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Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues) Review

March 17, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Amy and Dan thought that when the clue hunt was over they could relax and be normal kids again. They thought that when they beat the vicious Isabel Kabra and secured the serum, things were going to be better.

So did we.

But Scholastic wanted more money.

For those who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which Amy and Dan Cahill are surprised to learn that they are members of the most powerful family in human history. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of 39 special clues. Unfortunately, their family members are also after the clues, and they’re willing to kill to get them. This is a great series for kids.

Learn more about The 39 Clues.

Even though The 39 Clues was originally supposed to be only ten books, they have kept the series running due to the success. I was pretty excited at the time that there would be another series because I just absolutely loved it.

The new series has to do with a rival family to the Cahills known as the Vespers. The Vespers are pure evil and will stop at nothing to steal the clues (and some other secret stuff) from Amy and Dan.

This book bridges the gap between the clue hunt and the fight against the Vespers.

Summary

The way this book is written is that it’s split up into four parts. As the series was multi-author, they also made this book multi-author. The first section is written by Rick Riordan, the second by Peter Lerangis, the third by Gordon Korman, and the last by Jude Watson.

The different authors travel through time and reveal different things about the Cahill family. It’s interesting to learn more about old secrets we’ve been wondering about for the whole series.

Riordan opens the book by telling us about what really happened at the time of Gideon Cahill. We learn about the Vesper founder, Damien Vesper, how Gideon’s kids got the clues, and what really happened when his lab was burned. We also learn about the mysterious ring.

The next story, written by Peter Lerangis, tells us about Madeleine Cahill, the founder of the Madrigal branch. Not many people know it, but Gideon and Olivia Cahill had a fifth kid named Madeleine. Madeleine was taught by Olivia to try to bring the warring family together. This is very well written and it tells us a cool story about how the Madrigal branch and the M started.

In the third section, written by Gordon Korman, we track the movements of young Grace Cahill. Grace realizes that the Vesper’s have stolen the ring from her father, James Cahill, and goes on a mission to Casablanca to recover it. Grace manages to get a pilot to take her there encounters George S. Patton. Patton tells her about the Vespers, but later learns that he may have tricked her. But Grace isn’t about to let the ring fall into the wrong hands.

Finally, Jude Watson takes us back to the present with Amy and Dan. They have returned home and are trying to start a normal life. However, they learn of the ring and are told that Grace wanted them to protect it. Amy starts wearing it, but soon after they are attacked while on the way to school. Luckily Amy knows jiujitsu, but the message is clear; the Cahill family better get ready for perhaps their toughest battle yet.

Review

This book is really good and interesting. I enjoyed learning secrets that I had wondered about for the two years since the series started, and also having the story moved forward. The adventures are very exciting.

If you haven’t read The 39 Clues, yet, though, then don’t read this book. This is a transition book for people who have already finished all ten books in the clue hunt series and are looking to tie up loose ends as they move on to the fight with the Vespers. Otherwise I’d recommend just starting with the first book of the current arc.

For obsessed clue hunters, however, this is a great book. After it they’ll be obsessed Vesper hunters 🙂

Click here to buy the book

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The Million Dollar Goal by Dan Gutman Review

March 15, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

Hi guys, thanks again for checking out my site. Today I’m excited to tell you about another book in the Dan Gutman’s million dollar series; The Million Dollar Goal.

Dan Gutman does a really good job writing books that kids want, and the million dollar series is a perfect example of that. In each of the books we have a different kid in a different sport somehow having the opportunity to win a million bucks; by sinking a basket, a soccer ball, or, in this case, a hockey puck.

Summary

At the beginning of the story we meet Dawn and Dusk, two Canadian twins who narrate the story. They live in Canada and absolutely love hockey. Unfortunately, their dad hates hockey, along with their old grandmother. So when he decides to buy them tickets to a Canadian hockey game, they are super excited.

At the game, Dawn and Dusk learn of a contest that gives the winner the opportunity to shoot a goal for the opportunity to win a million bucks. Even though their dad tells them that it’s rigged, they enter anyways. To their surprise, their grandmother Oma wins the contest…asleep in her chair.

The twins dad hopes to get it a secret from Oma that she won the contest because they all know she has no chance of making the shot. Although she acts innocent, before she goes to bed that night she says, “Oh, by the way…. I’m gonna take that shot.”

After that they try to help Oma prepare to make the shot and put provisions in to make it easier for her. She has to hit a regular check to get the money. Dawn and Dusk begin to train her, however it proves to be more challenging than they originally thought. Oma gets hurt and is put in a wheelchair, compounding her difficulty.

Even worse, some people begin to get nervous that Oma might actually make the shot and take their money, so they decide to start sabotaging her, and it’s not good at all. Things don’t turn out well for Oma, and that part of the book is very sad. Eventually the shot comes down to the final inch. Will they make it and win a million? Or will this book have a different ending from the other million dollar books? And will one Elvis Presley end up saving the day for their family?

Review

This is a really good book. Having Dawn and Dusk narrate it together was a really good idea as we got to see the twins banter back and forth. It’s good how Gutman models Oma as a fighter and shows the twins eventually learning to love her.

It’s also good because the ending is different then the other books in the series, and it is definitely not an easy one. Gutman uses the opportunity to process some of the emotions that naturally come with having an ailing grandparent.

Gutman also does a good job creating a family with all its problems, but also all its love and quirks. This is a really funny book and a lot of laughter will definitely be involved in reading it.

Even though this book is held in Canada, Gutman didn’t really do a lot of research about it and you don’t learn much of anything. It is interesting to learn about hockey, though. I’ve never been much into hockey, so it was cool to go into that world a little bit.

For people who have already read other million dollar books, this one is refreshing because it’s very different. For kids around 2nd to 5th or 6th grade with an interest in sports, it’s a really good book to read. One of the twins is a girl, so that’s good too.

If you get it for your son, expect this to be a hilarious book but also one that deals with some mature themes. It’s definitely well worth the read.

Click here to buy the book

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The 39 Clues Book 10: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix Review

March 10, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

The last book of the clue hunt, Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix, was perhaps the most exciting. By this point we had already been through nine action-packed books, and this was the last one! Here all our doubts would be answered, here the hunt for the 39 clues (which had been going on for nearly years) would be over.

Unfortunately, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones who want the prize. Their ruthless relatives are willing to do anything to be the first to find all 39.

Click here to read more about The 39 Clues.

If you don’t know much about The 39 Clues, then click the link above. If you’re already a veteran clue hunter, then keep reading!

Summary

At the end of the ninth book Amy and Dan learn the truth about their Madrigal identity, and agree to keep going in the clue hunt in order to unite the rest of the family. We are told the final battle will take place in England, and that is where the action continues.

At the start of the book, however, Amy and Dan are not very motivated. They receive a message from the Madrigal leaders, but are so exhausted they don’t want to read what it says. Before they have a chance to do anything, however, Isabel Kabra’s monkey comes into their hotel room and snatches it!

Luckily, Dan has a photographic memory and is able to remember the message, which tells us that the next clue is about William Shakespeare. The whole book focuses a lot on him and you really learn a lot.

Unfortunately, all the other families are also in England and hot on Shakespeare’s case. Even the Starling triplets (who got knocked out in book 1) are back. Ted and Ned are in bad health, and Sinead wants to use the serum to make them well again.

We also see a lot more of Jonah in this book. Although he attempts to pay off a woman to lie about a crime he committed, she is an old English teacher and refuses. In the end, however, she turns out to be a big fan of his and covers for him.

Amy and Dan hide out in Stratford-upon-Avon, but everyone else is following them and they aren’t able to do anything. They pretend to leave and so does everyone else, but they secretly come back to dig up Shakespeare’s grave. Unfortunately, it’s not so secret. There is secret writing on the tombstone, and everyone knows it.

The writing leads them to the Cahill Ancestral Home, a mansion in Ireland. There is the gauntlet; the ultimate Madrigal plan to force the family together. Amy and Dan are forced to admit to everyone else their Madrigal identity, but there is no time to think about it.

In the Gauntlet the Cahill’s are forced to answer questions in order to move forward, and no one can get too far ahead because a member of each branch has to touch locked doors in order to get through. Ian and Natalie are worried, because they know something nobody else does. Could their evil mother be about to join them?

This is the ultimate battle, a showdown between Amy, Dan, and the rest of the Cahill family, against the ultimate evil; Isabel Kabra. Will Amy and Dan fail? Who will get the serum? Will Isabel take over the world?

Review

This is an awesome book, perhaps the best in the entire series. At 327 pages, it is by far the longest, but that’s because it’s action-packed with a lot of stuff.

There is great character development all around in this book, and we get to see the real side of everyone; especially Amy and Dan. The action could not be any better, the action in the gauntlet keeping you on your toes.

It’s sad that with this book the series is over. The 39 Clues was a big part of my childhood, and the second and third arcs just aren’t the same as this one.

Good job getting to this point! This book is the reward for sticking through it with the previous nine books. Enjoy it!

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Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh Review

March 7, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 1 Comment

Who hasn’t heard of Harriet the Spy? Louise Fitzhugh truly created a masterpiece, a timeless classic of children’s fiction whose legacy will live on for years.

Harriet the Spy was one of my favorite books, and the charm and interest of the book remains as a masterful telescope into kid-nature. I think it is a must read for every kid.

Summary

For those of you who don’t know, Harriet is an eleven year-old girl who wants to become a writer and a spy. Combining these together, she goes spying on different people, observing them and writing her observations down in the notebook she eternally carries along with her.

People are also important to her. She hangs out with her friends Sport and Jane, but most important to her is her nanny, Ole Golly.

Life continues and we keep learning more about Harriet until the unthinkable happens: Ole Golly announces that she is leaving! She has always been Harriet’s nanny, and Harriet can’t imagine what life will be like without her.

Unfortunately, things don’t go so well for Harriet on her own. Shortly after Ole Golly leaves, she loses her notebook. Her friends pick it up and start reading it. The notebook is very honest, and now everyone is furious with Harriet. They try to get back at her for all the mean things she wrote in there.

Not surprisingly, this upsets Harriet very much. She just lost her nanny and her friends! Her plans to get back at her former friends start to consume all of her time, and she becomes totally ineffective in school.

Harriet’s parents become very worried about her and prevent her from writing anymore. She goes to see a psychologist, who seems to understand that she’s just going through normal problems.

Eventually, Harriet’s friends get tired of being mad at her and Harriet rejoins the school as the editor of the newspaper.

Review

Harriet the Spy is just a great book. It’s written in a mix between third and first person, so it gives us both a full and personal perspective. The story itself is third person, but includes first person journal entries from Harriet.

Harriet is just a normal girl. She’s smart and ambitious, is neither a misfit nor a popularity queen, and has the same problems everyone else does. To me this book does a very good job of modeling a normal kid. Sure, she has rough times, but it’s not the end of the world; she gets through it all right.

Another thing that Fitzhugh does very well in this book is create a simple, charming world. Not many books for kids written in the 1960’s are still relevant because kids have changed. Harriet the Spy on the other hand, still resonates with kids because it talks about their very nature. It paints the very picture of the simple life we all wish childhood would be.

If you haven’t read it yet, read it. If your kids haven’t read it yet, buy it for them. You’ll remember Harriet for a long time.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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The Million Dollar Kick by Dan Gutman Review

March 6, 2014 by Daniel Johnston 2 Comments

Dan Gutman writes books that kids want to read. The Million Dollar Kick is no exception, continuing with the million dollar series. In this series Gutman writes about kids having the chance to win a million dollars in a variety of sports.

This series is very well liked (I mean; what kid doesn’t dream about winning a million bucks?), and also very well written. The characters are all different, and each has their own storyline and development.

Summary

The main character in The Million Dollar Kick is a thirteen year-old girl named Whisper Nelson. She is very identifiable as a normal eighth grade girl who doesn’t like sports; in fact she hates them.

Part of the reason for this is because her younger sister, Briana, is a pro at sports. Plus, she is a pro at school. On report card day she gets straight A’s, so their mom has Whisper take her out to get some doughnuts. Whisper is jealous of her sister because she is viewed as the perfect one by their mom.

While getting doughnuts Briana happens to enter them into a contest that gives the winner a chance to win a million by kicking against Carmen Applegate, one of the best professional soccer goalies around. Surprisingly, Whisper wins!

Even though Whisper hates sports, she knows a million dollars would really be nice. She tries to learn how to kick, and Ellie Gonzales (the high school keeper) agrees to help her out.

Whisper soon becomes proficient in her soccer skills, improving her emotional life and her relationship with her mom. On the big day however, Carmen gets hurt and a familiar friend steps in to be the goalie. Will Whisper score? Or will she miss and feel bad forever?

Review

This is a very good book, as we have come to expect from Dan Gutman. Whisper is easy to relate to and I still feel like I know her. Throughout the book Gutman uses breaks in the action to his advantage in order to build Whisper’s character.

Whisper’s journey to become a better soccer player is also inspiring. It’s not easy for her to do, but it helps her with much more than just her soccer playing.

It’s also good that Gutman has the main character of this book be a girl, because all of the other books in the million dollar series are boys. This is a great book for girls from around 2nd to 5th or 6th grade, although many boys may still enjoy it. I sure did.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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The 39 Clues Book 9: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park Review

March 3, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

By the ninth book in The 39 Clues series, Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park, the series was coming to a close. Amy and Dan have discovered the identity of their family branch and are starting to think more seriously about things.

For those of you who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which Amy (14) and Dan (11) Cahill learn that they are members of the most powerful family in human history. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of thirty-nine special clues. Unfortunately, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones after the prize. Their treacherous relatives will do anything to get the clues first; even kill.

Read more about The 39 Clues here.

At the end of the eighth book, Amy and Dan find a clue leading them in the direction of Anne Bonny, a famous woman pirate. That means the next clue is in Jamaica.

I actually have a special connection to this book because Linda Sue Park lives in Rochester, NY (the same place I live), and is only a few blocks away from my house. She gave a talk on the book at Barnes @ Noble the day it came out and I got to hear her perspective on the book, so it was quite interesting. Of course, I had already finished the book before I went to her talk that night.

Summary

Even though Amy and Dan know that the next clue is in Jamaica, Dan wants to go to the Bahamas first to play at a water park, so they do. It’s not a total waste, though; they infiltrate a Tomas hideout and steal a bear claw.

After Amy hurts herself in the Bahamas they decide to go and track down Calico Jack in Jamaica, a pirate who had Anne Bonny on his ship. As you’d expect from Amy, they visit a library. They find that some of the stuff on his ship included the bear claw and the necklace Amy got from Grace.

Amy and Dan have been suspecting Nellie for several books now, but things come to a complete head in this book, and Amy and Dan refuse to trust her at all. Nellie is forced to admit that she does in fact work for William McIntryre.

At the library, Amy and Dan meet a nice man named Lester. He doesn’t know anything about the clue hunt, but introduces them to his grandmother, a former friend of Grace. To everyone’s shock she has an earring that matches the snake ring in Nellie’s nose. Nellie was born into the clue hunt just as much as Dan and Amy.

Throughout the whole book Amy and Dan are confronted by the Kabras. Ian and Natalie, but mainly Isabel, the most ruthless villain in the whole series (and that’s saying something!).

Amy and Dan realize that Isabel’s wolf fang necklace might also be connected with the clue, and attempt to steal it from her. Isabel is by no means an easy catch, but Amy, Dan, and Nellie are able to set a trap for her.

Things come to a terrible head as Lester continues to help them find the last clue. An innocent person dies, not for the first time, but it shocks Amy and Dan worse than ever. They realize that they can’t just keep on like this and let people die. They need to quit the clue hunt.

After that Nellie takes them against their will to the Man in Black (yes, his identity is finally revealed!), where Amy and Dan are put to the test. Who are the Madrigals? Are they good or bad? And will Amy and Dan join them?

Review

This is a very good book, although it was written very differently from the rest of the series. Linda Sue Park admitted at her talk that she was surprised when they asked her to write a book for The 39 Clues because she’s not an adventure writer. However, they said they wanted her because she is good with emotions and would be able to handle the death and problems with Nellie and everything. She does a very good job.

We also learn a lot in this book. The true identity of The Man in Black (which we’ve been trying to discover since the first book), the real scoop on the Madrigal clan, and what is going to take place in the last book.

I love reading this book because it shows the characters of Amy and Dan very well. Sue Park definitely does a great job dealing with the death of an innocent person, and it makes Amy and Dan seem more human and real than at any other time in the series.

This is a must read for sure. Linda Sue Park may have been surprised they asked her to write the book, but I’d be even more surprised if you don’t want to check it out.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.