The 39 Clues

For me, there have been many things that have pushed my interest in writing and reading and have affected me greatly. Many authors have had quite a profound effect on my development as a writer. However, for years the actual interaction of reading has stayed exactly the same, pretty much for centuries. However, there is one series of books, though, that has absolutely changed the world of children’s books forever.’

Listen to the basics of The 39 Clues in audio format!

Before, books were one-dimensional. You would read it, and that would be it. Everyone knows that the world has changed dramatically over the past fifty years, but reading has really not changed very much, except for the recent addition of the Kindle and iPad. Scholastic realized that they could greatly improve the quality of their books by connecting it to all of the new technologies. And what they came up with, was the biggest reading revolution, in my opinion, ever.

The collaboration between a great book series and powerful new technology created what what I consider to be the best children’s book series ever; The 39 Clues. Here’s how it works:

There are a series of ten books where the main characters, Dan and Amy, try to find the 39 Clues. The details are too much to go into on one page, but can easily be found elsewhere on this website and through the navigation at the bottom of this page. The 39 clues will go together to make the Philosopher’s Stone (also known as the Sorcerers Stone from Harry Potter), which supposedly will grant the holder of it ultimate power. In the eighth book, it was revealed that the Philosopher’s Stone will not only grant immortality, but the wielder to be perfect in every aspect of life. If you believe in God, that’s basically what this potion would make you.

These ten books will be written by different action/adventure authors, who are considered the best of the best by Scholastic. Some will be writing two books. The authors go like this: Book 1. The Maze of Bones: Rick Riordan (drew the outline for the series) Book 2. One False Note: Gordon Korman Book 3. The Sword Thief: Peter Lerangis Book 4. Beyond the Grave: Jude Watson Book 5. The Black Circle: Patrick Carmen Book 6. In Too Deep: Jude Watson (again) Book 7. The Viper’s Nest: Peter Lerangis (again) Book 8. The Emperor’s Code: Gordon Korman (again) Book 9. Storm Warning: Linda Sue Park Book 10. Into the Gauntlet: Margaret Peterson Haddix.  The multi-author series is a new revolution that will undoubtedly spread the interest in authors and the series, since people will read the books for one of their favorite authors. It also adds an amazing aspect of creativity, since the authors must build upon what has already been written. As Gordon Korman says, “With everyone’s creativity being piled on top of one another, it’s going to be awesome!” As well as it let’s readers experience different writing styles.

Everything else is great in the series, and it would probably still be top rank. However, the aspect of the online game pushes it over the top and makes it’s uniqueness impossible to ignore.

This revolution is that of which combines the books with the ultimate only game. As clue hunters, we, the readers, go online in the search for the 39 Clues. There are many prizes along the way, but the main prize is that the first person to collect all 39 Clues wins $100,000. Of course, it’s a small price to pay for Scholastic, who is sure to make millions with this groundbreaking scheme to improve reading and put a few boatloads of money in their pocket. In order to find the Clues we have to do a lot of hunting. First, we must create an account, where we will then take a test determining that person’s branch. In my opinion, it’s a smart idea to have an account with all three branches, including the Madrigals, but I’ll talk about that later. In the books, there are cards which you can collect. Once you enter them into the website, you will earn a clue for each book. That’s ten clues in total.

There are also missions on the website where you basically just sit around and do nothing and get a clue. It takes a little skill, but for the most part it’s a snooze. For each mission that you complete, you get a clue. That’s another ten clues. So, for just reading the books and sleeping, you’ve already gotten twenty clues! However, that’s just the beginning.

There is no real challenge in this game. In my opinion, it’s really all about who has more money, which benefits Scholastic greatly. Let me explain.

Now, it’s great to get those twenty clues, but everyone and their Grandmother can get those. To gain control of the real clues, you need to buy card packs.

They’re not extremely expensive, at just about six dollars a pop. With all the 39 Clues reader’s, though, you can take it to the bank that Scholastic must make a fortune from these.

Each card pack comes with its own unique cards, and, according to Scholastic, no two card packs are the same. All of the remaining clues are earned by simply entering in the codes. If you obtain the correct combinations, you will be given a clue.

So, that’s a quick overview of the 39 Clues. There is MUCH, MUCH, MORE, and I cannot stress that enough. On this website, I will be posting new updates and theories, so click around.

Also, if you have an article, just e-mail it to me atjohnstondaniel4@gmail.com and it could go on the site.

The Characters