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Video courtesy of ChronicleBooks: “It’s an E-mergency! The letter E took a tumble and the only way to get her back on her foot is for people to stop using her. But who can take her place? The other letters have to make a decision ASAP. Z is too sleepy and Y asks way too many questions. Thankfully, O rolls in to try and save the day. Now E can rost up and got bottor . . . as long as ovorybody follows the rulos. Chock-full of verbal and visual puns, this zany book by Ezra Field-Meyer and New York Times bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld is sure to tickle both the brain and the funny bone.”
The movie version of one of my favorite books of all-time, releases on November 23, 2011. Please read the book before seeing the movie—it’s outstanding!
Press Release: Scholastic
Published: February 2, 2010
NEW YORK, NY (February 2, 2010) – The global hunt for The 39 Clues®,
the New York Times bestselling multi-media adventure series that
combines books, collectible cards and an online game,
continues with the release of “Book 7: The Viper’s Nest” by Peter
Lerangis, in stores today. With the publication of this new
installment, one of the key mysteries in the series—which branch of the
Cahill family Amy and Dan belong to—will finally be revealed. Also
today, Scholastic releases “The 39 Clues Card Pack 3: The Rise of the
Madrigals,” a new wave of randomly assorted collectible game cards, to
span Books 7 and 8, plus the simultaneous audiobook edition of “The
Viper’s Nest” which includes exclusive bonus material. With the release
of “The Viper’s Nest” and “Card Pack 3: The Rise of the Madrigals,” six
new Clues will be revealed, bringing a total of 28 Clues unveiled to
date.
As the race to find clues intensifies, author Peter Lerangis will embark on a national book tour where fans will have a first-hand look at this interactive reading experience that has captivated kids and educators from all 50 states and 191 countries. The tour,
which starts today and features events in schools, bookstores, and
libraries, will be supported by targeted advertising for teachers on
Facebook and various online outlets. Additionally, Scholastic will
promote The 39 Clues via print, television, in-theater, and online
advertising in key markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Dallas, and Boston, garnering more than 10 million total
impressions.
Scholastic Media recently launched the The 39 Clues Madrigal Maze App
for the iPhone™ and iPod touch®, which has been ranked among the top
“Paid Kids Games” on the App Store since release. Beginning today, in
conjunction with the release of “The Viper’s Nest,” the company will
offer the app for $0.99 for a limited time only. Scholastic Media also
recently announced that it has teamed up with Post Cereals
for a “Race to Win” Sweepstakes to bring the adrenaline-charged book
series to 4 million specially marked cereal boxes. National print
advertising and additional branded content supports an instant win game
at www.Post39CluesRaceToWin.com.
There are more than 6 million copies in print for books 1-7 in the
series. Worldwide interest in The 39 Clues continues to grow, with the online game
drawing new readers and gamers totaling more than 855,000 registered
users to date. The series has been licensed for publication in 20
languages including Japanese, Italian, Chinese, German, Greek, and
Hebrew.
The 39 Clues launched on September 9, 2008, with “Book 1: The Maze of Bones” by Rick Riordan,
which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. On December
2, 2008, “Book 2: One False Note” by Gordon Korman was released and
also debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Since then,
the series, including “Book 3: The Sword Thief” by Peter Lerangis
(March 3, 2009), “Book 4: Beyond the Grave” by Jude Watson (June 2,
2009), “Book 5: The Black Circle” by Patrick Carma
What to expect: Mystery, Action, Suspense, Babysitter, Brothers and Sisters, Family, Orphans, Travel
Here is what I had to say after reading book one: Calling all reluctant readers! Action, mystery, suspense, and orphans,
all mixed into a well-balanced, fast read. Not to mention the
interactive website and collectible clue cards. Maze of Bones is the
first book of a ten book series written by ten different well-known
authors. Rick Riordan (author of The Lightning Thief) has set
the pace well, creating a suspenseful adventure and scattering it with
secretive clues. Riordan has outlined the rest of the series, but it
will be completed by the 9 other authors.
Note: A discovery I made is that the books will be completed by 5 authors, each writing 2 of the books in the series.
Author number 2 of 5, Gordon Korman, transitions readers smoothly into book two, One False Note, and manages to strengthen the readers relationship with the characters. As the Cahill siblings continue on their journey to win the race by solving the mystery of all 39 clues, determination and self discovery are key themes in the series. Knowing your grass roots, extended family and all, can be a huge part of understanding one's self. The Cahill's certainly have an exciting and powerful family, including Benjamin Franklin (book one), and a whole branch of artistic members, including the historical figures Mozart and Picasso (book two).
Remaining true to the readers, Korman mixes history with a dash of hip-hop (Snoop Dog) and current themes to hold their interest levels. He has packed in plenty of action and suspense, not to mention a bunch of geographical locations. From Paris to Germany to Austria and then Italy, readers truly are presented with a nice tasting of culture and scenery as the pace of the race for clues quickens.
Publisher's synopsis: THIS JUST IN! Amy and Dan Cahill were spotted on a train, hot on the
trail of one of 39 Clues hidden around the world. BUT WAIT! Police
report a break-in at an elite hotel, and the suspects ALSO sound
suspiciously like Amy and Dan. UPDATE! Amy and Dan have been seen in a
car . . . no, in a speedboat chase . . . and HOLD EVERYTHING! They're
being chased by an angry mob?!?
When there's a Clue on the line, anything can happen.
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (September 9, 2008) What to expect: Mystery, Action, Suspense, Babysitter, Brothers and Sisters, Family, Orphans
Calling all reluctant readers! Action, mystery, suspense, and orphans, all mixed into a well-balanced, fast read. Not to mention the interactive website and collectible clue cards. Maze of Bones is the first book of a ten book series written by ten different well-known authors. Rick Riordan (author of The Lightning Thief) has set the pace well, creating a suspenseful adventure and scattering it with secretive clues. Riordan has outlined the rest of the series, but it will be completed by the 9 other authors.
Amy and Dan Cahill, sister and brother, are orphans who have found themselves in a 39 clue hunt for a a power to change the world. Their competitors ... vanity stricken, greed driven, family members who all happen to be distant relatives of Benjamin Franklin. What happens when the people you are supposed to turn to for help could be working against you? As far as siblings go, they have a pretty good relationship considering their unique personalities, so, at least they have each other and their uber-cool au-pair (a nose pierced-iPod-using-linguist). Collecting all 39 clues will lead to the fortune, along the way, Amy and Dan will also learn about their parents while traveling the world and learning some interesting historical facts. A witty and exciting read with interesting characters, which ends with a big question mark. Fun stuff!
Publisher's synopsis: Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her
descendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million
dollars or a clue."
Grace is the last matriarch of the
Ca hills, 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.
The
39 Clues is Scholastic's groundbreaking new series, spanning10
adrenaline-charged books, 350 trading cards, and an on-line game where
readers play a part in the story and compete for over $100,000 in
prizes.
The 39 Clues books set the story, and the cards,
website and game allow kids to participate in it. Kids visit the
website - the39clues.com - and discover they are lost members of the
Cahill family. They set up on-line accounts where they can compete
against other kids and against Cahill characters to find all 39 clues.
Through the website, kids can track their points and clues, manage
their card collections, dig through the Cahill archives for secrets,
and "travel" the world to collect Cahill artifacts, interview
characters, and hunt down clues. Collecting cards helps: Each card is a
piece of evidence containing information on a Cahill, a clue, or a
family secret.
Every kid is a winner - we'll give away prizes
through the books, the website and the cards, including a grand prize
of $10,000! Add this book to your collection:The 39 Clues: Book One: Maze of Bones
By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review Published: September 3, 2009 “If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good” ~ Dr. Seuss One sunny day, while swimming in a pool, my husband and I overheard a lady proclaiming to the world that Dr. Seuss' books were absurd and should not be read to children. Her reason: incorrect use of the English language. Oh lady, you've really missed the whole point, haven't you?! Here are five reasons you should love Dr. Seuss, including their absurdity: 1. Great for Beginning Readers and Mastering Phonics A child who is learning to read is learning to connect the sounds that go with letters, so that he can then put them together to make words, which then become sentences. Repeating sounds frequently help a child master this skill. Dr. Seuss is the master of repetitive sounds and engaging stories, while using limited vocabulary -- an ideal book for a beginning reader. A good example: Hop on Pop. 2. Great Read-Aloud Books Dr. Seuss' books sound great when they are read aloud, thanks to his clever rhyming. Did you know that reading to an infant helps with brain development, speech...
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By Luisa LaFleur, The Children's Book Review Published: July 24, 2009 Tyrannosaurus Math by Michelle Markel (Author), Doug Cushman (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 6-9 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Tricycle Press (July 14, 2009) Tyrannosaurus Math, by Michelle Markel, tells the tale of a dinosaur with a knack for math. The story's friendly main character, Tyrannosaurus Math, bursts out of his shell counting. He's a natural mathematician who goes about counting up everything he sees. As he grows, so do his math skills; readers are introduced to multiplication, division, fractions and even simple geometry. The story combines dinosaurs and prehistoric daily life with basic math concepts that will surely encourage even the most reluctant math students. Any dinosaur-enthusiast will love the detailed illustrations of the many different dinosaurs that our math whiz encounters on a daily basis. Publisher's synopsis: This T-Rex was born with number smarts! Youngsters ages 6-9 will get a peek at his number-crunching skills as he adds up an entire herd of triceratops, or multiplies the legs of a group of ankylosaurs, & estimates the distance to his next tasty meal. Delightful & humorous introduction to more than ten math skills. Add this book to your collection: Tyrannosaurus...
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Birds of a Feather is a brilliant book with a purpose: to introduce children to idioms. Oelschlager and Hegan have done an excellent job of helping children understand some very absurd idioms. Each idiom is illustrated with the literal version, then the objective is to guess the "real" interpretation of the phrase. The answers are provided upside down in the corner of each double page spread. Young children are very literal thinkers and it's hard for them to grasp abstract concepts. This book manages to show the absolute silliness that comes about from certain sentences, and gently shows children that some words, when put together, can have very different meanings. Humor, when done correctly, can be one of the most effective ways to teach a child something new -- this duo have their humor "on the nose"!
Publisher's synopsis: Children are innately curious about words, especially phrases that make
them laugh ("Ants in your pants!"), sound silly ("Barking up the wrong
tree" or "Goosebumps") or trigger images that tickle a child's sense of
the absurd ("Like a bull in a china shop"). Birds of a Feather
introduces children to the magic of idioms words that separately have
one meaning, but together take on something entirely different. Birds
of a Feather introduces idioms with outlandish illustrations of what
the words describe literally. The reader then has to guess the "real"
meaning of the phrases (which is upside down in the corner of each
spread). At the end of the book, the reader is invited to learn more
about these figures of speech.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (February 24, 2009)
What to expect: Dogs, Lost and found possesions, Family
Kids that enjoy reading will have a lot of fun with this one. Kate Feiffer has developed a story jam-packed with entertaining word play. She has done a great job of providing an endearing tale of a dysfunctional family. Mr. and Mrs. Puddle can not agree on anything -- not even their daughter's name. Mrs. Puddle calls her Emily and Mr. Puddle calls her Ferdinanda, but she is known to the rest of us as Baby. You might believe that this is in actual fact the problem with the puddles. You're not wrong in assuming so, but the problem in this story is that they have lost their dogs who both happen to be named Sally. You guessed it, Mr. and Mrs. Puddle could not agree on names for the dogs either. The twists and turns of the story lead to a surprising and happy ending.
Throughout the story Feiffer often directs questions to the reader, which allows us to feel a greater connection to the story. Illustrator, Tricia Tusa, has done a wonederful job of furthering that connection with her quirky and very suitable illustrations rendered in pencil, crayon, and watercolor. There is almost a picture on every page making it a great choice for kids that are new to the more serious layout of chapter books. Sarah Pennypacker, author of the Clementine series, said, "The problem with the Puddles is a blast from first page to last. My only complaint is that I didn't write it!" Excerpt from chapter one:
Every day clouds zipped across the sky until they got to the Puddle
property. No one knew why. All anyone knew was that when a cloud did
get to the Puddles' house, it stopped. It took time out of its busy
schedule to hang out for a while and practice its shape-making. It was
as if the cloud suddenly forgot it was heading to a hurricane in
Florida or an important blizzard in Canada. Perhaps it knew a family
named Puddle lived below, or perhaps, as Baby Puddle believed, there
was a big sign in the sky above their house that said STOP FOR PUDDLES.
