The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Bibliography
Riordan, R. (2008). The 39 clues: The maze of bones. New York: Scholastic Inc.

220 pages

Plot
Dan and Amy Cahill are brother and sister, who live in the care of their Great-Aunt Beatrice. Aunt Beatrice, as she expects Dan and Amy to call her, is a grouchy aunt, only allocating money to her grand niece and nephew as she sees fit. However, upon the death of their grandmother, Grace, her entire estate is divided amongst all of the Cahills under one stipulation, they must choose either to take their inheritance or embark on a quest which will give the winner more power than they have ever known. Dan and Amy, the least favorite amongst their relatives but the favorite amongst Grace, must choose whether or not to enter the quest or live with their Aunt Beatrice. With no other option, the siblings take their chances in the unknown quest. Thus begins The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones.

Review
The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones is a fast-paced adventure/mystery pitting siblings against relatives in a scavenger hunt around the globe. Similar to a sort of DaVinci Code for tweens, the novel provides readers with interesting tidbits about United States History, specifically that of Benjamin Franklin. The clues, which are a puzzle within themselves, emphasize interesting and little known facts about the famous American while still appearing believable. Although the first book does little to answer any of the questions regarding the 39 Clues, it whets the appetite and will hopefully inspire tweens to read more of the series.

Genre
Mystery

Reading Level/Interest Level
This book should appeal to readers in 5 – 7th grade.

Similar Content
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

Personal thoughts
Having seen how popular this series is at my local library, I decided to give it a try. The novel is a fun quick read.

Subjects/themes
Family Relationships
Historical Trivia
Good versus Evil
Puzzles

Awards
New York Times Bestseller List

Series information
This is the first book in the 39 Clues series.

Character names/descriptions
Dan Cahill: One of the inheritors of Grace’s fortune is pitted with the rest of his family with his sister to find the 39 Clues.

Amy Cahill: Dan’s older sister, 14, has issues with dealing with crowds. Together with Dan, attempts to uncover the first of the 39 Clues.

Nellie: Dan and Amy’s au pair who is helping them navigate throughout the hunt.

Annotation
Dan and Amy Cahill are in the race of their lives uncovering the 39 Clues.