The 39 Clues Book One - The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones is the first book in The 39 Clues series. Book one is written by Rick Riordan. If you like codes, puzzles, danger, and exciting worldwide adventures, this is definitely a book for you. I really like the fact that there are codes and puzzles for the main characters to figure out, but there are also codes for you and me - the readers - to decode. Each book has six clue cards for you to collect. These cards make up parts of a puzzle and give us information about the hunt for the 39 clues. The collectors cards also give you codes to use with the online 39 Clues game and website which you can see here: www.the39clues.com.

My Dad thinks this book is a great way to learn history and have a good time while you do it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a dull history lesson... It's an absolutely exciting way to learn about some of the most important people and events in history.

What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in history? This is the basic story idea. Finding the 39 clues is a challenge from the main characters' dead grandmother. You can take a million dollars or... you can accept the first clue on the journey to find the 39 clues. We don't know exactly what the prize is, but it's a secret that will make you the most power person in the world.

My favourite characters are Dan and Amy Cahill. They are brother and sister. I like Dan because he has a photographic memory - he can remember anything. Amy is also one of my favourite characters because she is a couple of years older than Dan and she is very good at research. Both Amy and Dan have a special ability to communicate their thoughts to one another. Each one seems to always know what the other is thinking. I think this is a great advantage because their enemies don't know what they are planning.

Some of other main characters are the mysterious man in black, their slippery Uncle Alistair Oh, their cat Saladin, and their baby-sitter Nellie. Actually, she's their au-pair... Dan hates her being called their baby-sitter. You also need to know that there are four family branches competing against each other for the 39 clues. These are the Lucians who are tricky spies, the Thomas who are fighters and thugs, the Ekatarinas who are clever inventors, and the Janus who are the artists. Pretty much anyone important from history comes from one of those four families. They all have their good and bad sides. You probably belong to one of these family branches too, but it depends on what your skills are.

Do you accept the challenge? Buy this book and join the hunt for the 39 clues.