Library of Clean Reads: Peter Lerangis

Showing posts with label Peter Lerangis. Show all posts

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.

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.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The 39 Clues Book Seven: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis

The 39 Clues Book Seven: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis (Rated: C)

Scholastic Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-545-06047-9

Published Feb 2, 2010

Hardcover, 190 pages

Out of all the seven books I’ve read so far in the series, this one is the most suspenseful. The latest lead takes 14 year-old Amy Cahill and her 11 year-old brother Dan Cahill to South Africa in search of the next clue in the hunt for the 39 clues that unlock the secret to a great power.

Although South Africa does not come alive to me as some of the other destinations did, the author focuses on its history of fighting apartheid and gaining civil rights. We meet some of the late Grace’s good friends and learn more about her through them. Shaka Zulu and Sir Winston Churchill are the historical figures that play a role in the discovery of the latest clue.

Some of the characters that appear in this book are Isabel Kabra and her kids, still vicious enemies who pursue Amy and Dan. The Holts make a brief appearance and Hamilton helps them out again in secret. Makes me wonder what will become of this relationship between Hamilton and the Cahill kids. Alistair Oh makes his usual “help the kids, then disappear” act. And Nellie Gomez, their au pair is with them throughout their mission to find the next clue. Amy and Dan finally confront Nellie about their suspicions of her and she reassures them with explanations that re-establish the trust they had from the beginning of their journey. It seems clear to me that she cares about them, but I am still trying to figure out who she really is!

Toward the end of the book, an incident occurs and Dan is fighting for his life. And… Amy and Dan finally learn the truth about their family branch. In retrospect, I should have known all along. This book makes me very eager to begin Book 8. We are getting closer to the end and we feel it.

If you haven't read any of The 39 Clues books, you may get a chance to do so by entering the next mega-giveaway of Books 1-7. The giveaway will be posted here on Thursday, May 27. Entering is easy, so come back for a chance to win this exciting series!

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.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Review and 3-Book Giveaway! The 39 Clues Book Three: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis

The 39 Clues Book Three: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
(Rated: C)
Scholastic Canada Ltd
ISBN: 978-0-545-06043-1
Published March 3, 2009
Hardcover, 160 pages, ages 9-12

Unlike The 39 Clues Book Two: One False Note where the action is non-stop, in The 39 Clues Book Three: The Sword Thief things slow down, and we get to know the characters better, especially the rivals, as they pursue their quest for the 39 clues. I liked this change. It reminded me of The 39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones, where all the characters were introduced and we got a good picture of them.

With this book the reader gets a chance to get his bearings and to recap all the events that now leads the brother-and-sister duo team of Amy and Dan Cahill to Japan and Korea. This time we learn about the historical person Toyotomi Hideyoshi who has hidden the third clue. As the hunt moves to the Orient, Amy and Dan have no choice but to enlist the help of their Uncle Alistair Oh. With the one rule of the race being TRUST NO ONE, Amy and Dan must exercise caution as to how much to divulge of their knowledge and exactly how far to trust two of their rival teams—Alistair Oh and the Kabra siblings—while dodging bullets and swords to escape the yakuza who guard what belonged to their ancestor.

It’s a psychological game and we are left wondering what is going to happen by the end of the book. I truly felt author Peter Lerangis captured the original voices of Amy and Dan and their vulnerability as orphans who have lost much. For me, this was essential to keep the thread of the story solid. If it had continued with non-stop action as in Book Two, the impetus that keeps the reader emotionally involved would have been lost. By also engaging the emotions of the other rivals instead of just relating their killer actions, the stakes are elevated. And of course, the cliffhanger ending keeps us hungering for more.

Book Six 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 to give away the first three books! These are hardcover books. The winner will get a 3-book package, perfect for the person who wants to start reading this exciting series. 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.
4. Leave a comment with your email address. For example: laura (at) aol (dot) com
5. Giveaway ends February 9, 2010.

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.