The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1) by Rick Riordan

Children/Young Adult
Hardcover: 220 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545060397
ISBN-13: 978-0545060394

The 39 Clues series is like The DaVinci Code for children. Each book of this projected ten book series will hold clues to a mysterious fortune from around the world.

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans who learn they are distantly related to Benjamin Franklin. In order to win the fortune, they must collect and solve 39 clues – only two clues are presented in this first book.

Although this book is a blatant marketing ploy – trading cards and on-line games are also available – the book is fresh and clever and will appeal to most children. Although Riordan – author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series - plots the story arcs, several other children’s authors will also be writing installments. Gordon Korman – an award winning Canadian children’s author - writes the next book, One False Note.

The first Cahill card series features 56 thoroughly intriguing evidence cards that kids need to hunt down the 39 Clues. The oversize cards (3.25 x 5) are loaded with top-secret Cahill information and intriguing puzzles that unlock the family's secrets. Each pack contains 16 randomly assorted cards, with at least one rare or ultra-rare card per pack.