The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues, #1)

by Rick Riordan

What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in human history? What if you were told that the source of the family's power was hidden around the world in the form of 39 clues? What if you were given a choice - take a million dollars and walk away ...or get the first clue and begin the search? At the reading of their grandmother's will, Dan and Amy are given this choice - and they take the clue. Immediately, they are caught in a dangerous race against their own family members. The hunt is on...Think you've gone everywhere books can take you? Think again. Books are going to a new place, but you have to follow the clues to get there. Join Amy and Dan as they begin the hunt for the 39 Clues in Book One: The Maze of Bones. The high-octane adventures will continue for a total of ten exhilarating books written by well-known authors over two years. The 39 Clues also encompasses hundreds of game cards and an online world that that allows you to play a part in the story and compete for 100s of prizes, totalling over 50,000 pounds.

• ISBN10: 0545060397
• ISBN13: 9780545060394
• Publish Date: 9 September 2008 (first published 1 September 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 23 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

It's Rick Riordan, if that doesn't tell me it's good what will?

This was fast paced and action packed and it was wickedly good. Unlike Alex Rider it's not overly sad and unlike Cherub - I like the main characters. As a reader, I relate to Amy but I love Dan's way of looking at things. They're a great team. Nellie, the au pair, is hilarious. She's laid back and loyal and can speak a seemingly million different languages. The rest of the Cahill family kind of suck, but what's an adventure story without a villain? Or ten? The plot is riveting - the mix of fiction and history is fascinating and I flew through this and the next one in the series. They're not particularly long - but then this kind of book never is - or at least never feels like it is. I can't wait to read the rest. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.


This was a great start to a new series. I love Amy and Dan. I felt for them at having lost their parents and then their grandmother and having only Aunt Beatrice to look after them. I felt even worse for them as they struggle to trust everyone they meet. It's kind of like A Series of Unfortunate Events in a way, everyone's out to get them. At least they have Nellie (which in itself reminds me of Alex Rider and Jack) - although she is kind of absent in a lot of their adventures. As a child reading this I wouldn't think much of it - as an adult I can't help but thinking those poor children. Grace kind of seems like a jerk having palmed them off to Beatrice. Plus it's not like she actually looks after them - she hires nannies. It's kind of ridiculous. And she could've provided them some sort of security - I mean it's not like Beatrice is going to continue to look after them when she was forced - why would she when Grace isn't around anymore to keep her in line?

Anyway. I like the mystery of the 39 clues - what they are, what the ultimate goal is, etc. I like how they work to gain the first clue and how their different skills play a part.

[Nessa Luna]

Actual Rating: 3,5

[nitzan_schwarz]

This was a fun, nice book to read, but that's all it was.
It didn't compare in my eyes to Percy Jackson, the Heroes of the Olympus and the Kane Chronicles - all which I love and have a spot in my "favorite book series".
Rick Riordan is an author I love. He has this way of combining a large amount of wit, great characters and depth with a marvelous plot that captures you. His children books are not only for children, as well. My uncle, 40+ years old, have read all the series mentioned above and enjoyed them immensely, as well, which goes to show the genius of Riordan.
Which is why I was a bit disappointed with this book. The beginning of this story didn't suck me in like the rest of his books. I kept thinking this wasn't as good as the rest of his books at the beginning, roughly the first 60 pages or so. It picked up nicely, but there was still something missing... I can't really describe it – but it was not It for me.
I am still going to read the next books, because I can't abandoned a series once I've started (unless I can't finish one of the books, which is not the case), and I'm really interested to see how the different authors will affect the writing style and characters.