Library of Clean Reads: Jude Watson

Showing posts with label Jude Watson. Show all posts

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Kid Konnection: The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson

The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson
Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 978-0545298407
Published Dec 6, 2011
Hardcover, 192 pages

Just when you think it can't get any better, it does. With all that I've come to expect from this series—plot twists and turns, captivating historical facts and excellent suspense building, Book 2 of the second series of The 39 Clues delivers more action-packed adventure with a whopping cliff-hanger ending.

The story picks up from where it left off in Book 1: The Medusa Plot, where fifteen-year-old Amy and her thirteen-year-old brother Dan have just delivered the ransom to get the seven kidnapped members of their family released from the Vespers, their enemy organization. But Vesper One, the leader, now asks them to track a long-lost item, an ancient map, and to steal it. Another mission impossible for the duo-team who use state of the art technology and their wits.

This time their adventure takes them to Switzerland and the Czech Republic as they race against time to deliver a map whose location they must once again figure out through clues. These clues lead us to the past activities of the Nazis, WWII spies, the mad king Ludwig the Second, and the All Saints Church, also known as Church of Bones. It's actually a church decorated with the skulls and bones of 40 000 people. I HAD to look this one up. And although, creepy and bizarre, the carpenter, who used his imagination to solve the problem of the overcrowded cemeteries during the Plague, created works of stunning art with these bones. I always learn fascinating history reading these books!

All along, the questions as to what Vesper One is after with his strange requests, who he is, and what will become of the secret of the 39 clues kept my curiosity strong. There is much foreshadowing in this book of bigger things to come. Amy and Dan have lost much of their innocence, and Dan is struggling with his anger.

If you haven't read any of the The 39 Clues, this second series won't make much sense. These are not stand alone books. The characters go back from the very beginning, and McIntyre, the lawyer who was present from the first pages of the very first book, is back in this one and leaves clues that will play a part in the next book. If you want to experience the fun of The 39 Clues, I strongly suggest you start from the beginning because getting the whole picture of the rivalry in important to understanding what makes up The 39 Clues. Needless to say, I can't wait to read the next book that has just been released!

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
I will count this book toward the following challenges: TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts a feature called Kid Konnection—a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, visit Booking Mama.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Kid Konnection: The 39 Clues Book 11: Vespers Rising

The 39 Clues Book 11: Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson
(Rated: C)
Scholastic Inc
ISBN: 978-0545290593
Published April 5, 2011
Hardcover, 240 pages

I have read all 10 books in this series only to realize that this one--and not Book 10—is actually the last one. But wait, it gets better. Book 1 of a second series in The 39 Clues is being published on August 30, 2011. And it promises to be good! I will be posting a review of it on August 27.

So what is Book 11 about? It's an introduction to the Vespers, the organization that will stop at nothing to grab the 39 clues that led Amy and her brother Dan to the secret of great power. A secret started 500 years ago by their ancestor Gideon Cahill and coveted by the cruel and evil Damien Vesper.

The book is divided into 4 parts, each written by a different author. The first part is about Gideon Cahill (1507), the second about Madeline Cahill (1527), the third about Grace Cahill (1942) and finally the 4^th part is about Amy and Dan Cahill in the present day. I enjoyed reading all four parts immensely because it gave the history of how the 39 clues started, how the Madrigal was formed and how Grace Cahill came to have something in her possession that was to be guarded.

Filled with action and suspense, as one would expect from the 39 Clues series, the adventure and danger continues. We were given a taste of what's to come. Amy and Dan are no longer innocent teens trying to figure things out. They are now on a mission. I am really looking forward to what the second series will bring out. And I don't think I will be disappointed.

I will count this book toward the following challenges: Middle Grade Book Challenge, TwentyEleven Challenge

Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The 39 Clues Book Six: In Too Deep by Jude Watson

The 39 Clues Book Six: In Too Deep by Jude Watson (Rated:C)
Scholastic Inc
ISBN: 978-0-545-06046-2
Published Nov 3, 2009
Hardcover, 207 pages

Unlike the first five books in which the hunt felt like a fast-paced game to beat the competition in finding the 39 clues, Book 6 focuses on family and ends in a more serious tone. Things turn deadly, and fourteen year-old Amy begins to have flashbacks of the night her parents were killed in a house fire. Just like its title, this one pulls you in deep as we get closer to the finish line.

Amy and her eleven year-old brother Dan Cahill are in Australia this time, following their parents’ footsteps. They search and find their father’s cousin, Uncle Shep, who Dan and Amy knew as children. He’s a very likeable “surfing bum” whose aid becomes indispensable. Nellie Gomez, their au pair, is with them, of course, but more questions pop up as to who she really is, as once again she displays professional skills she must have been trained for. Not much fazes her. She can handle anything.

The sights and sounds of Australia colour this book with descriptions of shimmering blue oceans, open skies, red earth, and the quirky Australian speech. As with all The 39 Clues books, a historical figure is responsible in some way to lead them to a clue and in this case it’s Amelia Earhart.

As usual, the relationship between Amy and Dan is typical of a brother and sister, but it is tested anew when Amy keeps information about their parents’ demise from her brother. The only part that made me uncomfortable was when contemplating what happened the night Amy and Dan’s parents died. It brought up the heavy question of how far someone would go to gain power. What could possibly be so important about the 39 clues that people would kill or sacrifice everything, including their lives? I’m thinking that Book 10 will have to come up with an amazing revelation or it will definitely be anti-climactic.

Disclosure: Thank you to Nikole from Scholastic Canada for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Review and 4-Book Giveaway! The 39 Clues Book Four: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson

The 39 Clues Book Four: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (Rated:C)
Scholastic Inc
ISBN: 978-0-545-06044-8
Published June 2, 2009
Hardcover, 192 pages

The chase continues as 14 year-old Amy Cahill and her 11 year-old brother Dan rush off to Cairo, Egypt in search of the next clue. You can feel the heat and smell the exotic spices as we catch up with the duo at the Khan market. Two new characters are introduced in this book, Theo, an Indiana Jones-type Egyptologist and Hilary, who is the childhood best friend of Grace, Amy and Dan’s dead grandmother. Instantly likable, they play an important part in the story.

Amy and Dan learn a little about Grace’s past through Hilary who gives them a card with a message from their grandmother. But the message seems so detached they begin to question why their grandmother (whom they miss terribly) would send them on such a dangerous hunt. This doubting causes pain and friction between the brother and sister, adding internal conflict as the team escape a scary crocodile encounter, a submarine disaster, being buried alive in an Egyptian tomb, and the clutches of the Ekaterina branch members. Alistair Oh makes a brief appearance, but it is Irina Spasky who is close on their tail this time.

In addition, it is Irina’s vulnerable side that is revealed in this book. She has a painful history attached to that of Grace, making the reader wonder what exactly happened. I’m getting really curious about Nellie Gomez, too, the children’s au pair who has the uncanny ability to get them out of scraps time and time again. She has very convenient talents. I am certain this isn’t coincidence, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out in the next books. Finally, I was somewhat disappointed with the way things ended up with Hilary. I would have liked for this relationship to end differently.

I must add that the titles of the books have double significance. For example, Beyond the Grave is a good indication the next clue is somewhere in a grave, but also hints at Grace’s message coming from “beyond the grave” since she is already dead when they receive it. It's a cool play on words, which, by the way, is how the clues are discovered in all the books.

This book was another exciting adventure that has me waiting to read the next book in this fun series suitable for all ages. Haven’t read any of the books? Check out my reviews on the previous books and enter the giveaway below to win the first 4 books in this series!

Book One: The Maze of Bones
Book Two: One False Note
Book Three: The Sword Thief

And now for the Giveaway!

Book Seven: The Viper's Nest is currently available and by August of this year, Book Ten, which is the last book in this series will be published. In celebration of this, Nikole from Scholastic Canada has kindly offered once again to do another mega giveaway—this time the winner will get the first four books in The 39 Clues series! These are hardcover books. Also, stay tuned for more mega giveaways (one each month!). Here are the giveaway rules:
GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED
1. Open to Canadian residents only.
2. No P.O. box addresses.
3. Must be a follower of this blog, new or current. Click on Follow on the right sidebar and follow publicly.
4. Leave a comment with your email address. For example: laura (at) aol (dot) com
5. Giveaway ends March 17, 2010.

Below is a fun take on how the author Jude Watson is in on the secrecy and danger associated with The 39 Clues. Take a look!

Disclosure: Thank you to Nikole from Scholastic Canada for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.