Bibliographical information:

Riordan, Rick. The Maze of Bones. Book 1 of The 39 Clues. New York: Scholastic, 2008.

Brief summary:  

Following their grandmother's death, Amy and Dan Cahill find themselves surrounded by distant relatives, many of whom are distinctly unlikable. Their grandmother's will challenges all the relatives to participate in a quest to follow thirty-nine clues to a secret of tremendous power. This novel (part of a projected series) follows Amy and Dan on their pursuit of the next clue.

Comments:

My eleven-year-old enjoyed this novel. She's a fan of Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and she found some elements she enjoys in that series (including the mix of unrealistic events and kids with recognizable voices) in The Maze of Bones. But we're not sure that we'll have the patience for all thirty-nine clues. I'm not convinced that the quest itself is compelling enough to become the next Harry Potter, as Scholastic seems to hope. Nor was she engaged enough to check out the website associated with the series.

Grade/Age level:

Ages 8-12

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

Blue Balliett, Chasing Vermeer; Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game

--Lisa Gordis

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