommend to anyone who likes something fresh, adventurous and mysterious.

Got Book 1 for my 10 year old daughter. She read the entire book in days, joined the website, and talks about these a lot. She keeps asking me to get her all 39 books - she really loves this series. Previously loved the Daisy Meadows books and still likes Nancy Drew. Hope the next few in the series come out Soon. I love to encourage her reading, and this book brings in educational subjects including travel and history. We highly recommend this book.

I bought this book for my 9 year old son and he read it in just 3 hours! He loved the book and can't wait for the sequel. I also bought him the cards. Together we accessed the website and used the cards to decipher the clues. We had fun working on this together.

I am so curious after the first book of this series that I must continue reading all the books vigorously. It's a great mystery for kids and adults alike with no nonsense intrigue and adventure. The kids in the book are also awesome characters and very similar to the Baudelaire children of the Lemony Snicket series. Keep you posted as I read each book.

Our family loves puzzles. We are at a standstill as we can not activate our accounts on the web site yet!!

The story reads well and gets all ages (15, 9, 6 and adults)working together to solve mystery or puzzles...we love codes and geography!!

We are looking forward to more in the series.

This book was action-packed, with a suspenseful plot and danger at every turn. Rick Riordan combines mysterious facts with family honour; a must for any of his fans. Not the best book in the world, but certainly a great one.

I started these books a few weeks ago and they are awesome. The cards are cool and the website is cool. This is the kind of book that will keep you reading for a long time. Once you start you can't stop. The only problem is That I have to wait for the next one to come out!

When writing a review, please take into consideration the age group. Yes, you stated your 17, but great reviews come from older people who look at it as an 8 year old. You SHOULD find the clues boring. You SHOULD find the things they say as rediculous sometimes. The fact that this book spun off of some other books you like has made you disklike anything about it to begin with. YOUR 17 YEARS OLD! I don't care what you find entertaining. I care what my 8 year old finds entertaining. Tell your mommy to stay out of the kiddy section.

Bought this for my 8 and 11 year old grandsons. They loved it, my daughter read it, is totally into the clues and is playing the game online. I also read it and enjoyed it. The kids are cute, instantly likable, though it took me awhile to get all the characters straight. My grandsons had read other of Rick Riordan's books and enjoyed this as well. We are looking looking forward to the next one.

Five star book! Both my son and I enjoyed learning about the history in this book. He's already ordered the rest of the set to read and I'm going to order the adult books that this author has written. Highly recommend!

I agree with the reviewer Calamari on some things like, yes dan is too stuped to tell the difference between a single dollar bill and a 100 dollar bill and yes amy gets scared of her own shadow but being 17 you probably dont laugh at the jokes an 11 year old would think as being funny(even though that is a rare event while i am reading the books)i think that it is not riordans fault because you go from books about gods and monsters i think it may be hard to make the swich back to realistic fiction. when you look at the percy jackson books, percy is a lot like dan with the stupidity but percy can accualy kill monsters with sharp swords that would make amy faint at first sight, which is more than dan will ever be able to do. I also think that wherever the authors got the idea of halving jonah talk like he does is really stuped. i dont know where they got the idea that gangsters talk like jonah was also very stuped. Also i think that riordan totaly copied justin bieber with jonah but decided to make him black.Thats aaaaaallllllllll i have to say.

In Rick Riordan's book, The 39 clues: The Maze of Bones, Amy(13) and Dan Cahill(11) go on a hunt to search for the 39 clues. Their parents died when they were young so they live with their aunt and the only joy in their life was their Grandma Grace. When she dies they find out that her will states that their relatives and them have a choice. They can either take $1,000,000 or take an adventure around the world to find their family's power. They take the challenge and find out that their family is the most powerful family in the world. One team will win and the others will not survive. The teams are eliminated one-by-one. Come join Amy, Dan and Nellie( their au pair) on a quest around the world to find the true meaning of their family. I was disappointed with this book because I was able to predict what was going to happen. If you are a braniac who loves history this is a great book for you.

There's already a review that is negative about this series for being a blatant marketing scheme. While I was a bit put off at first by the whole book series/trading cards, now that we've bought the book and a few card packs, I'm a huge fan. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series helped ignite my 10-year old son's passion for reading. He's now half-way through Maze of Bones, and thoroughly enjoying it. He's noted on the calendar the date the next book will be released. I have to admit I'm reviewing the book without having read it myself yet, but based on the number of times my son has read me excerpts, I'd say it is succeeding with the target audience.

As for the trading cards, well, 10-year old boys love trading cards - Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, and so on. These cards are different though. They have puzzles on them that the reader has to solve. They're not that tough - they seem simplistic to me as an adult - but for my son, they're challenging enough that he feels a sense of accomplishment when he solves them, but not so challenging that he's had to enlist parental help very often. The web site provides hints. We did have a problem entering one card. We sent e-mail to support and the problem was quickly fixed. I was pleased when my son noticed a clue hidden in the book. I believe the puzzles have him looking at the books much more analytically.

I'm hoping (as is Scholastic) that by including different authors in the series, my son will be encouraged to read other books by these authors as well. I see this as a win-win situation. Anything that gets kids to read is OK by me.

I think this is a brilliant marketing move on Scholastic's part. I try to teach my kids to be informed consumers, and understand when they are being manipulated. Everything is about branding and marketing in our culture, and here is a case where someone got it right, and is marketing a quality product in a very effective manner. Kudos to Scholastic for coming up with such a unique and engrossing series!

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans. They live with an aunt who is quite unpleasant, to say the least. When their wonderful grandma, who they loved very much, dies, their world seems to crumble. Grandma was also very wealthy.

Grandma's lawyer gathers her heirs in her mansion and offers them a choice. They can take a one-million-dollar inheritance and leave, or, instead of money, receive the first of 39 clues. The clue, the lawyer says, "might lead you to the most important treasure in the world and make you powerful beyond belief." Amy and Dan take a clue. That's when the fun begins. Some of the other family members take the clue too. This pits the children against their ruthless relatives. Things begin to get lively. As Dan and Amy put the pieces of the puzzle pieces together, they go all over the world and they learn about history and life.

This is a great book for ages 8 to 12. It's an adventure story the kids are sure to love.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

I bought this book for my 9yr old son, who hates to read. i thought it would be something to interest him, and catch his imagination....especially since there is an online game! but he came to me and said "He doesn't get it!".... It does seem quite complicated, we started to play the online game(which was actually quite fun), but there is an awful lot to read and I ended up reading it for my son.
I think this book is great for kids who like Harry Potter etc...but overwhelming for kids who haven't read anything like this before.

I thought this book was very interesting. The fact that the book had an online feature to it made it very exciting. For me, I have found it very difficult over the years to find a book that I could actually stick with and read the whole series. Whether you like books or not, try these ones. They are very good and anyone who likes (or doesn't like books) will love to read them!!!! :)
This book is about two kids 14 and 11 who go and travel the world in search of the 39 clues. This book specifically deals with Benjamin Franklin and some of his inventions. Just because this and all the other books mostly deal with history and historical artifacts, these books are still very enjoyable even if you don't really like history. If you like mysteries,or are just looking for a book that you hope you will finally like, try these books.

They are definitely worth it!!!!!!!!! :) Lastly, don't think these books are too young for you, because I am 13 and I loved reading these books. :) :) :)

If you have wholesome and intelligent children, you may want to skip this book. We bought 39 Clues as a cross over to the young reader section of B&N. The kids have exhausted the Magic Tree House series and claimed to be ready for more. The villains are truly over the top, and they kill each other to win ultimate power. The silliness of the plot didn't concern my young reader. He dove in and didn't put the book down. I was excited for him. Half way through the first book, he got disgusted and rejected the book as "garbage". Since he is verbal reasoning IQ is near genius level, I didn’t press him to continue.

The Childhood of Famous Americans is a great historical fiction series. Those books, I usually have to pry from his hands.

This is an imitation of Magic Tree House series. You know there will be 38 books to follow. Author tries to make it "educational" by adding some historical facts, in this specific book, about life of Benjamin Franklin. For that, I'm giving 2 stars. Other than that, story line is pretty pathetic. It's terrible how this publishing company is also trying to use this book to sell game cards and trying to attract kids by offering internet game to win some prizes.
I read this book prior to giving it to my kids. I'm glad I did, because this is going straight to Good Will.

The book is about a boy and girl named Amy and Dan Cahill. They find out that their Aunt Grace dies and they go to their Aunt Grace dies and they go to her funeral. Amy and Dan soon find out that they are the second most powerful family in the world. They then go on a quest to find the 39 clues. The book also includes Benjamin Franklin as they find their first clue.

This series is really a cheap marketing ploy to sell trading cards in the name of books. The series started with a good author to get the sales started. But after that "cheaper" authors have taken over, card sets have started coming out and already 144 cards have been named.

I don't mind a company selling trading cards, at least they are honest about it. However, in this case Scholastic is dishonest and is using little children's curiosity to milk money. What is worse, they are polluting the kids book industry. I hope other companies don't start following their footsteps.

If you believe that kid's shouldn't be targetted with false marketing ploys then do not buy any books or cards from this series.

The book tries its best to be "educational," but all it does is state that all famous people are cahills. Also, how can a American be related to olive-skin British people and Korean people? This is not fantasy. Also, it's deperately trying to sell trading cards to get money. Lastly, they only got a good author for the first and the last book. Rest of them are never-heard-of authors.

this is the best adventure/mystery book ever anyone will live this book and have to get the tradding cards, play on the website [...] and get all the books. Like I said you MUST get all the books A.S.A.P !!!!!!!

In Rick Riordan's book, The 39 clues: The Maze of Bones, Amy(13) and Dan Cahill(11) go on a hunt to search for the 39 clues. Their parents died when they were young so they live with their aunt and the only joy in their life was their Grandma Grace. When she dies they find out that her will states that their relatives and them have a choice. They can either take $1,000,000 or take an adventure around the world to find their family's power. They take the challenge and find out that their family is the most powerful family in the world. One team will win and the others will not survive. The teams are eliminated one-by-one. Come join Amy, Dan and Nellie( their au pair) on a quest around the world to find the true meaning of their family. I was disappointed with this book because I was able to predict what was going to happen. If you are a braniac who loves history this is a great book for you.

I got this for my 11 year old who has read the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Inkheart series, which were better. She was looking forward to trying the website. Alas, after weeks of trying and exchanges with help@39clues, we never were able to activate an account. Expect disappointment.

Before I dive straight into the review, let me tell you where I'm coming from. I'm seventeen. I do realize that I'm outside of the intended age range of this book, but I read and enjoy many other children's series. Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors, so my mother, out of the kindness of her heart, saw his name on the cover of The 39 Clues and decided to pick it up for me.

The 39 Clues is about the Cahill family. They're a big family. They're a very big family. They're so big, in fact, that every major person in history has been part of this family. I bet you never knew that Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin were related. Oh, yeah, and they have family members all over the world, never mind that that it's impossible to have a Korean uncle, a British cousin, and a Russian...I don't even know what she is, without any of them being married/genetically related. Okay, clearly this is a work of fiction, so I'll just suspend my disbelief for a second. No problem. Let's continue. Grace Cahill, the head of the family (or so I believe, since it's never really explained), dies of cancer, and in her will she presents a challenge to all her relatives. They can either take the first of thirty-nine clues that will lead them to the source of the Cahill family's power, or they can take one million dollars and walk away.

Enter Amy and Dan Cahill. Dan is a hyperactive, eleven-year-old math genius, and Amy is a timid, fourteen-year-old bibliophile. Amy and Dan decide to take up the challenge, despite the fact that they (a have no money and (b don't have permission from their guardian. However, they're not alone. There are six other teams who want to maim, kill, humiliate, or steal from our young heroes, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Sounds like a great premise, no? Lots of action, adventure, puzzles, clue-finding, and maybe you can even throw in a little history! Well...let's just say it didn't work out quite that way.

Issue #1: The book is copyrighted by Scholastic. For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that this was a work for hire. That means someone at Scholastic said, "Wow, I have this awesome idea! Now I need to hire someone to write it for me." Okay, not necessarily the kiss of death, but it's not a good omen either.

Issue #2: Every book in the series (and there are supposed to be ten) is going to be written by a different author. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's rarely a good thing either. When authors don't collaborate on a project, and instead are handed scripts, bad things happen, like plot holes, narration changes, and characters swapping gender. Trust me, not good things.

Issue #3: The plot is a mash-up of A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Mysterious Benedict Society...with all the intelligence removed. I solved all of the puzzles before they even came up. I predicted every "shocking" betrayal the moment the character said, "Let me help you." At least with A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Mysterious Benedict Society I had to think for more than two seconds to figure out the puzzles. No such luck here.

The 39 Clues also rips off plot elements from the aforementioned series. Amy and Dan's parents died in a fire that burned down their house, they were raised by an unfeeling guardian, and arson is a reoccurring theme in the book. How original. Oh, wait, A Series of Unfortunate Events did that five years ago. Amy and Dan are also unusually smart/talented in specific areas...just like the Baudelaires in A Series of Unfortunate Events and Remy, Sticky, Kate, and Constance in The Mysterious Benedict Society. Unfortunately, Amy and Dan are nowhere near as likable as the aforementioned protagonists, which leads me to...

Issue #4: I wanted Amy and Dan to die. Okay, maybe not die, but I didn't like them. In fact, I didn't like anyone in the book. Dan is utterly hyperactive, and he has less maturity than my five-year-old brother. Except when he's being all math genius-y, just about everything that comes out of his mouth is stupid. When Grace Cahill's lawyer gives him a warning about a mysterious group of people who may try to stop them, Dan jumps to the obvious conclusion--they must be ninjas. He continues this for the rest of the book. Every time Amy poses a question, he responds with the most inane answer possible, slowly driving the reader mad with his utter stupidity. Of course, maybe he's trying to be funny, but his answers would only be funny to a three-year-old with too much time on his/her hands.

Amy is so timid that at several points in the story I wanted to slap her. She's cripplingly shy and spends a great deal of time stuttering, bemoaning her inability to act in a confrontational situation, and being a push-over. Now, when I was younger I was also very shy, but I was by no means a weak person. Amy is weak, and she makes no effort to become stronger. She was not, to me, a convincing teenage girl, and instead was a cardboard character inserted to offset Dan's hyperactive personality. Dan's hyperactive, therefore Amy must be weak and timid. Riiight.

All of the characters are very two-dimensional, and none of them are likable...or even remotely interesting. The bad guys aren't scary, the good guys aren't sympathetic, and all of them are very, very boring. Plus, all the adults are either evil or unintelligent. Please excuse me while I make noises of disgust.

Issue #5: The book is not written in Rick Riordan's normal style. There is none of his signature humor, none of his wonderful characters, and none of his gripping narration. The 39 Clues seems like a stripped down, dumbed down version of Rick Riordan's real work (which, by the way, targets the same age group). There are no long words or complex sentences. There are very few descriptions. There is basically no humor. If Rick Riordan's normal books were Oscar-winning movies, The 39 Clues would be that made-for-TV movie that no one watches except for the kids unlucky enough to be sick on the day when there's nothing else on TV. There is no heart in the narration, and it really shows. Mr. Riordan, please do your fans a favor and never do something like this again. Please.

Of course, all these issues wouldn't really kill the book. Sure, they might turn off adult readers, and, sure, they might drive me crazy, but they wouldn't make the book anything less than it is: a fun book for kids who haven't read enough to know better. However, issue #6 is the real kicker. It's the reason that I'm bothering to write a review at all, instead of just shaking my head and ignoring the plot holes, irritating characters, and total lack of subtlety. You see...

Issue #6: Scholastic didn't publish the book to share Dan and Amy's story. It didn't publish it to appeal to reluctant readers. It didn't even publish it to make money off the books. The entire series is a not-so-elaborately constructed ruse to sell cards. The front of the book says, "Read the books. Play the game. Win the prizes." You see, if you go to [...] you too can be a long-lost member of the Cahill family. However, to break the codes (all of which are pathetically easy), find the clues (also pathetically easy), and "win over $100,000 in prizes*", you need cards. Six come in each book, but there are a total of 350 cards, and some books may contain repeats. So, of course, you gotta catch `em all and make Mom and Dad spend money to buy the card packs, hoping that you'll get that uber-rare card you need to complete your collection. Then you'll spend countless hours on the very badly constructed site, playing inane games (like an airplane flying game...which has what to do with the story?) and solving codes (which just means that you have to click on the screen until something happens).

It's not that The 39 Clues is the worst story ever written. In fact, it's average for middle school readers, even if it has completely ludicrous plot elements, irritating main characters, and less-than-intelligent puzzles and plot twists. What really riles me up, though, is that Scholastic would put such a thinly disguised piece of advertising on bookshelves. That's just not acceptable. So, spare yourself, your loved ones, your kids, your students, your library patrons, and please don't buy this book. Please. This is for the good of humanity.

Summary:
In the beginning Grace gives Amy and Dan a decision to make either take a clue or to take one million dollars. Other parts of the Cahill family have this decision to make too, some chose to get the clue but many want to get the one million dollars. Grace was sick and was going to die so the funeral about 400 Cahills were coming and the Holts were picking on Dan. Then Aunt Beatrice tells them that she will put two million in a trust fund but Amy really didn't like the idea. Later on Amy and Dan team up to find the 39 clues. Then Amy drags Dan to the library where Uncle Alistar is and he want to form an alliance with them. Amy and Dan agree to it but they said that they have to find an adult super vision. Later on they got mail they didn't understand it so Nellie drove them to a library, they found something that helped them and there was a secret message. The starlings were right behind them and took a photo of the secret message. They tried to get away but Dan saw them and he told them to watch out because there was a man in black following them, but when they when trough the door a bomb went off.