The 39 Clues

The 39 Clues

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The 39 Clues The Maze of Bones One False Note The Sword Thief Beyond the Grave The Black Circle In Too Deep The Viper's Nest The Emperor's Code Storm Warning Into the Gauntlet Vespers Rising Cahills vs. Vespers The Medusa Plot A King's Ransom The Dead of Night Book 4 Book 5 Book 6
Author	Rick Riordan Gordon Korman Peter Lerangis Jude Watson Patrick Carman Linda Sue Park Margaret Peterson Haddix Roland Smith David Baldacci
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Adventure Young adult
Publisher	Scholastic
Published	2008–present
Media type	Print (hardcover)

The 39 Clues consists of two series of adventure books, The 39 Clues and Cahills vs. Vespers. Rick Riordan wrote the first book and created the main story arc, and a collaboration of six other authors continued the story through the following nine books. Authors that have contributed to the series include Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, and David Baldacci.

Overview

The Cahill family

The Cahill family is the most influential family in the world of The 39 Clues. It consists of famous historical figures: leaders, scientists, artists, and athletes. The secret to the family's power lies in 39 Clues, which are ingredients, such as silk and tungsten, of a mysterious chemical turns its drinker into the most powerful person on the planet. The Cahills go back to 1507, and the series establishes Gideon Cahill and his wife Olivia as their ancestors, who had five children. The Cahill family splits into five branches; each child founds one branch. Four branches fight each other for clues, while the Madrigals try to maintain peace in the family so that one branch does not overpower the others. Each of the four main branches specializes in a certain skill and has its own symbol and color.

Ekaterina

Founded by Katherine Cahill, the Ekaterina branch is the branch of ingenuity and intelligence. Characters in the series who are Ekaterinas are the Starlings, Alistair Oh, and his uncle, Bae Oh.

Janus

Founded by Jane Cahill, the Janus branch include famous and talented artists, as the Janus are talented in art and literature. Janus characters are Jonah Wizard and his mother, Cora Wizard (the leader of the branch). Sophie Watson, who is introduced in Cahills vs. Vespers, is also a Janus.

Lucian

Founded by Luke Cahill, the Lucian clan specialize in leadership, secrecy, and sabotage. In both series, the Kabras, Irina Spasky, and NRR (who is a Lucian double agent for the Madrigals) are Lucians. Vikram and Isabel Kabra lead the branch.

Tomas

Founded by Thomas Cahill, the Tomas branch is made up of famous explorers, discoverers, and athletes. The Holts (Eisenhower, Hamilton, Madison, Reagan, Mary-Todd) are the Tomas agents.

Madrigal

Madeleine Cahill, the fifth child of Olivia Cahill, founded the Madrigal branch. Sending double agents to infiltrate other branches in disguise, Madrigals balance the power between the branches to prevent one branch from overpowering another. Madrigals aim to reunite the Cahill family and stop the warring of the branches. Because Olivia hid Madeleine from her feuding siblings, the other branches do not know that the Madrigals are Cahills, although they know of the Madrigals and fear their interference in the clue hunt.

Characters

Main article: List of The 39 Clues characters

• Amy Cahill and Dan Cahill are the series' protagonists. They are the grandchildren of Grace Cahill. They became orphans when their parents died in a fire seven years earlier. Since then, they have been in the care of their great-aunt Beatrice, before traveling to find the 39 Clues. They both have jade-green eyes, but Amy has reddish-brown hair, while Dan's is a dark blonde
• Grace Cahill is the Cahill matriarch and Amy and Dan's grandmother. She has traveled all over the world and settled in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The Maze of Bones begins with her dying and her last minute change in her will.
• Nellie Gomez is the Cahill's au pair. She can fly a plane, race cars, and speak over ten different languages. Amy and Dan enlist her to be their guardian on the hunt 39 Clues, unknowingly at first, but she later decides to help the children. She is of Mexican and French descent.
• William McIntyre is Grace Cahill's mysterious lawyer, advisor, and "closest confidant for half of her life". He is one of the Man In Black's most trusted allies.

Series One: The 39 Clues

The 39 Clues books and card packs as of August 2010.

To promote the series, Scholastic includes six cards in each book in the 39 Clues series. Each card unlocks one online clue, which readers can unlock by entering the code on the cards on their 39 Clues account.

Book 1: The Maze of Bones

Main article: The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones is the first book in the series, written by Rick Riordan. It was released on September 9, 2008. Grace Cahill, on her deathbed, requests Mr. McIntyre to change her will and dies. At the funeral, Mr. McIntyre informs her grandchildren, Dan and Amy, of a choice: one million dollars or a chance to be the greatest Cahill in history.

Amy and Dan choose the chance and enter the Clue hunt, competing against more experienced Clue hunters: the Holts, Alistair Oh, the Starlings, and Irina Spasky. Pursuing clues hidden in Grace's library and the Franklin Institute, Dan and Amy discover that Benjamin Franklin has hidden a clue in Paris. After convincing Nellie to chaperone their trip, Amy and Dan travel to Paris. While on the journey, Amy and Dan discover the conflict-ridden history of the Cahills that Grace hid from them to protect them. Racing through Paris—above ground and underground—the siblings solves codes and ciphers and find the clue in a vial. The Kabras steal the vial, but Dan solves the puzzle on the envelope they received at the beginning of their hunt and discovers the clue: iron solute. Amy's Internet searches for Franklin leads them to the probable location of the second Clue: Vienna, Austria, the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Book 2: One False Note

Main article: One False Note

One False Note is the second book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on December 2, 2008. After succeeding in obtaining the first clue, Amy, Dan, and the other Cahills travel to Vienna, Austria to find a clue relating to Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart.

On the train, Holts attack Amy, Dan, and their au pair, Nellie, to steal the sheet music found in Paris, but Saladin eats the sheet music. Amy, Dan, and Nellie recover the music using Dan's photographic memory. In Vienna, Amy and Dan discover that Mozart had a younger sister: Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart. They go to a library and ask for her diary but find out that Jonah Wizard stole it. They steal it from him, then Nellie translates it and notices that three pages are missing.

Then, Amy and Dan discovers that there is another song in the middle of the song by Mozart. That song's name is "The Place Where I Was Born", so they go to Mozart's birthplace: Salzburg, Austria. There, they see Alistair Oh, and follow him. He goes into the Salzburg Catacombs, and they follow him in. There, Amy and Dan see The Man in Black, and there is an explosion, but they barly escape. Later, Nellie discovers a homing device on the collar of their cat, Saladin. They place it on Alistair Oh's cane when he is sleeping. They also steal a document from him. It is talking about Venice, Italy, so they go there.

In Venice, they follow Jonah Wizard, and find a secret passage in a music store called Disco Volante to a Janus stronghold. There, they find the missing diary pages, and steal them. The pages say that Nannerl Mozart thought her brother was going crazy because he was getting into debt by buying Japanese steel. A name, Fidelio Racco, which was also found on the paper taken from Alistair Oh, appears in the diary. Because of that, Amy and Dan go into Fidelio's Racco's mansion (which is now a museum). There they see the Kabras, who attack them, but Ian falls into the booby trapped key, and is knocked unconscious while Dan throws a tranquilizer dart at Natalie knocking her out.

Then, in the same place, Amy and Dan find the second clue, the clue is tungsten, and two Japanese swords. Because of that, Amy, Dan, and Nellie buy plane tickets to Tokyo, Japan. The book ends with Alistair Oh finding out who is owner of the tracking device that was placed on Saladin, and himself. That person is Grace's lawyer and friend, William McIntyre.

Book 3: The Sword Thief

Main article: The Sword Thief

The Sword Thief is the third book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on March 3, 2009. The book starts with Dan and Amy in a Venice airport. There, Ian and Natalie Kabra steal their plane tickets and board a plane with their au pair, Nellie Gomez, who is already on the plane. Amy and Dan are then forced to team up with Alistair Oh and fly with him on his private plane to Tokyo, Japan. Together they learn about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the greatest warrior in the history of Japan, and the son of the first Tomas, also focusing on swords stolen centuries ago by Japanese warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Holts kidnap Amy, Dan, and Alistair and threaten them into helping them find the next clue.

The group then goes to a train station according to a lead and Dan and Amy nearly get hit by a train. However, Alistair pulls them into the room, saving them both. In this room, they find a haiku, which tells them to use geometry to find Hideyoshi's treasure. Later, they find some geometric shapes, but are chased by the yakuza and are once again nearly killed. They are rescued by Nellie, who has struck a deal with, and is accompanied by, the Kabras. Ian gives Amy a small coin of importance to the search, after their hands brushed up against each other in the car, hoping that this token can gain Amy's trust.

They decode another message in the shapes, and some English letters. The message tells them to go to Korea. In Korea, everyone goes to Alistair's house. There, Alistair announces that he is tired so he'll take a nap, then they all can search for the clue, Ian asks Amy if she wants to go in the maze with him. However, she refuses him since Alisair said no one should go wondering on the grounds. After a while, Ian comes out the maze screaming since Alistair's dog has bitten him on the bum and ripped his trousers. He blushes infront of Amy, but quickly changes his attitude back in front of everyone else. Since the screaming woke Alisair up, he chews Ian out for snooping around in his hedges. Soon afterward, he gives them a clue to enter his secret library 'Why leave the factory when the workers are in their prime?'. The Kabras automatically give up as they have no idea what time people work at, Amy is sure she has an idea. She figures out that 'why' sounds like the letter 'y'. When 'y' leave the word "factory", you get 'factor' Then she notices the word 'prime', meaning 'prime factors'. Dan quickly solves the puzzle, '5, 7, 11, 13', when multiplied together, they get 5005. They are then welcomed into the Oh sanctuary. There, they look up books about the Cahill family in Alistair's secret library. This fascinated Amy and Dan since they've never been told before about their family, while the Kabras find it rather boring since they've known everything since they've been a child.

By reading one of them, Amy and Dan figure out that the secret of the 39 Clues is the secret to alchemy (philosopher's stone), also in one of the books they learn they have to go to a mountain called Pukhansan. While trying to find the mountain Ian offers a race between himself and Amy to a nearby boulder to show she is strong. She accepts and beats Ian by a second. There they both stand on top of the boulder out of breath, Amy looks into Ian's eyes seeing him from a different point of view. Her example is changing the angle of a painting and finally understanding the meaning, she feels embarrassed and thinks Ian is laughing at her, but realizes that his eyes are inviting her to laugh with him. Her heart is racing as their faces are only inches apart, they soon get interrupted by Dan who calls them 'Mr and Mrs Kabra', causing Amy to blush. While on the boulder Amy spots the mountain and they all start to head to it. They find an entrance and open it with the coin they have. It causes the cave to rumble and a boulder to nearly hit Amy, but Ian runs over to save her and lands on top of her. He places his hands to lock with hers and re-adjusts himself so his lips are brushing up against Amy's. The dust clears and everyone gets up, Ian realizes that instead of thinking about himself first, he thought about saving Amy first, which shocks and confuses him.

Inside, they find all of Hideyoshi's treasure, and the third clue, gold. The Kabras have a plan, but little do they know that Dan also has a plan. He discovers an anagram and says the next location is Lake Tash which he claims is located in Kyrgyzstan. The Kabras then betray them and seal them inside the cave, burying them alive. Dan begins to tell Alistair and Amy that he tricked the Kabras into going to a non-existent Lake Tash, but is interrupted by Amy. She realizes that they are surrounded by charcoal and gunpowder. Using the matches Dan took from the Thank You Very Much Hotel, they blow up the cave. Dan and Amy make it out, but Alistair appears to be crushed under falling rocks, and is presumed dead. The cops arrive and Dan and Amy tell them about Alistair. They then see Bae Oh talking to The Man in Black.

Dan and Amy find Nellie and Saladin in the parking lot of the park. On the way back to Alistair's house, Amy tells Nellie what happened. When they get back, Dan tells Amy that the actual word is Alkahest, not Lake Tash, which is the word for the philosopher's stone. Amy then figures out that it isn't Alkahest, but instead, Al Sakhet. 'Al' means 'of' and 'Sakhet' was an Egyptian goddess. They learn that their next location is Egypt. Nellie suggests that Dan and Amy both go take a shower. Dan walks into Alistair's bedroom, and finds a pair of filthy white gloves on the bed. He realizes that Alistair is alive. At first he is extremely happy, but realizes that he ditched them again. The book ends with Bae Oh, sitting in his office. He pages his secretary, but Alistair answers instead. Alistair threatens his uncle, and when Bae looks in his receiving room, no one is there.

Book 4: Beyond the Grave

Main article: Beyond the Grave

Beyond the Grave is the fourth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on June 4, 2009. At the beginning of the book the two siblings are in Egypt and they run into Irina Spasky. After escaping her they manage to get a cab which brings them to the Hotel Excelsior. After asking for their name Dan says "oh" accidentally and the clerk gives them a huge discount and the entire top floor. They eventually realize that the hotel has an Ekat stronghold and find three Sakhet statues with 2 of them having a computer representation of a drawing of a tomb inside of each which Dan memorizes. They then find out that the hotel belongs to Bae Oh, the head of the Ekats, who traps them in a cage of unbreakable plastic.

A little while later Nellie comes to save them by deactivating the cage with Saladin's help. Then while escaping the hotel they get into a car of a person called Hilary Vale, who turns out to be one of Grace's many best friends. They then receive a letter from Grace and a Sakhet statue identical to the one without the drawing. They then open the statue and take out a papyrus. On one side there is a poem from Katherine Cahill.

On the other they see one last different tomb from the other two identical tombs. Dan then draws the other two from memory, puts the sheets of paper together and sees the correct tomb which turns out to be the tomb of Nefertari. Then Theo, Hilary's grandson takes them there even though its under renovation because he's a tour guide. In the tomb they get lost and nearly killed by Irina but they manage to get out. Afterward, they are trapped on an island crowded with alligators by Jonah. They eventually escape. The next day they found out that Hilary and Theo were against them and use them as a lure to send Irina elsewhere. Then they and Alistair find out that the clue is 1/2 gram but the rest is blotted out. They finally find the clue at an antique store- myrrh.

Book 5: The Black Circle

Main article: The Black Circle

The Black Circle is the fifth book in the series, written by Patrick Carman. It was released on August 11, 2009. After receiving a telegram from a mysterious person known only as 'NRR', Dan thinks it is a trap. The telegram told them to go to a locker in the airport, but to come alone. They leave Nellie a note and depart. They are closely followed by Hamilton Holt. In the airport they lose him, but then run into the Kabras. Dan makes a run for it but Ian grabs Amy quickly. She then kicks him in the leg like she brought down a hammer on that spot. They make it to the locker in time to discover objects in a box left by a mysterious person going by the name of NRR. In the box there is a guidebook, disguises, passports, a small globe-like room, a credit card, a note with random letters on it, and a photo of their parents outside the Russian Embassy.

Dan and Amy unscramble the random letters and find out that the next clue(s) are in the following Russian cities: Volgograd, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and St. Petersburg. They board their plane quickly without Nellie and Saladin. Then they both fly to Russia, ending up in Volgograd. Here they meet and work with the Holts, climbing the inside of The Motherland Calls to discover a hint to the clue around Rasputin, Anastasia, and Alexei. They check out the cities on the list they found by the eye of the statue, buying a car in the process, leading them to the place Rasputin died.

During an attack by the Kabras, the Holts alert them of a location code which guides them to a Lucian base, the Kremlin. There, they discover who the mysterious NRR is; Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova, Anastasia's only daughter. They also find the clue in the Amber Room in the St. Petersburg Cathedral. It has given Amy and Dan black circle clearance, meaning that only Lucians given permission directly from Vikram Kabra can enter. They then find the clue, one gram of melted amber, and as Spasky catches them, the man in black bursts in, attacks Irina and the other Lucians, indirectly saving the duo. They call the Holts and tell them what the next Clue is, only for Eisenhower to call their alliance off.

Book 6: In Too Deep

Main article: In Too Deep (The 39 Clues)

In Too Deep is the sixth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on November 3, 2009. Dan and Amy head to Sydney, Australia to learn about what their parents knew about the 39 Clues from their dad's cousin, Sheppard Trent. While going to his house, Isabel Kabra (in disguise) steals Amy's dragon necklace and runs. She then shuts Amy in a recreation of a jail cell, which is in a museum. She talks to Amy about the clue hunt and her children, especially how Ian still has feelings for her. Isabel Kabra has now joined the hunt. On the way out, Amy sees a picture of Bob Troppo, who they learn is a Cahill. Then they finally meet Shep, who feels guilty about not being there for Amy and Dan when their parents died. They don't tell him about what they're really doing in Australia.

Amy is then cornered by Irina after Amy gets a call from Ian saying that he has information about the night her parents died. Irina tells her that no one but herself (Amy) can tell her who killed their parents, and that it is hidden in her memory. She runs from Irina and goes straight into a trap and is fed lies by Isabel about the night her parents died. She was about to be thrown to the sharks by Isabel. Ian is trying to fight against his mother and shows he has a mind of his own. Amy was then saved by Hamilton, who she realizes is not that bad.

Then Irina starts thinking about her son Nikolai died from a diesease and she thinks little children shouldn't have to die so young. Shep then takes them where their parents went. At one of them they go down a tunnel (also where Bob Troppo lived) to find a clue. It says "ring of fire" all around the cave. Isabel starts dropping spiders, snakes and other poisonous things into the hole with them. They eventually learn that the clue is at Krakatau (the ring of fire), where they meet Alistair. While trying to leave, Isabel sets fire to their hut and Amy, Dan and Aliaster get out because Irina saved them, the three them noticed that they had respect for Irina, even though she did horrible things, Irina did the right thing in the end when it mattered. After, they look in the bag that Irina carried with her and find song lyrics. They then find out that the clue is water. At the end of the book they start suspecting Nellie to be working for someone else.

Book 7: The Viper's Nest

Main article: The Viper's Nest

The Viper's Nest is the seventh book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on February 2, 2010. The search begins the morning after the fire that killed Irina Spasky. The two were shaken by what had happened and they could not believe that Irina was on their side. A few moments later, Nellie appeared, signaling the arrival of the police. It turns out that Isabel Kabra had called the police and put the blame of Irina's death on Alistair.

Meanwhile, after using their code breaking abilities, Dan and Amy figured that the last words Irina spoke was actually a song. "I'm with you and you're with me and so we are all together", which points them to their next destination: Pretoria, South Africa. Upon their arrival in South Africa, a mysterious man hands a postcard to the siblings which points to a connection to a famous person called Shaka Zulu. As they unravel the history of Shaka Zulu, they find out that he was a member of the Tomas branch. Following a line of clues, Shaka Zulu was then connected to Winston Churchill.

While visiting a library with a document written by Churchill, they discover that the clue was hidden with the body of Shaka Zulu. They also find a tunnel in which, it is said, that Churchill had hid while he was in Africa. To get the clue, Dan sent Amy to distract a guy who works there, Kurt, to play chess with. Dan goes into the cave that is unstable and gets a rubbing of the engraving. Afterwards, he gets out and shows Amy and Kurt what he found. Kurt thinks it is a bunch on nonsense since he doesn't understand a word of it, so Dan rips it up but still memories what was said. They unlocked the message of the Churchill clue which pointed to a certain coordinate which turned out to be a Tomas Stronghold. After infiltrating the Tomas stronghold they soon discovered a box with a diamond in it. The entire Tomas stronghold then comes to attack Amy and Dan, but they get rescued by another Tomas, who doesn't care about the Clue hunt. He then meets with his choir, which Kurt is a part of. Kurt takes Amy's hand and everyone runs through the forest. The Tomas catch up, but Dan tells the choir to sing in a circle. This causes the Tomas to come around them at all angles. They suddenly all fall into a hole that wasn't activated by everyone else since they were too light for it.

While leaving South Africa, Dan and Amy were captured by the Kabras. They were about to kill Dan when suddenly a professor, (who helped them at the Tomas Stronghold), saves them again. They escape together with what Dan thought was the vial of green liquid that they thought was their lead to the second clue in the Maze of Bones. They escape by flying Grace Cahill's old plane (The Flying Lemur). During the ride, Dan and Amy have a little quarrel, accidentally breaking the vial and spilling some of the contents onto Dan's arm. It turns out to be a Kabra poison. To get the antidote to save Dan, they fly to Grace Cahill's home in Madagascar.

While at Grace's Madagascar home, where they learn the clue is aloe, they find a page in her journal that says, ″I am feeling melancholy today, thinking about my dear A & H and missing them so. I cannot even bear to listen to my beloved di Lasso, because of the reminder...″, and on another page it says, ″I have written Deng Xiaoping, who has agreed to grant to visit to A & H when he discovered that they, like him, are M.". They try to figure what 'M' means, they wonder what the song has to with the Arthur and Hope, and discover that on the song it says 'Madrigal', which is a part song played without accompaniment. They then realize that their parents were Madrigals.

Book 8: The Emperor's Code

Main article: The Emperor's Code

The Emperor's Code is the eighth book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on April 6, 2010. Amy and Dan go to China to find the next clue and "coincedentally" they are the only ones on the airplane who are watching a movie about the forbidden city instead of The Terminator. Unfortunately, they are not the first ones there, and meet Alistair Oh at the Beijing airport. He tells them that the Kabras and Holts are already in China after they refuses his offer at alliance. After coming from the airport they go to the Forbidden City in Beijing and discover that Emperor Puyi was a Janus. Dan finds a piece of silk fabric in an attic in the forbidden city, which holds a poem as well as the Cahill crest and the branch crests in a mathematical way: Lucian + Janus + Tomas + Ekaterina = Cahill, the poem says "That which you seek, you hold in your hand, Fixed forever in birth, Where the Earth meets the sky".

Amy then starts doubting their parents because they are Madrigals and she tells Dan that maybe they should be glad their parents are dead, which upsets Dan who runs away, getting kidnapped by Ian and Natalie Kabra. The Kabras put Dan in Jonah Wizard's lollipop factory after searching him and finding nothing. Jonah finds Dan and takes him around China. Amy and Nellie go to Jonah's concert, hoping for information on Dan's whereabouts. Jonah lies to them, saying he hasn't seen Dan. The next day, they read in the papers that Dan is indeed with Jonah.

As Dan and Jonah go to the Shaolin Temple, Dan learns Wushu and accidentally finds the remains of a burnt lab. Dan also finds a locket which holds a picture of a woman, who looks exactly like his mother but with clothes from a different time, which he keeps. Jonah's dad receives a message on his phone which the monk interprets correctly as the location of a terracotta warrior. Jonah calls Dan to go to the terracotta warriors museum. There they find a trap set by the Kabras. Jonah was going to leave but he came back for Dan at the last second, and Dan uses what he learned from Wushu to defeat the man. After return to the hotel room they meet Jonah's mother, Cora Wizard, claims Dan to be a Janus. Dan gets mad at the Wizard family after realizing that Cora was involved the night their parents die and leaves, screaming that he is a Madrigal.

Through television, Dan sees the Holts climbing Mount Everest. He thinks that the next destination might be there. Amy knows the next destination when she changed Puyi's room in the Great Wall following the feng shui requirements to achieve positive qi. She sees an image of Mount Everest projected on a wall. The Cahill siblings meet in front of the A-Star, a helicopter. After speaking with someone on Nellie's phone (she claims it's her uncle), the reluctant pilot flies both of them up Mount Everest and where they find a Janus vial left by British Cahill mountaineer, George Mallory, where they realise his famous quote 'Because it's there', did not mean everest, but the Clue. Eisenhower Holt and Ian Kabra catch up and they fight over the serum. Ian accidentally falls, Amy has a choice between saving the serum, or Ian, she chooses Ian as it is the right thing to do, but she is disgusted with herself that she ever thought of thinking of saving a human being over the serum, this choice causes the Janus serum to break.

When Dan thought that they've lost the clue, Amy shows him the poem on the silk and tells him the next clue is raw silkworm secretion. They also realize that the formula on the silk means that all the serum of the branches add up to one master serum. Then Dan shows Amy the locket he found at the Shaolin temple and they see a name of a woman pirate named Anne Bonny. The next destination is the Caribbean.

Book 9: Storm Warning

Book 9 Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park. It was released on May 25, 2010. Amy and Dan Cahill arrived at an airport and argued about where to go next, Jamaica or Bahamas. Dan convinces Amy to go to Bahamas, largely because he wants to go to a amusement park there. Dan tells Amy that he got a message from Hamilton saying that his dad knows where they are going next, which made them suspect Nellie immediately. Hamilton also says that for some reason (later revealed to be Anne Bonny) they are going to South Carolina instead. On the plane ride they corner Nellie and she admits that she works for William McIntyre, hurting Amy greatly and causing them to lose complete trust of Nellie.

They arrive at the Bahamas. They take a boat tour out in the ocean, when Amy invents the color Azturpealean(a combination of azure, turquoise, peacock, and cerulean). Dan and Amy receive a coded note from a stranger, which they unscramble, leading to the discovery of a cave, with the Tomas symbol, at the east end of the island. Dan retrieves a bear claw from the cave. When the tides rise Amy and Dan almost drown and Amy hits her head, which meant they had to go back to the hotel early. The three head to Kingston, Jamaica. In Jamaica, a woman named Miss Alice, also a friend of Grace's, has something to say to Nellie, Nellie finds out that her snake nose ring is actually a lock puzzle piece, but also that Grace hired Nellie especially for the Clue Hunt. Miss Alice also gives them a clue which send the three to a monument and find a strip with the words EKTOMALUJA.

After reading a list of items on the boat Anne Bonney was on, they notice that one of the objects was a jade dragon necklace, Amy's necklace. They then plan to steal a charm on Isabel Kabra's bracelet, believing it is vital for the Clue Hunt, they manage to knock Isabel out and steal the Wolf Charm. After that, they head out to the Port Royal excavation site with Lester (Miss Alice's grandson), then, they find a box (which was donated by Grace)that can fit all the things they have collected, dragon necklace (Ekat), Snake nose-ring (Lucian), Wolf Fang (Janus), Bear Claw (Tomas).

Isabel spots them and sends two hired thugs after them. The two men chase Lester and fall with him in a quicksand in the ocean. Lester saves the men but ends up dying. Lester's death has a profound effect on Amy and Dan, causing the siblings to decide that it would be better for everyone if they quit the hunt for the 39 clues and return to their Aunt Beatrice. However, instead of driving them to the airport, Nellie stops at Moore town, and gives the box to the Man In Black angering Dan and Amy. The Man In Black makes an agreement with Amy and Dan that allows the siblings one hour to open the box, he walks away saying in this game all sides are one and you'll need all of us to survive. After many tries, they figure out that on the strip they found that the MA in Tomas is really for Madrigal, the last branch, and the mobius strip was the all side are one hint because a mobius strip has only one side. Amy inserted the strip to the final slit and the box sprung open. It contained a poem by Madeleine Cahill and the clue, Mace.

The Man In Black reveals his true identity as Fiske Cahill, Amy and Dan's Great-Uncle and Grace's younger brother and tells them about Madeleine Cahill and the Madrigal branch, as well as granting the two active Madrigal status. He then also gives Nellie active Madrigal status even though she isn't a Cahill by blood. After reading the poem, Dan concludes the siblings' next stop is England. There, they must finish the clue hunt and stop the other branches from fighting, as per their new status as active Madrigals.

Book 10: Into The Gauntlet

Main article: Into the Gauntlet

Into The Gauntlet, the one before the final book in the first series, was released on August 31, 2010, written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In the book, all the teams come to the island of the original home of Gideon Cahill. Isabel Kabra captures them, and forces each of them to say their clues, by threatening to kill their loved ones. Amy saves them by smashing the serum over her head and knocking Isabel out cold. Amy and Dan are left with a list of everyone's clues in their hands, which each team gave them, "because they don't trust themselves around the serum, and the great power it wields." Dan and Amy end up winning the clue hunt the way Grace wanted them to, with everyone else wanting them to win . At the end, secrets are revealed to Amy and Dan in letters from Grace. The Clues was the recipe for the master serum. But they need the serum because...a new enemy is rising. And they must be prepared.

Book 11: Vespers Rising

Vespers Rising serves as a transition between the first and second series. It is separated into stories of different Cahills (mostly Madrigals). It was written by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. The book was released on April 5, 2011. This book is divided into 4 parts: 1507, which describes the cure Gideon made and his longtime 'friend', Damien Vesper. Gideon Cahill discovers the serum to make one the most invincible in history. Damien is jealous and causes the separation of the Cahill Family. 1526, which outlines Madeleine Cahill's life and times. After the fire that destroyed her family, she is in hiding in England. She tracks her brother Luke to the court of Henry VIII, and attempts to reunite him with her and their mother. 1942, which tells about Grace Cahill's first ever mission, and induction to the Cahills. After her father disappears and a message arrives for him, does Grace have what it takes and travel to Casablanca in the middle of war to find one of Gideon's secrets? 2008, which describes Amy and Dan's new life after the Clue Hunt. They set out to Zermatt, with their uncle Fiske. They are to recover an ancient ring that Grace bequeathed to Amy, but someone else is after it.

Series Two: Cahills vs. Vespers

After the Clue Hunt, all the kids who went through and succeed to find the whole serum recipe Gideon made, became Madrigals. The first book in the second series, The Medusa Plot, has been released August 30, 2011, and was written by Gordon Korman, who was also the author of Books 2 and 8 of the original series. Jude Watson was the author of Books 4 and 6 of the original series, and will write A King's Ransom which has been released December 6, 2011. Peter Lerangis was the author of Books 3 and 7 of the original series, and will be writing book three The Dead Of Night which will be released March 6, 2012. Roland Smith is a new author to the series, who will write book four, to be released August 2012. Linda Sue Park was the author of Book 9 from the original series, and will write book five, to be released December 2012. The final book is by David Baldacci, a best-selling author known for his legal thrillers, and is set to be released in March 2013.

Book 1: The Medusa Plot

This book was written by Gordon Korman and was released on August 30, 2011.

Fiske Cahill, Reagan Holt, Nellie Gomez, Ted Starling, Alistair Oh, Natalie Kabra, Phoenix Wizard. 7 Cahill relatives. 7 hostages kidnapped by the Vespers.

Amy and Dan Cahill are devastated when they hear their relatives have been kidnapped. The only way to save them? Steal the Medusa by Caravaggio, the Renaissance painter. With help from Hamilton Holt, Jonah Wizard, Sinead Starling, and Ian Kabra, the duo set out and attempt to save the ones they love.

Book 2: A King's Ransom

This book was written by Jude Watson and was released on December 6, 2011.

Amy and Dan are contacted by Vesper One again, this time to steal an ancient map created by a Renaissance cartographer named Albertinus de Virga. Unfortunately, the map has not been seen since 1932. Amy and Dan travel to Germany and the Czech Republic to track the map down, while Jonah and Hamilton help them, traveling to King Ludwig of Bavaria's castle. Amy and Dan encounter Atticus and Jake Rosenbloom, who finally agree to help them in the fight against the Vespers.Amy and Dan discovers their father's ties with the vespers,much to their horror.In the end, when Amy finds the map and delivers it to Vesper One, Atticus gets kidnapped.But they realised that someone who seems very dead seems very much alive.Their father.

Book 3: The Dead of Night

This book will be written by Peter Lerangis and is to be released March 6, 2012. It is about Dan and Amy trying to rescue Atticus, eleven-year old and Dan's only friend, who has been captured by the Vespers. The cover is green.The book begins after Atticus is kidnapped. Later the Wyomings stop to see if the getaway jet is ready. Then Atticus complains that he is getting sick from the sticky buns and motor oil. Before he remembered that his mom's tech guy gave some his tech to him and Dave Speminer which one of it is a transmitter. He asks for his key chain but Cheyenne finds that on the keychain that there was a transmitter and she destroyed it. But the real transmitter was in the hand sanitizer on the keychain.

Book 4: Shatterproof

Shatterproof, the fourth book of the series will be written by Roland Smith and released on September 4, 2012. In this book Cahills and Vespers are chasing each other in 5 countries.

Book 5

The fifth book of the series is scheduled to be written by Linda Sue Park and be released on December 4, 2012. It will unmask Vesper 2, the Shield. In this book Dan will get kidnapped.

Book 6

The final installment of the series is scheduled to be written by David Baldacci and to be released on March 26, 2013. It will unmask Vesper 1, the leader. In the Medusa plot, Vesper 1 is the "taxi driver".

Bonus books

Agent Handbook

The agent handbook is a look into the series that you can write inside of and has some additional information on characters, founders, and branches. The book also has places to fill out information that you have found while reading the series. It was supposed to be released together with Book Nine, but was released early at Barnes and Noble and is selling in Bogotá, Colombia and other countries.

The Black Book of Buried Secrets

The Black Book of Buried Secrets, written by Mallory Kass with an introduction by Rick Riordan, is a bonus book in the series, and was published on October 26, 2010. This book is about many of the secrets in the 39 Clues series never revealed before, including information about the five branches, the fire that split the original Cahill family, and the night Hope Cahill and Arthur Trent died. Mini-stories and reference stories are included, such as Isabel's trial and arrest, Bae Oh's assault on Alistair and Bae's arrest, as well as the time when Katherine stole Thomas's clue. It is the first 39 Clues book that uses color on its internal pages. Unlike the other books the book does not have a card pack inside. This book also gives some insight on the Vespers and the new book in the 39 Clues series: Vespers Rising.

The Cahill Files: Operation Trinity

To be released on May 8, 2012. The Cahills have cracked open their vault to tell the story of the most coveted work of art in the world, a masterpiece that has been the target of a record seven theft attempts. Operation Trinity chronicles the very first attack on Van Eyck's altarpiece, then jumps to WWII and young Grace Cahill's desperate bid to save it from the Nazis. The final story tracks Ian and Natalie Kabra's first solo mission - and the searing betrayal that nearly costs them everything.

Rapid Fire E-Book series

During the last week of December 2011 7 e-books were released under the Rapid Fire brand, showing either different perspectives of events that occured during Series One, or events that occured during the time before the start of Series Two. The final card code is VESPERFILE.

Book 1:Legacy

This story reveals what motivated Grace to start the Clue Hunt and involve Amy & Dan.

Book 2:Ignition

Shows different perspectives of Grace's funeral.

Book 3:Hunted

The Vespers monitor the Cahills involved in the Clue Hunt, testing them for future recruitment.

Book 4:Crushed

An embarrassing secret of Ian Kabra is revealed.

Book 5:Turbulence

Amy knows that the family needs to be prepared for the next Vesper attack & so organizes a training weekend. But a Vesper assassin has other plans.

Book 6:Invasion

Dan Cahill & Atticus Rosenbloom spent the weekend together, with Vespers closing on them.

Book 7:Fireworks

Amy & Dan gather the Cahill clan to celebrate New Year's.

Film adaptation

Steven Spielberg acquired film rights to the series in June 2008. Spielberg and Scholastic Media president Deborah Forte will produce the series, while Brett Ratner, director of X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour film series, is interested in directing the first film. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, who worked with Spielberg on Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and with Ratner on Rush Hour 2 & 3, was hired to write in September 2008. The movie, titled The 39 Clues: The Movie, is going to be released in 2014. The film, jointly financed Universal Studios, Spielberg's DreamWorks, and Walden Media, the studio behind The Chronicles of Narnia film series, will be released in North America by Universal. DreamWorks, through Disney's Touchstone Pictures division, will handle the international distribution.

The plots of the first three books, The Maze of Bones, One False Note, and The Sword Thief are all in the first movie.

Awards

As of June 11, 2010, The 39 Clues series has been on the New York Times bestseller list of Children's Series books for 48 weeks. Books in the series have also appeared on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

External links

• The 39 Clues (official page)
• 39 – Various – A wiki devoted to The 39 Clues
• First Prize: World Domination
• Scholastic Plans to Put Its Branding Iron on a Successor to Harry Potter
• 39 Clues Wiki