The 39 Clues: Book Eight

It’s been several months since we’ve taken the time to enjoy another selection from The 39 Clues series, but my kids were excited for the return. This foray into China (finally) really kept our interest.

There are several reasons why they kids felt a little burned out on this series after seven books. For one thing, the front cover of every book (and probably every 10th page besides) reminds us that this clue hunt requires 39 total clues, and Dan and Amy Cahill have averaged finding less than one clue per book so far! We’ve wondered aloud if we’re really going to have the patience to sit through 32 more of these stories, especially since the clues themselves don’t really have any meaning to us at all—I don’t think my knowing about silk-worm secretion is going to help me predict anything in this series, for example. Besides this, the Cahills aren’t reaching any benchmarks, and although we occasionally see changes in some of the other characters, they flip back-and-forth between good and evil so often, that’s we can’t view glimmers of kindness as anything special.

What eventually drew us back to the series, though, was reading the first book in the Charlie Bone series and feeling exhausted after slogging through the super-long Harry-Potter wannabe. I also did some research on a few other authors we’ve been interested in trying, but discovered that they’re either a) intentionally anti-Christian or b) unabashedly woke in their most recent publications. There’s too much good out there to waste our time on adult authors trying to brainwash children, so in the meantime, we’ve returned to the mostly-safe cove of The 39 Clues.

My kids speak some Chinese, so this book set in China with the occasional Chinese remark was fun for them. We all got a real kick out of Dan’s mislabeling Emperor Pu Yi as “P.U.!” Despite his photographic memory, he just couldn’t seal that one in the ol’ noggin. Fun.

The Cahills travel to China’s northern regions to visit and search for clues in Tiananmen Square, along the Great Wall, and amongst the Terra Cotta Warriors. I’ve seen all of these places myself, so it was fun to finally have personal recollections of the places described in these kids’ worldwide clue hunt. They end this book’s adventure atop Mt. Everest, having helicoptered in from the Tibetan side—thanks to their au pair, Nellie, whose secret talents continue to surprise.

We learn more about the purpose of the clues in this book, that when the ingredients combine, they’ll form a serum capable of endowing anyone with the powers and abilities of all four families. Again, how silkworm secretion fits into that, I simply can’t figure out.

Overall, this was an exciting addition to the series and one that got us back into the swing of things. It was nice to learn more about Jonah and to see a sparkle of kindness even from a Kabra, but like the Cahill children, we’re still not yet ready to trust any of them fully.

©2024 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)

Read More from Gordon Korman:

• The Emperor’s Code (201)
• The Medusa Plot (2011)
• The Fort (2022)