Reviews
Entertaining and Satisfying Conclusion to An Engaging Series
The 39 Clues is the first series I've read that was written by a variety of authors. I wasn't sure how well that would work, but as the series ends, I can say that, IMHO, the books blended together well, creating a cohesive and very entertaining whole. The multi-author method also exposed me to authors I hadn't read before, including Margaret Peterson Haddix whose contribution, Into the Gauntlet, turned out to be my favorite book in the series.
As Into the Gauntlet begins, Dan & Amy Cahill, along with their au pair Nellie Gomez (who has been declared an honorary Madrigal) arrive in London, still reeling from the events of Storm Warning. Not only are they exhausted, but they're feeling defeated and unable to cope with the news that they are expected to unite the warring branches of the Cahill family. But there's no time to rest and regroup. Within minutes, the coded note waiting for them in their room is stolen by a taunting monkey and the Clue hunt - revolving this time out around William Shakespeare - begins again.
Into the Gauntlet continues the series standard of keeping the chapters short and the action non-stop. The POV changed frequently, something I thought worked particularly well in this book because it gave us the opportunity to listen in as each of the characters started to make decisions about the direction they wanted their own life to take. I won't reveal any spoilers except to say that most of the characters make decisions that seem relatively wise.
Though I thought there were a few bumps in the road over the course of the series, I feel it ends strongly and, overall, there were a lot of things I liked. Readers caught glimpses of exotic locales and learned a bit about some of the most influential people in history. As protagonists, Dan & Amy Cahill faced danger, defeat and malice and continually struggled with knowing who to trust. But they kept trying and, even though frequently annoyed with one another, they supported each other and, along with Nellie, they hung together as a family. The books also have a lot of good messages concerning the corrupting power of greed, the futility and self-harm of hating others, the value of working together as well as the importance of valuing human life. Those messages were present without getting preachy and were mixed with adventure and humor.
All in all, I think the 39 Clues is a worthy addition to family libraries and is a great series for parents or grandparents to read aloud with family members.
Recommended.
Note #1
For those sad to see the series ending, there is more to look forward to:
* A bonus book by Rick Riordan, who wrote the first book in the series and the main story arc, is due in stores on October 26th. Called The Black Book of Buried Secrets, it promises to reveal more secrets about the Cahill family.
* A 39 Clues film, reportedly to be directly by Steven Spielberg, who bought the film rights in 2008, is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
* There are hints at the end of Into the Gauntlet that there may be more adventures in the future for Dan and Amy. Another mysterious family, more evil than the worst of the Cahills, have always been interested in acquiring Cahill powers...
Note #2
I just wanted to add that I really liked the whole 39 Clues concept - the online, interactive stuff, the cards to collect etc. - even though I didn't participate in anything but the reading. Some people might view this concept as money-grubbing marketing ploy, but I preferred to look at it as a creative way to involve kids and attempt to draw them further into the adventure of reading. I have no idea if Scholastic feels the concept has been successful, but regardless, I salute them for giving it a try and hope to see more publishers offering innovation interactive reading opportunities for kids in the future.
wow
(This review contains NO spoilers!) As a avid follower of the 39 clues series, I had high expectations for the series closer. Haddix jumps right into the action; the usual "back-story" explanations are brief. The plot was excellent, it unvailed many past secrets that the series has hinted at for the past few books. Dan and Amy's heroics continue; and the enemy Cahill branches get more and more desparate to eliminate them from the competition. Unexpected alliances arise, and desparate betrayals occur. Each team races to collect the final clue that will complete the hunt. The humor that is common in the other books is somewhat dryer, resulting in a somewhat darker mood to the story. This has both a postive and negative effect for readers; at some points the story seems to drag, but also it makes the story seem more serious and important. Even with the massive revelations at the climax, the ending is a bit unsatisfying, because it seems like it is only the beginning of the adventure...
What a great way to end the series!
This book was fantastic! This is such a great way to end this series. I just wish all of the books were like this one. In the past, Amy and Dan didn't really have to solve many clues, if any. This however, they had to solve a few clues and find out all the questions that was introduced in the first book. Amy and Dan know all of the answers to what happened to their parents, and who they really are. A lot of the clues they have to figure out deals with Shakespeare: his works, where he was born, died and how he fits in the race.
Into the Gauntlet has so much action, you can't help but to be glued to each page till the very end. There's a lot of actions, mystery, problem solving, and not knowing to trust and who not to trust. There are a lot of wonderful plot twists that will keep the reader up at night, reading instead of sleeping.
I loved how we were treated to the insights of all of the characters. We see how almost all of the characters are vulnerable and a lot of them questions their actions, and the actions of those who run the race with them. A lot of the characters learn a lot about themselves, and those around them. In most cases, they don't like what they learn about them, and people they know. Some are even ashamed by their actions, and other are fine with who they are, and don't feel a bit bad with their actions.
. Haddix knows how to keep the reader hooked, and engaged in what is going on in the story. She has a wonderful writing style. The final showdown is simply amazing. There is so much action and the main villain shows just how bad they can be. It's something that Amy and Dan could never dream of in their worst nightmares. I can't say to much here, I don't want to ruin anything.
I just had two small problems with this ****COULD BE SPOILERS.....SORT OF***. Not really spoilers, but I just wanted to put that in "just in case". Early on in the first few books, the authors hint that Grace is alive and well. This wasn't done in just one book, but a few of them. That plot line was never really worked out. It's kind of misleading. The second thing is that we're sort of given hints to who Nellie is and to her past. I found that to be really interesting, and couldn't wait to read about it. Again, that plot was never really summed up, and just left us hanging****END SPOILERS*****
THis is such a great way to end the series. This was one of my fav books in the 39 Clues. If you've read all the books up to this one, you want to be like me and read it as fast as you can to see how this all turns out. I can pretty much promise that you won't be sorry when you read this. I know I wasn't.
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