The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, Book 2 of 6
It’s been nearly two years since the kids and I last enjoyed this series. Our most recent dip into the world of The 39 Clues was Book 1 in this first offshoot series, The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (2011).
To catch up, I read my review to the kids—proof they have some value after all! Jumping back in, we had no trouble recalling the plot or reconnecting with the characters—especially Dan, our favorite dorky, fun-loving child with the world on his shoulders.
The Plot
Amy and Dan Cahill find themselves blackmailed by Vesper One into becoming international art thieves once again. This time, they must steal the De Virga world map from Lucerne, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, back in some undisclosed location, seven kidnapped Cahills remain captive, their safety being the only thing keeping Dan and Amy obedient. Run-ins with the Rosenbloom kids and the Wyomings don’t help matters, and neither does the murder of the kids’ old lawyer—but now I’m getting into spoilers!
Some Interesting Elements
This series continues to maintain its historical emphases and high-stakes treasure hunting mixed with real violence, deeper themes, and light humor. I’ll touch on just two of these.
Historical Emphases
I like how the kids must travel throughout Europe in search of artifacts most adults have never heard of. In Lucerne, Switzerland, it’s the De Virga map. In Florence, Italy (where our family traveled just 1 year ago), the kids visit libraries and museums. Throughout this book, my kids get to hear about Richard III and cartographers and Galileo’s Notebook and so much more.
The benefit of all this mishmash of history is that my kids are hearing about names and places that matter in reality, even if their presence in the story is purely fictional. Normally, I’d consider this a waste (or worse, revisionist history), but I’ve recently been changing my opinion about that.
Having recently read The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (2013), I’ve learned that the more my kids hear uncommon vocabulary, the better. Do we normally read books about Florence or Galileo or cartographers? No.
Do my kids know they’re being familiarized with real history in fictional form, also probably not.
But is their vocabulary growing? Yes. And will they make the connections later on when they come across these historical figures, geographical places, and less-than-common professions? Absolutely. In fact, that’s already happened, since my daughter (12) recognized Florence as the place we visited last summer and recalled some of the sites. Connections are happening, and I’m proud to be a dad that’s facilitating this unintentional learning through “reading aloud.”
Deeper Themes
The main draw of this series is two-fold: competition and secret things. Jim Trelease names each of these as “a driving force for boys” especially (The Read-Aloud Book, 169), though my daughter is just as intrigued—and dang it, so am I!
Puzzles and riddles mark each step of this global game with human players. The stakes are high, as more than one character has died. Mysteries abound, and we’re still never certain whom we can trust. Time is of the essence, and world domination is the prize. This series scratches many an itch, but competition and secrets are key.
This series also deals lightly with children and their emotional issues. It occurred somewhat regularly in the original series, but most prominently with Amy in Book #7: The Viper’s Nest by Peter Lerangis (2010), where she says her muddy brain feels “like this dark room surrounded by quicksand” (Chapter 14). Once more in A King’s Ransom, we see a form of depression gurgling in Dan. These passages offer at least the opportunity for interested parents and teachers to probe their young readers a bit deeper.
Conclusion
The only trouble I have with this series is that they mysteries describes are nothing that a reader could figure out on his own. These mysteries are global and their solutions are seemingly boundless in time and space. It’s pure entertainment and not a decipherable “mystery” as some readers might be used to.
Nevertheless, we truly enjoy these books and look forward at least to finishing this first offshoot series, Cahills vs. Verspers. Whether we’ll get to the other 4 offshoots—Unstoppable, Doublecross, Rapid Fire, and The Cahill Files—has yet to be seen.
©2025 E.T.
Read More from The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers:
1. The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (2011)
2. A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson (2011)
3. The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis (2012)
4. Shatterproof by Roland Smith (2012)
5. Trust No One by Linda Sue Park (2012)
6. Day of Doom by David Baldacci (2013)
Read More from Jude Watson:
- Beyond the Grave (2009)
- In Too Deep (2009)
- A King’s Ransom (2011)