39 Clues is a series of adventure Books, but also includes an online game and card collecting. Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson and the Olympians fame came up with the idea for the series. There are several famous kid's book authors involved including Rick, Gordan Korman, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, and Linda Sue Park. Each has written at least one book in the series.
The books are fun and full of adventure and mystery; very good reading for 9-14 year old kids.
Plot summary
At the center of the series is the powerful Cahill family. Over the years the Cahill family branches have produced the most famous and talented people on earth. Each branch of the family is trying to locate 39 hidden clues. Each of the 39 clues is an ingredient for a formula to a powerful serum. It is believed that the person who possesses this serum will become the most powerful person in the world.
Amy and Dan Cahill are two orphaned children and the favorite grandchildren of Grace Cahill, the elder leader of the Cahill family. When Grace dies, 7 teams of Cahill family members are created to search for the 39 clues. Dan and Amy are a team (and secretly the team that Grace wants to win).The race for the 39 clues is on.
Throughout the series the teams encounter famous people in history, solve puzzles and mysteries, deal with deception, and discover clues.
Major Characters
Amy Cahill - Amy is one of the two main characters in the series. She's fourteen years old and likes to read and visit museums. She gets nervous and will start to stutter in tense situations. She doesn't like closed in spaces. Amy's parents were killed, so she and he younger brother Dan are orphans.
Dan Cahill - Dan is Amy's younger brother and the other major character in the series. He's eleven years old and is great at math. He also has a photographic memory and likes to joke around.
Grace Cahill - Dan and Amy's grandmother Grace dies at the start of the first book, but she gets the story started by getting Dan and Amy involved in the 39 Clues mystery.
Nellie Gomez - Nellie has been trained by Grace to assist Dan and Amy in their search. She has a wide variety of skills. On the surface she appears to be nothing more than their au pair.
Cahill Family and Branches
The Cahill family is the most powerful family in the world. All great inventors, scientists, leaders, artists, athletes, and more are descendents of the Cahill family. There are branches from each original child in the family, each having it's own special skill set:
Ekaterina - inventors, scientists, and geniuses.
Janus - artists and musicians (even Justin Bieber).
Lucian - leaders and spies.
Tomas - athletes and explorers
Madrigal - a fifth and secret branch that has prevented the other branches from completing the 39 clues.
Books in the 39 Clues Series
The Maze of Bones (2008) - Rick Riordan
One False Note (2008) - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief (2009) - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave (2009) - Jude Watson
The Black Circle (2009) - Patrick Carman
In Too Deep (2009) - Jude Watson
The Viper's Nest (2010) - Peter Lerangis
The Emperor's Code (2010) - Gordon Korman
Storm Warning (2010) - Linda Sue Park
Into The Gauntlet (2010) - Margaret Peterson Haddix
Vespers Rising (2011) - Rick Riordan
More to come…..
Other books:
Bonus Book: The Black Book of Buried Secrets
Bonus Book: Agent Handbook
Suggested Reading level: Ages 9-14
If you liked 39 Clues, you may also like:
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Swindle series by Gordon Korman
The Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
