The 39 Clues

The 39 Clues is a series of adventure books that are published by Scholastic. The main part of the series is ten books revolving around the adventures of siblings Amy and Dan Cahill. They agree to the offer in their grandmother Grace's will and search for 39 clues scattered around the world. Rick Riordan wrote the first book and the main story arc, but other authors will write the rest of the books in the series. Six have been released and written (in order) by Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson,Patrick Carman, and Jude Watson (again). The others are being written by (in order) Peter Lerangis (again), Gordon Korman (again), Linda Sue Park, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.

The series also combines online gaming and card collecting along with the reading into a unique, interactive experience. Six cards come with every book, and more are sold separately in Card Packs. There are also activities related to the 39 Clues online.

There are also prizes for children between the age of six and fourteen. It is possible to win prizes by buying the books and playing the online game.

The books are also designed to teach history. The main characters are fictional, but in this series, almost every famous person belongs to the Cahill family. Because of this, Amy and Dan have to learn about these people to search for the Clues.

The Cahill Family branches

There are four (4) branches The Cahill family is split into four family branches: the Lucian, the Ekaterina, the Janus, and the Tomas. The four branches are named after the four children who founded them, and fight each other to find lost Clues. Each branch has identified names, unique curves for their crests, and their own color.

The Ekaterina branch, founded by Katherine Cahill, is made up of famous scientists and great inventors, such as Abraham Lincoln, Galileo, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Johannes Kepler, Christiaan Huygens, Niels Bohr, Howard Carter, John Flamsteed, Nikola Tesla, George Herbert, Alfred Ely Beach, Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman, Elias Howe, Robert Fulton, and Eli Whitney, Jr.. The Ekats made many great inventions like the light bulb, but they also invented many harmful items, such as the atomic bomb. They despise members of the Tomas branch (mostly because of Thomas Cahill's betrayal of his sister, Katherine). Ekats are responsible for the Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and CERN. They use Cairo, Egypt, the Bermuda Triangle, and CERN as bases. The Ekaterina symbol is a yellow dragon. It is said that Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla came close to finding all the 39 clues. The characters in the books that are Ekats are the Starling triplets, Alistair Oh and his uncle, Bae Oh.

The Ekaterina branch is led by Alistair's uncle, Bae Oh.

The Janus branch, founded by Jane Cahill, is made up of the world's most famous and talented artists, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maria Anna Mozart, Thomas Jefferson, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Emily Dickinson, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Elvis Presley, Isadora Duncan, Alfred Hitchcock, Damien Hurst, Giorgio Armani, Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Raoul Lufbery, Steven Spielberg, John Keats, Lord Byron, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, Mary Shelley, Dr. Seuss, Charlie Chaplin, Andy Warhol, and Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm. The Janus made some of the most beautiful pieces of art that exist and one of the greatest pieces of writing that has ever been written (usually classics). They have bases in Venice, Italy and Hollywood, California. The Janus symbol is a green wolf. The characters in the books that are Janus are the fictional rap star Jonah Wizard and his mother, Cora.

The Janus branch is led by Jonah Wizard's mother, Cora Wizard, as well as two people named Halima Amadi and Spencer Langendoen.

The Lucian branch, founded by Luke Cahill, are the descendants of the world's greatest leaders and spies, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Mao Zedong, Benjamin Franklin, Isaac Newton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ching Shih, William Stoughton, Catherine the Great, Grigori Rasputin, Bernardino Drovetti, Marie Louise, Joseph Stalin, Michael Bloomberg, Susan B. Anthony, Gustave Eiffel,and Sidney Reilly (The Ace of Spies). They are the most ruthless Cahills, like to use poison, and are extremely power-hungry. Most important leaders, such as some US Presidents, are Lucians. Lucians allegedly control secret bases such as Area 51 and Fort Knox. They also have a base in Paris, France, Russia, and Nevada, USA. The Lucian symbol is two red snakes wrapped around a sword, which resembles the caduceus. It is said in book 5 that Nicholas I of Russia's brother, Constanstine, came close to finding all 39 clues. In the books, Ian, Natalie and Isabel Kabra, Irina Spasky, and Nataliya Radova are Lucians.

The Lucian branch is lead by Ian and Natalie Kabra's parents, Vikram and Isabel Kabra.

The Tomas branch, founded by Thomas Cahill, is made up of famous explorers, discoverers, and athletes, such as Annie Oakley, the "sharpest shooter in the West," Captain James Cook, George Washington, Neil Armstrong, Babe Ruth, Christopher Columbus, Philip II of Spain, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Lance Armstrong, Shaquille O'Neal, Gunnar Kaasen, David Livingstone, Herbert Hoover, Edmund Hillary, Roald Amundsen, Lakshmi Mittal, Michael Phelps, John F. Kennedy, Gertrude Ederle, David Beckham, Simon Bolivar, and George Livingstone. They have been the first to go to the moon and climb mountains, explore unknown land and are in the best shape. Most Tomas members are very strong, but most are unintelligent though stupidity isn't necessarily to them (for example, Hamilton Holt is actually a computer genius despite seeming dumb). They have Melbourne, Australia, Tokyo, Japan, and Mt. Fuji as bases. Tomas members hate the Ekaterina branch (mainly because Katherine stole something incredibly important to Thomas). The Tomas symbol is a blue bear. The Holts and the Yakuza from Tokyo are the only Tomas' in the books so far.

The Tomas branch is lead by Ivan Kleister.

The Madrigals

The Madrigals are a mysterious group of people. They are deeply involved in the search for The 39 Clues. They are most likely Cahills because Abigail Adams and Amelia Earhart were Cahills and are believed to be Madrigals. In In Too Deep it is speculated that the Madrigals are rogue Cahills who have formed a secret society. Also William McIntyre is a Madrigal and is a Cahill. The only things that are known for certain about them is that they do not have good intentions, that they might make the quest to find the 39 Clues more difficult,they want to destroy the Cahill family, and that people should beware them. They appear to do this by destroying or stealing the clues which, in turn, lead to the Clues, or the Clues themselves (or at least one representation of the Clue) as seen in Book 4, when they covered the Clue on the island of Philae and destroyed the Ekat stronghold at Hotel Excelsior; however luckily it was for not since Amy and Dan Cahill managed to retrieve the clue thanks to a message sent by their grandmother (before her death) which told them what the clue was. They also may be connected to the Clues, as there is an "M" at the end of the key shown on the covers of the books, which may be vital to finding the last Clue in the series. It was first thought the "Man in Black" (see below) set fire to Grace's mansion and blew up a Philadelphian museum in Book 1 because he was present both times, but it was revealed the Holts did this.

There is a mysterious "Man in Black" that is a Madrigal, and is allies with William McIntyre who is also a Madrigal. Since William helps Amy and Dan, they are believed by some to be Madrigals.

Also, in the Branch vs. Branch card pack, in Morse code the back reads "Remember Madeleine," who could be the founder, or Grace, as Madeleine is Grace's middle name, or both.

In The Maze of Bones, Grace Cahill has a map with green, yellow, white, blue, and red pins. The red, yellow, blue, and green ones have been identified with (respectively) the Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, and Janus branches,perhaps clues or strongholds, but the white pins are unidentified as of yet. They may represent Madrigals or Cahills whose branch Grace didn't know.

On card 61, Carnival, five circus characters dressed as a red snake, a yellow dragon, a green wolf, and a blue bear. However,another character dressed in black is shown in between the wolf and bear. He is believed to represent the Madrigals.

On card 35,there is a close-up of the Hope Diamond. When looking closely,you can see a mysterious black figure's reflection in the Hope Diamond. He is believed to be a Madrigal.

Also, the Cahill family crest is black. This may have to do with the Madrigals. On the part of the secret picture on the back of Card #6, there is a mysterious black figure that is suspected to be a Madrigal.

On card 67, there are branches of the subway for each branch, but there is also a stretch that is black. This may represent the Madrigals.

In book 5 there are two puzzles which when decoded say "Olivia had another" and "Remember Madeleine." Olivia was the mother of the founders Thomas, Luke, Jane, and Katherine. This could mean that Madeleine was the sister (or half-sister) of Thomas, Luke, Jane and Katherine. This would mean that Madeleine was the founder of the Madrigals. The Madrigals are presumably trying to stop the other branches from getting the 39 clues as mentioned in book 5 in the folders in The Black Circle

The Characters

Clue-hunting teams

When Grace Cahill gave her relatives a chance to search for the 39 clues, 6 teams (besides Amy and Dan) agreed. These are the teams:

• Ian and Natalie Kabra are ruthless Lucians who have a fortune. Their parents, Isabel and Vikram, are the heads of the Lucian branch. They temporarily made an alliance with Amy and Dan in book 3, but left them and Alistair Oh in a cave for dead after getting what they thought was the clue. Ian is also known to have a crush on Amy Cahill. Their mother Isabel joins them on the clue hunt in book 6.
• The Holt Family: Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, Hamilton, Madison, Reagan, and their pit bull Arnold are members of the Tomas branch who are strong, but aren't very bright. Throughout the books Reagan Holt proves to be the softest out of all the Holts. Hamilton, or "Hammer", proves to be a computer genius. In book 5, they make an alliance with Amy and Dan. Card 90 suggests that Eisenhower is responsible for the death of Amy and Dan's parents but the books say the Lucians were responsible. Hamilton Holt became friends with Amy and Dan after book 5 and rescued Amy from Isabel Kabra in Book 6.
• Alistair Oh is a smart, older, Korean man who is an Ekaterina. He made a small fortune because he invented microwavable burritos. He has "helped" Amy and Dan throughout the series. In The Maze of Bones he says he knows the "truth" about Dan and Amy's parents' death. In book 3, The Sword Thief at the end, Alistair Oh fakes his death and in book 4 recreates an alliance with Amy and Dan. It shows in book 6 that Alistair Oh had been one of the last "visitors" of Hope and Arthur Trent.
• The Starling Triplets: Ned, Ted, and Sinead are Ekats, according to a live chat with Patrick Carman. They were injured in the beginning of The Maze of Bones by a sonic detonator explosion made by the Holts. They survived, but unfortunately they never recovered in time for the search.
• Irina Spasky is a ruthless Lucian who was trained in espionage by the KGB. It was revealed in book four that she had lost a child. It was revealed in book five that it was a boy. In book six and her official agent card it is revealed that the child's name was Nikolai and that he died from an illness which Irina feels guilty for because it happened while she was on a deep-cover mission, having been forced to accept by Isabel Kabra. Book six also reveals that she was a champion pole-vaulter in her youth. Card 74 shows the contents of Irina's luggage at one point, including a photo of her child, amongst other things. She also hides poison in her fingernails. In Book 6, She dies while saving Amy and Dan from a burning building, because of the guilt of her own dead child.
• Jonah Wizard and his father, Broderick. Jonah is a famous teenage actor and celebrity who is a Janus. His father is not a Cahill, but according to Mission 0, he knows the whereabouts of 5 clues, which was 4 more than the branch knew about. . He has been seen the least of all the clue-hunting teams, appearing in only three books so far.

Other characters

• Arthur Trent and Hope Cahill were Amy and Dan's parents, and were deeply involved in the search for the 39 clues. They died in a suspicious fire that broke out in their home when Amy and Dan were very young. It is revealed in book 4 that all of the branches teamed up to get rid of them. However it is also mentioned in card 95 police report that it was not part of the plan for them to die; also on card 90 it mentions that Eisenhower Holt was demoted for the Cahill/Trent Incident implying that Eisenhower killed Hope and Arthur. Irina Spasky's recollections in Book 4 also seem to hint that their death was never meant to happen and was due to the shaky truce between the branches. However, in Book 4 it is mentioned that the Lucians were responsible. Isabel Kabra - Ian and Natalies mother was responsible for the fire. In Book 6 it is revealed that Hope got out but rejoined Arthur in the house to try and recover their research, where they both perished.
• Grace Cahill was the grandmother of Amy and Dan Cahill, and the last matriarch of the Cahills. She was born in December 1929 and died in August 2008, due to cancer. Grace was involved in the search for the 39 Clues in many ways, and has explored the world.
• William McIntyre was Grace Cahill's lawyer and her most trusted advisor. He is now working with The Man in Black to spy on Amy and Dan Cahill. In card 137 in Card Pack 2, it is revealed that McIntyre has Cahill heritage. He is a Madrigal, possibly the leader.
• The Man in Black is a mysterious man in his late sixties who always wears black clothes and spies on Amy and Dan Cahill. He is working together with William McIntyre to do this. He is also a member of the Madrigals.
• Bae Oh is Alistair Oh's uncle and the leader of the Ekaterina Branch. He is ruthless, even though he is about 87 years old. Bae hired someone to kill Alistair's father (his twin brother), Gordon Oh, in 1948. He also wants to kill Alistair, and Alistair wants to kill him. In the end of The Sword Thief, Bae Oh was seen talking with The Man in Black when he thought that Alistair had died. Then, he also wanted to talk about this with William McIntyre. In Beyond the Grave, he captures Amy and Dan in the Ekat stronghold in Excelsior Hotel in Cairo. He then questions them about the whereabouts of Alistair, and was convinced they knew where he was, even though they did not. When he left the stronghold, Nellie broke in and saved the siblings.
• Gordon Oh was Alistair Oh's father and Bae Oh's twin brother. A killer hired by Bae Oh murdered him in 1948.
• Beatrice Cahill is Amy and Dan's great aunt, and Grace Cahill's sister. She took care of Amy and Dan before they started searching for clues, but did not treat them well.
• Nellie Gomez is Dan and Amy Cahill's teenage au pair (nanny). She travels around with them and helps them when she can, usually as a translator. Dan refuses to let her be called their "babysitter" though she technically is a babysitter. She's almost always listening to her iPod, and loves all types of music.She is much more than first thought, as in In Too Deep, she flies a plane and the siblings begin to suspect that she has been trained to take care of them. She also gets locked emails from someone. It is suspected that Nellie is a Madrigal keeping watch over Amy and Dan but this wouldn't make sense because Nellie has never actually attempted to keep the Clues from Amy and Dan (which is the objective of the Madrigals: keep the other branchs from getting the clues) and the emails she is getting seem to be more focused on Amy and Dan's safety than their destruction, unless amy and Dan are actually Madrigals, which would mean that Nellie has been assigned to protect them.
• Saladin was Grace's cat. He is an Egyptian Mau who likes to eat red snapper. He is was being cared for by Amy, Dan, and Nellie for a short time. However they gave saladin to William McIntaire in book 1. Mcintyre gave him back due to the fact that he could not withstand the difficulties of caring for Saladin. The cat has stayed with the Cahills for the rest of the quest and has proved useful on more than one occasion (information on the 39 clues website seems to suggest that Grace trained Saladin to help in her clue-hunting). In Book 4, Grace used him as a lead to the Clue.
• Isabel and Vikram Kabra are billionaires and the current leaders of the Lucian branch. They are also Ian and Natalie Kabra's parents. Isabel started the fire that killed Amy and Dan's parents. In book six Isabel, after hearing of the repeated failures of her children, goes out into the field and joins them on their clue-hunting quest. It is revealed in the book how skilled and ruthless she is, even willing to risk the lives of her children for Clues.
• Cora Wizard is Jonah Wizard's mother, and the leader of the Janus Branch. Said she is turning Jonah into a killer
• Hillary Vale is a friend of Grace Cahill. Not much is known about her. She helped Amy and Dan in Beyond the Grave, but she also tried to rob them.
• Theo Cotter is Hillary's grandson. He helped Amy and Dan, but later tried to rob them.
• Sami Kamel is a seller in the shop Treasures of Egypt. Grace knew his father and grandfather. His grandfather was a crook. He helped Amy an Dan find the clue of Book 4.
• Nataliya Ruslanova Radova is Anastasia Romanov's daughter. In book five, it is revealed that she is NRR. She has a disease called hemophilia. Even though she is a Lucian, she helps Amy and Dan travel to Russia and discover the truth about the clues, and their parents. It is suspected by some that she is a Madrigal spy.
• Katherine Cahill is the founder of the branch Ekaterina. In book 4 she left a clue for the Ekats. She is known to have stolen something of great importance from Thomas Cahill.
• Jane Cahill is the founder of the Janus. She is a composer, author, poet, and an artist. Her work includes "Hail Wolf"(musical piece),"The Muse and the Wolf"(painting),"The Right of Artist to Rule Mankind"(literary work),"The Four Quarters of My Soul"(musical piece), and "Farewell Brothers,Farewell Sister. Keep Thy Treachery to Thyselves"(poem). Jonah Wizard has her eyes. Not much else is known about her though.
• Thomas Cahill is the founder of the Tomas branch. He is one of the four siblings of Luke, Jane, and Katherine Cahill. In book 3, it is said that he settled in Japan and was the father of a man named Hideyoshi.
• Luke Cahill is the founder of the Lucian branch.
• Gideon Cahill is the father of Luke, Thomas, Katherine, and Jane. In book 3, it is said that he discovered how to turn lead into gold, but perished in a fire.
• Olivia Cahill is the mother of Luke, Thomas, Katherine, Jane, and another, Madeleine, founder of the Madrigals.
• Shepard Trent is the cousin of Arthur Trent. He is an aviator and a surf dude. He helps Amy and Dan get to wherever they want using his own private plane.

The novels

Book 1: The Maze of Bones

Main article: The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones is the first book in the series. It was published on September 9th, 2008, and was written by Rick Riordan. Minutes before she died of cancer Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue." Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

Book 2: One False Note

Main article: One False Note

One False Note is the second book of the series. It is written by Gordon Korman (who will also write book #8) and was released on December 2, 2008..Amy and Dan are heading to find another clue with the previous one, but apparently an entire branch is trying to sabatoge them for an unexpected enemy... This book takes place in Austria, and Amy and Dan are trying to find the clue related to W.A.M.

Book 3:The Sword Thief

The Sword Thief was released on March 15, 2009 and is written by Perter Lerangis. It takes place in a Venice airport, Tokyo and South Korea. In the beginning, they make an alliance with Alistair Oh and take his private jet to Tokyo. They learn about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a Tomas warrior from Japan. They get captured by the Holts and are saved by the kabras, who had previously captured Amy and Dan's au pair Nellie. They make an alliance and set off for South Korea. On the way, they stop at Alistair's mansion and find a secret Ekat library. A book inside leads them to a cave in a national park. inside, they find the third clue: gold They also discover what the 39 clues is all about: the Philosopher's Stone. Thinking that they have all the information they need, Ian and Natalie Kabra trap Amy, Dan and Alistair in the cave. They escape but Alistair dies. In the end, it reveals that Alistair is actually alive. The next destination is Egypt.

Book 4: Beyond The Grave

Book 4 was released on June 2, 2009 and is written by Jude Wattson. This book takes place in Egypt, mainly Luxor and Cairo.

Book 5: The Black Circle

Main article: The Black Circle

The Black Circle by Patrick Carman came out on August 11, 2009.. The 39 Clues Book 5 takes Dan and Amy on their most dangerous quest yet, one that brings them face to face with the only force capable of scaring the vicious Lucians: the Madrigals

Book 6: In Too Deep

Main article: In Too Deep

In Too Deep is written by Jude Watson and was released on November 3, 2009.. In Too Deep takes place in Australia and Indonesia. Amy and Dan follow the path of Robert Cahill Henderson, an Ekaterina scientist that discovered almost all of the clues. Along the way they discover the truth about their parents' past and how they died. With the help of their father's cousin Shep, a surf loving Aussie, Amy and Dan go on a journey and find out just how cruel Cahills can be. At the end Amy and Dan meet with Alistair Oh on an island in Indonesia. They end up getting caught in a fire just like their parents. Irina Spasky makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Amy and Dan. Amy and Dan find out what the clue is.

Book 7: The Viper's Nest

Main article: The Viper's Nest

Book 7 is to be written by Peter Lerangis and released on February 2, 2010 along with Card Pack 3.

It's no longer a game. The body count is rising. Shaken by recent events, Amy and Dan flee to a distant land and trace the footsteps of their most formidable ancestor yet: a military leader of mythic proportions. Yet just as the siblings begin to master the art of ancient warfare, they confront a dangerous enemy that can't be felled with a sword: the truth. With the stakes higher than ever, Amy and Dan uncover something so devastating it changes everything – the secret of their family branch.

Book 8

This book is unknown, but will be written by Gordan Korman , 2010.

Book 9

The title of book nine is unknown, but it is to be written by Linda Sue Park. Book nine will be released on June 8, 2010.

Book 10

The title of book ten is unknown, and is to be written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Its release date is September 1, 2010.

Audiobooks

These are the real books read with expression by David Pittu. Each one comes with the same 6 cards as the book is in 4 compact discs with the same bonus track each of that book

Maze Of Bones

This is on the first book, The Maze Of Bones, which is written by Rick Rordan, and the Bonus is a secret survailance tape of Grace Cahill.

One False Note

Written by Gordan Korman, and has a whole secret transcript of Grace Cahill's arrest. You can not watch, only listen, however.

The Sword Theif

The Bonus material of this is an Ekaterina Meeting and you learn a secret ally in a phone conversation with a MADRIGAL!

Beyond The Grave

Listen to a kiddnaping attempt on Grace Cahill when she was young.

The Black Circle

Listen to a phone conversation between Anasatasia and Grace Cahill.

Games

Board Game

Get the 39 Clues and unlock the hidden chamber. Comes with an exclusive card (412). (By University Games)

Cahill Commotion/Discover the Secrets Card Game

Playing card game. You may need help from the other agents, even the man in black! Betray them to get all the clues. Comes with an exclusive card (414). (By University Games)

200 Piece Puzzle

This 200 piece puzzle of Amy and Dan Comes with an exclusive card (413). (By University Games)

Madrigal Maze

This is an application for iPhone or iPod Touch. Complete all 39 levels to unlock a free unknown code

On the Books

Book Clues and prizes

Each book in the 39 Clues series unlocks one clue. Readers can unlock it by entering the code of the cards that came with the book online on their 39 Clues account. When they do that, they will also be automatically entered to win the Book Prizes; the largest one is $100,000.

Mission hints

Near the middle of each book, the page numbers are distorted or changed. These are codes that reveal a hint to online missions. The first book has a hint about Mission 1, the second about Mission 2, the third about Mission 3, etc.

The message in the first book, The Maze of Bones, is: Anne Cahill did not drown. A simple number code is used: 1=a, 2=b, 3=c, etc. and starts on page 129 and ends on 153(The message refers to Anne Cahill aka Nella Chain, who plays a big part in Mission 1)

The message in the second book, One False Note, is: Look to India. A simple letter code is used: a=b, b=c, z=a, etc. (This refers to the fact that Mission 2 takes place in India.)

The message in the third book, The Sword Thief, is: The competition is about Hope. A code using alchemical symbols is used. (A code cracker is on the first page, opposite the inside cover, etched on the spikes of the shuriken in the center of the illustration).

The message in the fourth book, Beyond the Grave, is: Alistair was there the night they died. This refers to Amy and Dan's parents. A code using Egyptian hieroglyphs is used. A code cracker is on the inside cover, just like in the third book. Notably, this does not refer to Mission 4.

The message in the fifth book, The Black Circle, is: Olivia had another. A code using Russian symbols is used. The code cracker is on the back of Card 94, Anastasia, where the same key is used for the puzzle. This could have to do with Olivia Cahill, one of the first Cahills.Olivia had another probably means she had another child, not fathered by Gideon. Similar to Book 4, this hint does not refer to Mission 5.

The message in the sixth book, In Too Deep, Is: Find the other Ekaterina scientist who got too close. This is referring to a character in book six who almost found all the clues. To decode this message, the numbers on the top of the plane are referring to the page number you should go to. Then look on the side where it would normally say the name of the book and it will give you a word.

Book covers

Elements from following and preceding books

The covers of the books tend to contain elements from the following and preceding books.

On the cover of The Maze of Bones shards of glass appear on the right of the cover and One False Note features a cover adorned with glass shards. One element in the covers changes from Beyond the Grave onwards; for the first three books the background of the book covers (behind any objects on the cover) was blank. Starting from Beyond the Grave, the covers have drawings of the globe with writing in different languages in the background. Similarly,

• Card 6 shows a dark figure in a ragged hood and cloak standing in a graveyard a short distance away from the fire.
• Card 33 shows the middle of the roof. There is the sign of the Philosopher's Stone above the window.
• Card 78 lies beneath card 6, showing a blond woman believed to be Katherine Cahill holding a book with the symbol for phosphorus on it.
• Card 91 shows Katherine's pointing arm, a man believed to be Thomas Cahill, and an arm clothed in green, accompanied by a red braid. These most likely belong to Jane Cahill. A picture of an ousburous is visible.
• Card 111 shows another woman in shock of the fire. There is a book near her feet. The symbol of lead is on the book.The woman is Olivia Cahill, mother of the four branch founders and Madeline.

In The Maze Of Bones, Amy and Dan stumble upon a mural of the four original Cahills. There they stand in front of a burning house. A mysterious hooded figure flees the scene. The secret picture is believed to relate to the mural on cards 82, 99, 115 and 124.

Messages/code breakers

On the first page of every book, there is an exact copy of the cover except for one difference: the 39 Clues logo is gone, and something else is there instead. This is either a secret message or a code breaker. There is also a copy of the cover without the logo on the last page of every book, but there is no message there.

In The Maze of Bones, there are skulls under the logo, just like on the rest of the cover. But these skulls have numbers on them. It is possible to make these numbers into a letters using a simple A=1 cipher (the same cipher that is used for the Mission hint). The letters are: IANREDL, which could potentially be IRELAND or, Ian Kabra Red Lucian. In book 3 it is mentioned that the first Cahills came from Ireland.

In One False Note, there is a piece of glass under the logo. There is a musical staff with notes on it, just like all the other pieces of glass on the cover. But there are also three letters on the staff. Musical notes correspond to the letters A through G. It is possible to use this to change the notes into letters. When these letters are added to the letters that are already there, a word is made: GIDEON, referring to the first Cahill.

In The Sword Thief, there is a shuriken under the logo, just like the rest of the cover. But this one contains the code breaker to the message inside the book, which when decoded says "THE COMPETITION IS ABOUT HOPE". which could mean Hope Cahill or the Hope Diamond that was connected to the mission following this book.

In Beyond the Grave, there is a gold wall which has a hieroglyph guide on it. When using it with the hieroglyphs in the book, it spells ALISTAIR WAS THERE THE NIGHT THEY DIED. This may refer to the death of Hope Cahill and Arthur Trent.

In The Black Circle, on the crest it says REMEMBER MADELINE which is the same as the morse code on the back of the Madrigals Journal that came with card pack 2.OLIVIA HAD ANOTHER which probably means she had another child named Madeline.

In In Too Deep, on the inside cover, opposite to the cards, there is a plane with different numbers down the roof. Each is a page in the book that has a different word than "In Too Deep" on the side. The words spell out, "Find the other Ekaterina scientist who came too close." This may be a clue to mission 6 online, leading to Thomas Edison and his inventing friend Nikola Tesla almost discovering all of the clues, then stopped by either another branch or the Madrigals.

The Clues

Clue	Location	Branch	How to Obtain	Quantity
Honey	USA	Janus	Combo (Cards 6, 94, 132)	?
Hydrogen	Switzerland	Ekaterina	Card 28: CERN	?
?	?	Ekaterina	?	?
?	?	Ekaterina	?	?
?	?	Ekaterina	Mission 6 (Cards 81, 98, 100, 106, 119)	?
Wormwood	USA	Tomas	Combo (Cards 125, 128, 135)	?
?	?	Cahill	?	?
?	?	Tomas	?	?
Cobra Venom	India	Janus	Mission 2 (Cards 8, 12, 17, 21)	?
?	?	Janus	?	?
Uranium	Caribbean	Ekaterina	Mission 0 (Cards 26, 29, 58)	?
Water	Indonesia	Ekaterina	Book 6: In Too Deep	?
Phosphorus	United Kingdom	Ekaterina	Mission 1 (Cards 4, 5, 15, 27, 49)	?
Copper	USA	Cahill	Card 60: X-Ray	?
?	?	Cahill	?	?
Gold	South Korea	Tomas	Book 3: The Sword Thief	?
?	?	Janus	?	?
Iron Solute	France	Lucian	Book 1: The Maze of Bones	1 Quantity
?	?	Janus	?	?
Myrrh	Egypt	Ekaterina	Book 4: Beyond the Grave	1/2 gram
?	?	Cahill	?	?
Bone	Zimbabwe	Tomas	Combo (Cards 79, 83, 102, 126, 129)	?
Rosemary	USA	Cahill	Card 67: NY Subway	One sprig
?	?	Tomas	?	?
?	?	Janus	?	?
Calcium Carbonate	USA	Lucian	Combo (Cards 88, 116, 134, 136)	?
?	?	Lucian	?	?
Tungsten	Italy	Janus	Book 2: One False Note	?
Lead	Venezuela	Tomas	Mission 5 (Cards 89, 92, 121, 122)	?
?	?	Tomas	?	?
?	?	Cahill	?	?
Zinc	Russia	Tomas	Mission 3 (Cards 7, 24, 35, 37, 55)	?
Pearl	Germany	Janus	Combo (Cards 84, 87, 103, 104)	?
Clover	USA	Lucian	Mission 4 (Cards 77, 113, 118, 120)	?
Blood	France	Lucian	Combo (Cards 114, 117, 130)	?
?	?	Lucian	?	?
Amber	Russia	Lucian	Book 5: The Black Circle	1 gram
?	?	Lucian	?	?
Lily	Jordan	Cahill	Combo (Card 141: Petra)	?

The Cards

Main article: The 39 Clues Cards

Card collecting, aside from books and online gaming, is also included as part of the series The 39 Clues. At least 10 collectible cards will be released with this series. Every book will contain six. Cards are also available for purchase separately in Card Packs. It is possible to collect just the physical cards, but most people also keep virtual versions of the cards online, as part of their 39 Clues account.

The Clues can be found by reading the book or checking the site. There are now agent cards for you! During the Advanced Agent Training Broadcast live with all the 39 Clues authors from books 1-5, a code was released for a rare card. The code is MANINBLACK with no spaces, that reveals more about Dan and Amy's parents' death.

Online components

On www.the39clues.com, fans of the series can make a 39 Clues account. Everyone can do it, but you can only win the prizes if you are between 6 and 14 years old. When somebody makes an account, they will become a member of one of the Cahill family branches, and will be able to see and do all the things shown here.

My Clues

This is a place where people can see the Clues that they have.

My Cards

This is the place where people can see the virtual versions of the cards that they have, and enter the codes from cards. Every card also has an article related to it, and you can see it here. My Cards is also the place where you can enter your answer for the puzzles on some cards.

Missions

Mission 0 is Agent Training. In it, players search for a Cahill clue that Grace gives them.

Mission 1 is The Lost Clue. In it, players search for a Ekat clue hidden in the Loch Ness. The search begins with the Titanic.

Mission 2 is The Emperor's Secret. In it, players search for a Janus clue in Diwan-i-Khas. The search begins at the Taj Mahal.

Mission 3 is The Lost Diamond. In it, players look for a Tomas clue in Russia. The seach begins with the hope diamond.

Mission 4 Is The Lucian Fort. In it, players search for a Lucian clue that is hidden in Fort Knox. The search starts in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Mission 5 Is The General's Clue. In it,players search for a Tomas Clue that has something to do with Simon Bolivar. The search starts in Spain.

Mission 6 Has to do with Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Were they fighting over the best way to transmit electricity? Or was the fight over something much, much bigger? This mission will come out sometime in the middle of December 2009.

Arena 39

Arena 39 is the training arena for all players acting as Cahills, containing games from Mission 0 and other games created afterwards.

Games in Arena 39:

• Lab Rat
• Decoder
• Stunt Pilot Training
• Dogfight
• Skeet Shoot
• NitPix
• Find it!
• Gridlock
• Photo Recall
• Follow Me
• Bryx
• Snake Charmer (also playable in Mission 2)
• Safe Cracking (also playable in Mission 3)

Games not in Arena 39:

• Agent Training (playable after adding Card # 406 or #410)
• Loch Ness Dive (playable in Mission 1)
• Safe Cracking 2 (playable in Mission 4)
• Grappling Hook Challenge (playable in Mission 5)

Secret Archives

Each branch of the Cahills (the Ekaterinas, the Janus, the Lucians, and the Tomas) have their own secret archives on the website, containing top secret information that can only be accessed by members of that branch (for example, an Ekat can access the Ekaterina archives, but cannot access the Lucian, Janus, or Tomas archives). Examples of said articles are reports on Grace Cahill's funeral by each of the main characters. Others are ancient texts concerning famous celebrities.

Cahill Web

This is a place where people can read articles about Cahills, and other people, organizations, and places related to the 39 Clues. Anyone can read these articles.

Inbox

This is a place where people receive top secret e-mails. Some of them are from the leadership of their branch, some are from agents of their branch, and some are from other people. They contain information about what is happening with the branches, what the agents are doing, and other interesting information.

Videos

Double-Dealing Tour

On March 3, 2009, a series of 5 videos made by Peter Lerangis were released to the website. They were made during his book tour about The Sword Thief. Now, it is only possible to see these videos if you go to the link http://www.the39clues.com/tour. Each video contained/s a puzzle or the possibility to unlock a new clue:

• New York City: If you own card 67 (NY Subway), add it to your gallery, unless you've already done that, then click on it to reveal a clue.
• San Francisco: Peter finds a code. Deciphered, the code says "Bring Back the Green Diamond" (A-B coded)
• Los Angeles: Peter receives a coded message from Janus HQ. Deciphered, the code says "Ivan Kulik. Chicago" (-3 letters)
• Chicago: Peter receives an intercepted message from retired Janus agent Ivan Kulik. Deciphered, the code says "Gem report in. Return diamond." (The words are backwards)
• Philadelphia: Peter discovers that the Dresden Green is not the Diamond holding the clue and tells us that he is going on a mission to England about the diamond. He is referring to Mission 3, which came out the same day.

Find Dan and Amy

On June 2, 2009, the first video of a series of six videos came out. In these videos, fictional news anchor William Michaels had tried to find out where Amy and Dan went after the end of Beyond the Grave. Also, in every video except the first one, a code was given to receive a free virtual version of a bonus card. Information in the five cards, along with the videos, helped readers discover Dan and Amy's whereabouts before The Black Circle was be released. Now, you can only see the videos if you go to the link: http://www.the39clues.com/wherenext

Further information: The 39 Clues Cards § Find Dan and Amy bonus cards, and the cards

• Video 1: In the first video, William Michaels interviews the author of Beyond the Grave, Jude Watson. But the interview does not go well.
• Video 2: In the second video, a video from a security camera is shown. On it, an unidentified male packs a box addressed to Dan and Amy, and put passports in it. Then, Patrick Carman talks with William Michaels via a satellite. In the end, William gives the code for the first card, which is LucianClue.
• Video 3: In the third video, Patrick Carman again appears via a satellite. He reveals that the picture the mysterious figure sends Amy and Dan (see video 2) is one of the few known surviving photos of Arthur Trent and Hope Cahill, Amy and Dan's parents. It is of them at the American Embassy in Moscow. It also has a combo key, which means it might unlock a clue when other cards are added At the end, William Michaels reveals the code for it, which is HopeCahill.
• Video 4: Michaels has another interview with Patrick Carman from an undisclosed location. Carman says that airline tickets were included in the package that was sent to Dan and Amy. He also reveals that there is an extremely high-profile Cahill that goes by the initials "NRR." Carman refuses to say any more, and William Michaels reveals the next code. The code for this interview is TheTickets
• Video 5: A mysterious book may be the key. The book is revealed to be a guidebook to Amy and Dan's next location. Patrick Carman has revealed that they will be going to a large country with a very complex history. A news reporter has disappeared in Budapest and there was and attempted break in at Fort Knox. (This is a reference to Mission 4, which was released the previous day). The code for this interview is Guidebook1.
• Video 6: Patrick Carman tells about the truckers delivering the books. The card code is August1109.

Grand Prize

People who find all 39 clues and become one of the top 39 point scorers can compete to win a $10,000 grand prize.

Future releases

Books

• Book 7: The Viper's Nest - February 2, 2010
• Book 8 - April 6, 2010
• Book 9 - June 8, 2010
• Book 10 - September 1, 2010

Card Packs

• Card Pack 3: The Rise of the Madrigals - February 2, 2010 (will cover books 7 and 8)[1]
• Card Pack 4 - June 8, 2010 (will cover books 9 and 10)

Missions

• Mission 6 - Mid-December 2009
• Mission 7 - March 2010 (e)
• Mission 8 - May 2010 (e)
• Mission 9 - June 2010 (e)
• Mission 10 - September 2010 (e)

(e) signifies an estimated release date.

Planned films

Steven Spielberg acquired film rights to the series in June 2008. DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider believes the books can amount to three or four films. Spielberg and Scholastic Media president Deborah Forte will produce the series, while Spielberg is interested in directing the first film. It is expected to come out around 2011. Jeff Nathanson was hired to write in September 2008.

External links

• The 39 Clues (official page)
• The 39 Clues Database Project