The 39 Clues: Book 5
It might not be easy to choose a favorite book within a kids’ series. They often tend to run together after a while, but I’m going to try.
- From Harry Potter: Book 4, The Goblet of Fire, was my favorite for its deadly competition—at least until I read Book 6, The Half-blood Prince, for its character twists that still amaze me.
- From A Series of Unfortunate Events, I really liked Book 2, The Reptile Room for its dragging us deeper into the kids’ unfortunate world and showing us that few can be trusted, and no one is safe.
- From The Wingfeather Saga, I liked Book 2: North! Or Be Eaten the best for its pacing and story development.
We’re only 8 books into the original 39 Clues series, but so far I’ve got to say that this fifth book has been my favorite. As is always the case in this series, this book takes the Cahill children to a new location to face a new historical figure as they search for the next clue about their powerful family. This story finds Amy and Dan Cahill running off to Russia to research the story of Princess Anastasia and the mystery of her disappearance.
Of particular importance in this book is Irena Spassky, the children’s Russian-assassin cousin and member of the Lucian family. The woman they’ve all along feared has a soft side, they discover, and their adventures deepen as they explore her background.
Also important in this book is the children’s association and even partnership with another cousin, Hamilton Holt, a.k.a. “The Hammer.” I thought this addition of alliances with someone other than Alistair was helpful, lest the book feel too same-old, same-old.
The Black Circle contained some serious action and even some shocking images, like having the kids hide in a casket full of bones. I was a mite concerned that my son would have bad dreams from it, but I think that the story is unrealistic enough not to affect his imagination that way. Books have been scary for him before, but it seems that images he sees on the screen tend to have a worse affect than the scenarios he reads about in books.
By the end, my kids ending up choosing to read The 39 Clues: Book 6 over Percy Jackson: Book 3, so that’s saying something! They’re enjoying this treasure hunt more than the adventures of a demigod, and I guess I’m happy for that. We’re still making our way through the series, and I’m still not sure how many we’ll ultimately read, but coming across a well-crafted installment like this sure helps us keep going.
©2023 E.T.
Read More from The 39 Clues Series:
1. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (2008)
2. One False Note by Gordon Korman (2008)
3. The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis (2009)
4. Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (2009)
5. The Black Circle by Patrick Carmen (2009)
6. In Too Deep by Jude Watson (2009)
7. The Viper’s Nest by Peter Lerangis (2010)
8. The Emperor’s Code by Gordan Korman (2010)
9. Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (2010)
10. Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix (2010)
11. Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordan Korman, and Jude Watson (2011)