The 39 Clues

The 39 Clues

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The 39 Clues The Maze of Bones One False Note The Sword Thief Beyond the Grave The Black Circle In Too Deep The Viper's Nest The Emperor's Code Storm Warning Into the Gauntlet Vespers Rising Cahills vs. Vespers The Medusa Plot A King's Ransom The Dead of Night Shatterproof Book 5 Book 6
Author	Rick Riordan Gordon Korman Peter Lerangis Jude Watson Patrick Carman Linda Sue Park Margaret Peterson Haddix Roland Smith David Baldacci
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Adventure Young adult
Publisher	Scholastic
Published	2008–present
Media type	Print (hardcover)

The 39 Clues consists of two series of adventure books, The 39 Clues and Cahills vs. Vespers. Rick Riordan wrote the first book and created the main story arc, and a collaboration of six other authors continued the story through the following nine books. Authors that have contributed to the series include Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, and David Baldacci.

Overview

The Cahill family

The Cahill family is the most influential family in the world of The 39 Clues. It consists of famous historical figures: leaders, scientists, artists, and athletes. The secret to the family's power lies in 39 Clues, which are ingredients, such as silk and tungsten, of a mysterious chemical turns its drinker into the most powerful person on the planet. The Cahills go back to 1507, and the series establishes Gideon Cahill and his wife Olivia as their ancestors, who had five children. The Cahill family splits into five branches; each child founded one branch. Four branches fight each other for clues, while the Madrigals try to maintain peace in the family so that one branch does not overpower the others. Each of the four main branches specializes in a certain skill and has its own symbol and color.

Ekaterina

Founded by Katherine Cahill, the Ekaterina branch is the branch of ingenuity and intelligence. Characters in the series who are Ekaterinas are the Starlings, Alistair Oh, and his uncle, Bae Oh.

Janus

Founded by Jane Cahill, the Janus branch include famous and talented artists, as the Janus are talented in art and literature. Janus characters are Jonah Wizard and his mother, Cora Wizard (the leader of the branch). Sophie Watson, who is introduced in Cahills vs. Vespers, is also a Janus and finally Phoenix Wizard (Jonah Wizard's Little Cousin) .

Lucian

Founded by Luke Cahill, the Lucian clan specialize in leadership, secrecy,strategy and sabotage. In both series, the Kabras, Irina Spasky, and NRR (who is a Lucian double agent for the Madrigals) are Lucians. Vikram and Isabel Kabra have led the branch before their incarceration for murder.

Tomas

Founded by Thomas Cahill, the Tomas branch is made up of famous explorers, discoverers, and athletes. The Holts (Eisenhower, Hamilton, Madison, Reagan, Mary-Todd) are the Tomas agents.

Madrigal

Madeleine Cahill, the fifth child of Olivia Cahill, founded the Madrigal branch. Sending double agents to infiltrate other branches in disguise, Madrigals balance the power between the branches to prevent one branch from overpowering another. Madrigals aim to reunite the Cahill family and stop the warring of the branches. Because Olivia hid Madeleine from her feuding siblings, the other branches do not know that the Madrigals are Cahills, although they know of the Madrigals and fear their interference in the clue hunt. Amy and Dan are also Madrigals.

Characters

Main article: List of The 39 Clues characters

• Amy Cahill and Dan Cahill are the series' protagonists. They are the grandchildren of Grace Cahill. They became orphans when their parents died in a fire seven years earlier. Since then, they have been in the care of their great-aunt Beatrice, before traveling to find the 39 Clues. They both have jade-green eyes, but Amy has reddish-brown hair, while Dan's is a dark blonde. Amy and Dan are both Madrigals, as said in the book, The Viper's Nest.
• Grace Cahill is the Cahill matriarch and Amy and Dan's grandmother. She has traveled all over the world and settled in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The Maze of Bones begins with her dying and her last minute change in her will.
• Nellie Gomez is the Cahill's au pair. She can fly a plane, race cars, and speak over ten different languages. Amy and Dan enlist her to be their guardian on the hunt 39 Clues, unknowingly at first, but she later decides to help the children. She is of Mexican and French descent.
• William McIntyre is Grace Cahill's mysterious lawyer, advisor, and "closest confidant for half of her life". He is one of the Man In Black's most trusted allies.

Series One: The 39 Clues

The 39 Clues books and card packs as of August 2010.

To promote the series, Scholastic includes six cards in each book in the 39 Clues series. Each card unlocks one online clue, which readers can unlock by entering the code on the cards on their 39 Clues account.

The Maze of Bones

Main article: The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones is the first book in the series, written by Rick Riordan. It was released on September 9, 2008. Grace Cahill, on her deathbed, requests Mr. McIntyre to change her will and dies. At the funeral, Mr. McIntyre informs her grandchildren, Dan and Amy, of a choice: one million dollars or a chance to be the greatest Cahill in history.

Amy and Dan choose the chance and enter the Clue hunt, competing against more experienced Clue hunters: the Holts, Alistair Oh, the Starlings, the Kabras, and Irina Spasky. Pursuing clues hidden in Grace's library and the Franklin Institute, Dan and Amy discover that Benjamin Franklin has hidden a clue in Paris. After convincing Nellie to chaperone their trip, Amy and Dan travel to Paris. While on the journey, Amy and Dan discover the conflict-ridden history of the Cahills that Grace hid from them to protect them. Racing through Paris—above ground and underground—the siblings solves codes and ciphers and find the clue in a vial. The Kabras steal the vial, but Dan solves the puzzle on the envelope they received at the beginning of their hunt and discovers the clue: iron solute. Amy's Internet searches for Franklin leads them to the probable location of the second Clue: Vienna, Austria, the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

One False Note

Main article: One False Note

One False Note is the second book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on December 2, 2008. After Amy, Dan, and Nellie obtain the first clue, they and the other Cahills travel to Vienna, Austria to find a clue relating to Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart.

The Sword Thief

Main article: The Sword Thief

The Sword Thief is the third book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on March 3, 2009. A pair of swords from Vienna leads Amy, Dan, and Nellie to Japan for a clue related to the Japanese warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Teaming up with Alistair Oh and the Kabras, the three follow a trail of clues to Korea, where they stay at Alistair's house. A book in Alistair's secret library leads them to a mountain called Pukhansan. The group finds an entrance to a cave. Inside, they find all of Hideyoshi's treasure, and the third clue, gold. Dan discovers and decodes an anagram and tricks the Kabras, who escape and seal everyone else in the cave. After escaping, Dan, Amy, and Nellie head for Egypt, as hinted in the anagram.

Beyond the Grave

Main article: Beyond the Grave

Beyond the Grave is the fourth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on June 4, 2009. Dan, Amy, and Nellie search for a clue in Egypt while being pursued by the other Cahills.

The Black Circle

Main article: The Black Circle

The Black Circle is the fifth book in the series, written by Patrick Carman. It was released on August 11, 2009. After receiving a telegram from a mysterious person known only as 'NRR', Dan and Amy leave for Russia. Allying with the Holts, Amy and Dan infiltrate a Lucian stronghold, the Kremlin.

In Too Deep

Main article: In Too Deep (The 39 Clues)

In Too Deep is the sixth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on November 3, 2009. Dan and Amy head to Sydney, Australia to learn about what their parents knew about the 39 Clues from their dad's cousin, Sheppard Trent. They discover that Ian and Natalie's mother, Isabel Kabra, has joined the hunt. Isabel hunts the two down to kill them, but the siblings escape and follow a clue to Krakatau (the ring of fire), where they meet Alistair. Isabel sets fire to their hut. Irina Spasky dies while saving Amy, Dan and Alistair. After the fire, the three look in Irina's bag and find song lyrics, revealing the clue, water. At the end of the book, they start to suspect that Nellie spies on them for someone else.

The Viper's Nest

Main article: The Viper's Nest

The Viper's Nest is the seventh book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on February 2, 2010. The search begins the morning after the fire that killed Irina Spasky. Meanwhile, after using their code breaking abilities, Dan and Amy figured that the last words Irina spoke was actually a song, which points them to their next destination: Pretoria, South Africa. They infiltrate a Tomas stronghold, and the Tomas chase them. While leaving South Africa, Dan and Amy were captured by the Kabras. Flying Grace's old plane The Flying Lemur, the siblings escape with a vial of green liquid. During a quarrel, the vial breaks and the green liquid spills onto Dan's arm. It turns out to be a Kabra poison. To get the antidote to save Dan, they fly to Grace Cahill's home in Madagascar, where they find out that the clue is aloe and their parents were Madrigals, whom Amy and Dan have been taught to fear.

The Emperor's Code

Main article: The Emperor's Code

The Emperor's Code is the eighth book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on April 6, 2010. Amy and Dan go to China to find the next clue. Amy and Dan split up following an argument but reunite at Mount Everest, where they find a Janus vial left by British Cahill mountaineer, George Mallory. They battle Eisenhower Holt and Ian Kabra over the serum. Ian falls, and Amy sacrifices the Janus serum to save Ian.

When Dan thought that they've lost the clue, Amy shows him the poem on the piece silk fabric they found in Beijing and tells him the next clue is raw silkworm secretion. They also realize that the formula on the silk, "Lucian + Janus + Tomas + Ekaterina = Cahill," means that all the serum of the branches add up to one master serum. Then Dan shows Amy the locket he found at a Shaolin temple, and they see a name of a pirate named Anne Bonny. They decide their next destination is the Caribbean.

Storm Warning

Main article: Storm Warning (The 39 Clues)

Storm Warning, by Linda Sue Park, was released on May 25, 2010. Amy and Dan continue their hunt in the Bahamas and Jamaica. They distrust Nellie after discovering that she worked for William McIntyre. After that, they head out to the Port Royal excavation site with Lester, Miss Alice's grandson, and find a box Grace donated that can fit the objects they collected: the Ekat dragon necklace, the Lucian snake nose-ring, the Janus Wolf Fang, and the Tomas Bear Claw. However, they cannot open the box, and after a non-Cahill ally dies, the siblings decide to quit the hunt and return to their Aunt Beatrice. However, instead of driving them to the airport, Nellie stops at Moore town, and gives the box to the Man In Black, an ominous figure who has been following Dan and Amy. The Man In Black gives the siblings one hour to open the box. As he walks away, he says that in the game all sides are one and all are needed to survive. After many tries, they figure out that on the strip they found is an unfolded möbius strip. Amy inserts the strip to the final slit and the box springs open. It contains a poem by Madeleine Cahill, and the clue, Mace.

The Man In Black reveals his true identity as Fiske Cahill, Amy and Dan's great-uncle and Grace's younger brother, and tells them about Madeleine Cahill and the Madrigal branch, as well as granting the two active Madrigal status. He then also gives Nellie active Madrigal status even though she isn't a Cahill. After reading the poem, Dan concludes the siblings' next stop is England. There, they must finish the clue hunt and stop the other branches from fighting, as per their new status as active Madrigals.

Into The Gauntlet

Main article: Into the Gauntlet

Into The Gauntlet, the one before the final book in the first series, was released on August 31, 2010, written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In the book, all the teams come to the island of the original home of Gideon Cahill. Isabel Kabra captures them, and forces each of them to say their clues, by threatening to kill their loved ones. Amy saves them by smashing the serum over Isabel's head, knocking her out. Amy and Dan are left with a list of everyone's clues in their hands, which each team gave them, "because they don't trust themselves around the serum, and the great power it wields." Dan and Amy end up winning the clue hunt the way Grace wanted them to, with everyone else wanting them to win . At the end, secrets are revealed to Amy and Dan in letters from Grace. The Clues are the recipe for the master serum.

Vespers Rising

Vespers Rising serves as a transition between the first and second series. It was written by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. The book was released on April 5, 2011. This book has 4 plot lines. The first describes Gideon's discovery of the master serum and betrayal by his friend and the first Vesper, Damien Vesper. The second recounts Madeleine Cahill's life and her attempt to reunite the Cahill family. The third tells of Grace's first mission to Casablanca, as she competes against George S. Patton to retrieve a ring. The four describes Amy and Dan's retrieval of an ancient ring that Grace bequeathed to Amy while escaping someone else who is after it.

Series Two: Cahills vs. Vespers

After the Clue Hunt, all the kids who went through and succeed to find the whole serum recipe Gideon made, became Madrigals. The feud between the Cahill branches is over, but now the family unites to battle a new enemy: the Vespers.

The Medusa Plot

The first book in the second series, The Medusa Plot, released August 30, 2011, was written by Gordon Korman, who also authored One False Note and The Emperor's Code. The Vespers kidnap seven Cahills and hold them hostage. The ransom demand is that Amy and Dan steal for them Caravaggio's Medusa. The duo team up with Hamilton Holt, Jonah Wizard, Sinead Starling, and Ian Kabra to save the hostages, while being pursued by the Vespers and Interpol.

A King's Ransom

Jude Watson, the author of Beyond the Grave and In Too Deep, wrote A King's Ransom which was released December 6, 2011. The leader of the Vespers, Vesper One, contacts Dan and Amy again. He tells them to steal an ancient map created by a Renaissance cartographer, Albertinus de Virga, which has not been seen since 1932. Amy and Dan travel to Germany and the Czech Republic to track the map down, while Jonah and Hamilton help them, traveling to King Ludwig of Bavaria's castle. Amy and Dan encounter Dan's friends, Atticus and Jake Rosenbloom, who finally agree to help them in the fight against the Vespers. Amy and Dan discover that their father, Arthur Trent, had ties with the Vespers. The Vespers kidnap Atticus when Amy delivers the map to Vesper One. You shall also learn who is Vesper 6

The Dead of the Night

The third book, The Dead of the Night was written by Peter Lerangis, the author of The Sword Thief and The Viper's Nest. It was released on March 6, 2012. Dan and Amy trying to rescue Atticus, eleven-year old and Dan's only friend, whom the Vespers have captured. The are also trying to steal what V-1 calls a "stale orb". You shall also learn who Vesper 5 is.

Shatterproof

The fourth book, Shatterproof, written by Roland Smith will be released September 4 2012. Interpol's Most Wanted, Amy and Dan have to comply with Vesper One's demands to steal the world's largest diamond to keep Vesper One from killing one of their family.

Book 5

The fifth book of the series is scheduled to be written by Linda Sue Park, the author of Storm Warning, and will be released on December 4, 2012.

Book 6

The final book is by David Baldacci, a best-selling author known for his legal thrillers, and is set to be released in March 26, 2013.

Bonus books

Agent Handbook

The Agent Handbook contains additional information on characters, founders, and branches.

The Black Book of Buried Secrets

The Black Book of Buried Secrets, written by Mallory Kass with an introduction by Rick Riordan, is a bonus book in the series, and was published on October 26, 2010. This book is about many of the secrets in the 39 Clues series never revealed before, including information about the five branches, the fire that split the original Cahill family, and the night Hope Cahill and Arthur Trent died. The book includes mini-stories and reference stories, such as Isabel's trial and arrest, Bae Oh's assault on Alistair, Bae's arrest, and Katherine's theft of Thomas's clue. It is the first 39 Clues book that uses color on its internal pages. Unlike the other books the book does not have a card pack inside. This book also gives some insight on the Vespers and the new book in the 39 Clues series: Vespers Rising.

The Cahill Files: Operation Trinity

To be released on May 8, 2012, The Cahill Files: Operation Trinity chronicles the first attack on Van Eyck's altarpiece, then jumps to WWII and young Grace Cahill's desperate bid to save it from the Nazis. The final story tracks Ian and Natalie Kabra's first solo mission - and the searing betrayal that nearly costs them everything.

Rapid Fire E-Book series

On the last week of December 2011, Rapid Fire released seven e-books, showing either different perspectives of events that occured during Series One, or events that occured during the time before the start of Series Two. The seven books are Legacy, Ignition, Hunted, Crushed, Turbulence, Invasion, and Fireworks.

Film adaptation

Steven Spielberg acquired film rights to the series in June 2008. Spielberg and Scholastic Media president Deborah Forte will produce the series, while Brett Ratner, director of X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour film series, is interested in directing the first film. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who worked with Spielberg on Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and with Ratner on Rush Hour 2 & 3, was hired to write in September 2008. The movie, titled The 39 Clues: The Movie, is going to be released in 2014. The film, jointly financed Universal Studios, Spielberg's DreamWorks, and Walden Media, the studio behind The Chronicles of Narnia film series, will be released in North America by Universal. DreamWorks, through Disney's Touchstone Pictures division, will handle the international distribution.

The first movie will cover the plots of the first three books, The Maze of Bones, One False Note, and The Sword Thief.

Awards

As of June 11, 2010, The 39 Clues series has been on the New York Times bestseller list of Children's Series books for 48 weeks. Books in the series have also appeared on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

External links

• The 39 Clues (official page)
• 39 – Various – A wiki devoted to The 39 Clues]
• First Prize: World Domination
• Scholastic Plans to Put Its Branding Iron on a Successor to Harry Potter
• 39 Clues Wiki