In preparing for our annual celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday and NEA's Read Across America, I try to update my own reading of juvenile literature. I came across two excellent books I couldn't put down--The 39 Clues Book 1: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (Scholastic Books, 2008) and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press, 2006).From The 39 Clues website you can join Amy and Dan Cahill on their search for the 39 clues. I had no idea how exciting the search would be and found myself reading through the entire book hoping to solve the puzzle. The Cahills are the most powerful family the world has ever seen. Amy and Dan hunt the world over to solve the mystery and guard their family's power.
The Books 1-7 of the #1 bestselling series are available (through Scholastic Press). Read The 39 Clues books to follow Amy Cahill and her brother Dan as they travel the world to hunt for the Clues. Each of the ten books comes with six game cards, reveals important information about the Cahills, and most importantly, unlocks one Clue! Three more books will be on sale in 2010 including Book 10 which will be available on August 31, 2010.
Kate DiCamillo may be more popularly known as the author of The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick Press, 2003), released in theaters by Universal Pictures in 2008, and soon available on DVD. The Edward Tulane story is fantastic, a tale of love, loyalty, false pride, loss, . . .I could go on. It's written for youngsters, but the storyline will appeal to all ages.
How did I come across these books? 39 Clues was recommended by Children's Choices 2009, a project sponsored by the International Reading Association and the Children's Book Council and Edward Tulane, winner of countless awards, was spotted by this blogger as an American Library Association Notable Children's Book 2007.
