(DLA Las Piñas GS LRC) January Book of the Month - 39 Clues

The 39 Clues is a series of novels written by a collaboration of authors, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, and David Baldacci.

The books chronicle the adventures of two siblings, Amy and Dan Cahill (the series' protagonists), who discover that they belong to the Cahill family, the most influential family in history.

The main story arc concerns Dan and Amy's quest to find the 39 Clues, ingredients to a serum that can create the most powerful person on Earth.

The series consists of adventure novels; however, the novels also fall within the genre of historical fiction. The stories switch back and forth between different characters' points of view.

Each novel focuses on one historical figure and geographical location as Dan and Amy explore a clue related to a prominent Cahill family member in an exotic location.

One theme of the series is the relationship between talent and success. Each branch of the Cahill family has specific talents in a certain area; for example, the Ekaterina branch specializes in inventions and technology. Amy and Dan's competitors' talents give them an advantage, yet Amy and Dan consistently are ahead in the hunt and are viewed as the main threats. Over the course of the books, Amy and Dan discover their own talents.

Since the release of the first novel The Maze of Bones on September 9, 2008, the books have gained popularity, positive critical reception, and commercial success. As of July 2010, the book series has about 8.5 million copies in print and has been translated into 24 languages. The major publisher of the books is Scholastic Press in the United States.

Currently, the 39 Clues universe is composed of Series One: The 39 Clues and Series Two: Cahills vs. Vespers. A third series is in the making with four books in line, the first by Jude Watson to be released on October 2013.

Regarding the origins for the concept of the entire series, an editorial team in Scholastic is said to have come up with idea of an interactive series with online games and asked Rick Riordan to write the first book. Riordan agreed because he thought it was a good idea, and as a middle school teacher, he loved making history enjoyable for younger readers. The project was kept secret for about two years.

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.