Review
The 39 Clues Book 1:The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
Part of a multimedia launch including a Web site, collectable game cards, and a 10-title series (penned by different authors), this novel stands solidly on its own feet and will satisfy while whetting appetites for more.Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal All rights reserved.. The book dazzles with suspense, plot twists, and snappy humor, but the real treasure may very well be the historical tidbits buried in the story. Supporting Cahill cast members come across as intentionally exaggerated caricatures, adding to the tale's breathless fun. Cahills have determined the course of history for centuries, and this quest's outcome will bring the victors untoward power and affect all of humankind. As the siblings work together to solve puzzles and survive dangers, they develop into well-drawn individuals with their own strengths and personalities. The humor is spot onone uncle is credited with inventing the microwave burrito. Pitted against other Cahill teams, who will stop at nothing to win, the siblings decipher the first of 39 clues and are soon hot on the historical trail of family member Ben Franklin to unearth the next secret. Ages 912. (Sept.) All rights reserved.Starred Review. Grade 47When their beloved Aunt Grace dies, Dan, 11, and Amy, 14along with other Cahill descendantsare faced with an unusual choice: inherit one million dollars or participate in a perilous treasure hunt. This ought to have as much appeal to parents as it does to kidsit's Webkinz without the stuffed animals, and a rollicking good read. Against the wishes of nasty Aunt Beatrice, their reluctant guardian since their parents' deaths, Dan and Amy accept the challenge, convincing their college-age au pair to serve as designated adult. Starred Review. Likable orphans Amy and Dan Cahill have moxie (plus Dan can memorize numbers instantly) and frailties (Amy hates crowds). As the siblings compete with less honorable members of the Cahill clan, all distantly related to Benjamin Franklin, to win the fortune by collecting all 39 clues (only two are found in this first book), they learn about their dead parents, each other and world history. Built around a ripe conceitwealthy matriarch scatters cryptic clues to a mysterious fortune around the globethis first installment in a projected 10-book series is tons of fun. The only flaw? The story does not end so much as drop off a cliff. (The second book, One False Note by Gordon Korman, is set to arrive in December.) While waiting, readers can collect cards, each of which contains evidence, and play the online game (www.the39clues.com), for which Scholastic is offering over $100,000 in prizes. Lead-off hitter Riordan gmixes just the right proportions of suspense, peril and puzzles in a fast-paced read (Riordan mapped the narrative arc for all 10 volumes, but other high-profile authors will be writing for the series, too).