About the Author

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for children and the Tres Navarre series for adults. His books have won many accolades including a mention on the 2005 New York Times Notable list for The Lightning Thief. Rick lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas.

Reviews

Gr 4-6-This is the first installment (Scholastic, 2008) of a projected 10-book series about 39 clues to a family's secret 500-year-old history left in a will by Grace Cahill, the last matriarch of the most powerful family in the world. The people mentioned in her will have the choice of inheriting one million dollars instantly or competing to win the fortune by collecting all the clues. Orphans Amy and Dan Cahill attend their grandmother's funeral and are swept into a worldwide search. The first clue, to "seek out Richard S," leads the youngsters to Poor Richard's Almanac, Ben Franklin, and the catacombs below Paris. This is an involved tale with lots of characters and plot twists that set the stage for the nine books that will follow. The children escape a fire, a bomb, a sink hole, and outsmart disreputable Cahills. Along the way, they learn about their dead parents and world history. The Maze of Bones was written by Rick Riordan; other authors will be writing some of the other titles. David Pittu's narration is measured and powerful, and he easily assumes foreign accents as the roles deamnd. The second clue is given at the end of the book. Scholastic has devised an online game (the39clues.com) where readers play a part in the story and can win over $100,000 in prizes. Listeners will be hooked and eagerly await the next title.-Marilyn Hersh, Hillside Elementary School, Farmington Hills, MI Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.