The 39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones [Hardcover]

 

 

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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 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 game 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?

What a fun book this is! Part action-adventure and mystery-game, this first book in The 39 Clues series sets the stage for what I thought was a kid's version of an Indiana Jones-type race.

When 11 year-old Dan and 14 year-old Amy Cahill attend their grandmother's funeral and subsequent reading of her will, they are given the choice of inheriting one million dollars each or taking the first of 39 Clues in a quest leading to a secret that will make them the most powerful and influential human beings on the planet. However, other select relatives are also given the first Clue, and with only one winner of the treasure, a deadly competition begins.

I loved the main characters! Amy, an avid bibliophile, gets shy around crowds and prefers being alone, while Dan is exceptional in solving math problems and loves to collect things. They have a typical brother and sister relationship but they are close and look out for each other because they are orphans. The reader easily cheers for them and follows them on their adventures where we get to see them use their skills and overcome their fears as they evade the other relatives who are all fighting to find the second clue and will stop at nothing to get it. The book ends on a suspenseful note when they find the second Clue, and we are left with questions as to who really are the good and bad guys.

This book is a fast read with some comical scenes (I could see it made into a Walt Disney movie one day). Readers will also discover interesting historical tidbits along the way. What's more, readers can also play the game and win prizes online, since the book comes with 6 cards with codes to enter on the official Web site[...]. So the reader can enter the race, explore the Cahill world and track down clues. I actually went on the site and created an account to see what it was all about.

Rick Riordan and Scholastic have created an interesting reading and playing experience with this book series. I can't wait to read the next one.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Grace Cahill changed her will moments before she died. For Amy and Dan, the loss of Grace, their grandmother, is a terribly sad event. Read more

Published on Aug 12 2009 by TeensReadToo

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating First Book in an Intriguing Series of Ten . . . You Don't Need Any Game Cards to Have Fun
I decided to wait until I had read the second book in the series, One False Note, to review The Maze of Bones. Read more

Published on April 9 2009 by Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Concept and First Book
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... Read more

Published on Mar 20 2009 by Steven R. McEvoy

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maze of Bones
Dan and Amy had always felt that they were Grandma Grace's favorites. Ever since their parents had died, she'd always had time to spend with them. Read more

Published on Nov 20 2008 by Tami Brady

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