Library of Clean Reads: Rick Riordan

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.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The 39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The 39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
(Rated: C)
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0-545-06039-4
Published Sept 9, 2008
Hardcover, 220 pages

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 http://www.the39clues.com/. 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.

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.