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The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues)

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues)

  

by Rick Riordan

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues) Introduction

In a Nutshell

From Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? to The Amazing Race, people have always loved not only traveling around the world, but watching others do it, too. Something about that sense of adventure, the never knowing where you'll end up or how you'll get there, the wacky people that you meet, and the even wackier foods that you eat—it's all just fun.

The 39 Clues takes that love of worldwide adventure, adds a pinch of National Treasure thrown in for flavor, and stirs it all up into a fast-paced page-turner that millions of readers have already sunk their teeth into. And whereas teams on The Amazing Race are racing for a million dollars, teams searching for the 39 clues have to give up a million dollars. That's because they're searching for something more: knowledge and power.

See, The 39 Clues follows orphaned brother-and-sister duo Amy and Dan on a quest around the world, starting in Philadelphia and Paris, as they follow a trail of clues set by their grandmother. The prize? We're not sure yet, but allegedly it's something that will make the winner the most powerful human being in the world. (No, it's not Donald Trump's hairpiece.)

The 39 Clues was created by Scholastic with a story arc dreamed up by Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan. The series now features over fifteen books written by seven different authors including Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park and Star Wars author Jude Watson. It's not just a multi-author experience, either. The 39 Clues is a true multimedia experience with trading cards containing secret brainteasers (think Pokemon meets Sudoku) and a website full of challenging games that unlock behind-the-scenes information. These bonus features add depth to the mysteries in the book (and get you to spend more money).

So what are you waiting for? The Cahills aren't waiting for you. There's a race to be run, a mystery to be solved, and a lot of delectable French food to sample. Pick up The Maze of Bones—the first book in The 39 Clues series—and get a clue today.

 

Why Should I Care?

"Hey, you know Ben Franklin?"

"That old guy on the back of the hundred-dollar bill who invented electricity?"

"He didn't invent electricity, but yeah, him."

"What about him?"

"He's not just some old guy who discovered electricity. He also invented this instrument called an armonica. It's like playing a tune on glasses filled with water, but a million times better."

"That's pretty cool, I guess."

"He also wrote essays on farts."

"What? Seriously?"

"Seriously. He thought people should be able to fart proudly, without shame."

"I think people should fart proudly without shame." 

"Ew. Yes, I've noticed. Ben Franklin wanted to find a way for them to not smell like a 'stink that no company can tolerate.'"

"Where's the fun in that? Anyway, where'd you learn this stuff? At school?"

"No way. It's in this book, The Maze of Bones. There are some other neat facts in there too. It's not a history book, though. It's an adventure. There are explosions, car chases, deadly poisons and stuff, but there are historical facts in there, too. Fun history facts. Ben Franklin was also the member of a super-secret society that manipulated world events."

"No way."

"Well, that part might have been made up by Rick Riordan, but it's fun to think about."

"I want to read this. Give me yours."

"Get your own!"

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