The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, opens with the death of Grace Cahill, the matriarch of the wealthy and influential Cahill family. Her two favorite grandchildren, orphan siblings, Dan and Amy, are among her many surviving family members who are expecting to receive a share of Grace’s vast estate. Unfortunately, when the will is read, each family member gets nothing but a clue, the first of 39, which begins a fiercely intense scavenger hunt around the world. This first book in the series takes Dan and Amy through New England and on to Paris to discover a clue left by a notable Cahill, Benjamin Franklin. Along the way they quickly realize members of their extended family are perfectly willing to lie, cheat, and kill to get ahead of the competition. "Trust no one," Grace’s lawyer tells them.

Essentially the brainchild of a clever marketing team at Scholastic, The 39 Clues series is an innovation in children’s literature. With a new leg of the adventure released every few months (the fourth to be published in June 2009) trading cards with clues, an online forum, and prizes to be won, The 39 Clues is an all-encompassing, interactive adventure for young readers. (Scholastic, 2008)

Age: 9+
Retail Price: $11
Available at: multiple sellers

The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

The mysterious adventure begins when 11-year-old Cass finds a box labeled "The Symphony of Smells" in her grandfather’s secondhand shop. The box came to the shop with a few other items from a house where a now deceased magician had lived. Inside the box are hundreds of vials, each containing a singular smell and code instructing one on how to “read” the smells. After decoding a distinct HELP message found hidden in the box, Cass and her friend Max-Ernest wonder if the magician is really dead and set off to discover if perhaps they can still help him. The pair find themselves in the midst of a centuries-old conspiracy involving individuals with synesthesia, a condition that mixes the senses of smell, taste, sight, and sound. In a world where spaghetti and meatballs tastes like the color blue and chirping birds smell like peanut butter, Cass and Max-Ernest must try to distinguish between good and evil. The only drawback in the book is the narrator’s unfortunate habit of interrupting the story to remind readers that the story is top secret; a habit that more mature readers might find annoying and younger readers might find distracting. Though overall, The Name of This Book Is Secret is a fun story with lovable characters presenting the intriguing idea of how the world would be if the senses were completely confused. (Little, Brown, and Company, 2007)

Age: 9+
Retail Price: $3.39
Available at: multiple sellers