Richie's Picks: THE 39 CLUES: BOOK ONE: THE MAZE OF BONES by Rick Riordan,
Scholastic, September 9, 2008, 182p., ISBN: 0-545-06039-7
If you hadn't yet heard of THE 39 CLUES, you will be hearing all about it
soon enough. DreamWorks has acquired the screen rights and Steven Spielberg
will apparently direct the movie. As described in Variety (of all places),
"THE 39 CLUES," which launches Sept. 9, is envisioned as a 10-book series to be
released over two years. It's described as a multimedia adventure that will
include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a
portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. The
contest will run for two years."
Okay. A book with a bunch of gimmicks and prizes, right? Sounds a little
fluffy, perhaps?
But the fact is that the first book -- THE MAZE OF BONES -- is great! Not
only is it an engaging mystery and thriller, but it also taught me a bunch of
neat stuff about geography and history and American cultural landmarks.
"Aunt Beatrice kept driving and muttering about spoiled children. Amy
secretly went back to her huge book. The last two days, since they got the news
about Grace's death, Amy had been reading even more than usual. Dan knew it
was her way of hiding, but he kind of resented it because it shut him out, too.
"'What are you reading this time?' he asked. "Medieval European Doorknobs?
Bath Towels Through the Ages?'
"Amy gave him an ugly face -- or an uglier-than-usual face. 'None of your
business, dweeb.'
"'You can't call a ninja lord dweeb. You have disgraced the family. You
must commit seppuku.'
"Amy rolled her eyes.
"After a few more miles, the city melted into farmland. It started to look
like Grace country, and even though Dan had promised himself he wouldn't get
sappy, he began to feel sad. Grace had been the coolest ever. She'd treated
him and Amy like real people, not kids. That's why she'd insisted they
simply call her Grace, not Grandmother or Gran or Nana or any silly name like
that. She'd been one of the only people who'd ever cared about them. Now she
was dead, and they had to go to the funeral and see a bunch of relatives who
had never been nice to them..."
Yesterday I spent Jo's and Harry birthday up on the Eel River, sitting
alongside my favorite swimming hole, trying to figure out what facts might be of
help in uncovering a clue. What's the deal with the random page numbering
that suddenly appears? What so important about that photo?
The ten books are being written by different, well-known authors. This
first one is by rocking writer Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame. The second
will be by another of my faves, Gordon Korman. (I just wrote last month about
one of his other upcoming books, a thriller called THE JUVIE THREE.)
"'And yet, all the previous accomplishments of the Cahill clan are nothing
compared to the challenge that now faces you. It is the time for you to
discover the greatest secret of the Cahills, to become the most powerful members
of the family in history -- or to die trying.'"
Amy and Dan Cahill are orphan siblings. As we come to recognize, each has
inherited some of the cognitive abilities of their talented, late parents. At
Grace's funeral, it is announced that all the heirs in attendance have a
choice: Each individual has the option of taking a check for a million dollars
and walking away OR the option of taking a clue that will lead to another clue
that will lead to another clue that will eventually lead to the REAL
Earth-shaking inheritance.
And -- Shades of Hogwarts! -- when Dan bemoans the "bunch of relatives who
had never been nice to them," he's not kidding! There are four different
branches of the Cahill clan and it quickly becomes evident that those relatives
who, along with Dan and Amy, opt for the first clue rather than the million
bucks are going to stop at nothing to get a leg up on the rest of the family.
Of course, Scholastic does not want the relatives of booksellers and
reviewers and librarians (not to mention the booksellers and reviewers and
librarians themselves) to get a leg up on the general public in solving the
mystery of
the first book, SO THEY LEFT THE END OF THE DARN FIRST BOOK OUT OF THE
ADVANCE COPIES THEY SENT US!!!
Which means that we, too, will be waiting for September 9th, when the fun
begins. You'll find the clock ticking down to the starting gun at:
_http://the39clues.scholastic.com/_ (http://the39clues.scholastic.com/)
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
Moderator, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks
**************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget?
Read reviews on AOL Autos.
(http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 )
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
* LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home