39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet. New York : Scholastic, 2010.

Plot: The end of the clue hunt approaches, but Dan and Amy doubt their ability to continue. Their family history gave them an impossible mission. Yet, they cannot deny it or stop hunting. Eventually, the other teams realize the two siblings have the capacity to succeed where all others failed, so the two find themselves spied on, attacked, and trailed. Eventually, however, they realize the biggest challenges do not actually come from the other clue seekers. Other forces are manipulating the situation, causing Dan, Amy, and nearly everyone they encounter to question the true worth of the family treasure.

Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction

Reading Level: Grades 4-8

Similar Titles: The Mysterious Benedict Society series, Thea Stilton and the Mountain of Fire, The Apothecary

Personal Thoughts: Interestingly, the final title of the series plays into the expected and unexpected. The book includes typical social topics such as the individual versus the many, family versus friends, and past versus present. The title also raises interesting conundrums. When does something stop being justifiable? How do actions and values determine who someone really is? Are some people beyond redemption? Additionally, the series reveals the duplicity present throughout the novels. Ethics allow Dan and Amy to find the clues, but it also limits their ability to use them. Parents both encourage and inhibit their children for the sake of perceived power. The clues are too dangerous to use, but they are also too valuable to discard. Also, the book includes the darker fact that people get hurt in such adventures . Children become crippled, adults loose contact with loved ones, and people die. Such sad realities gain in-depth description, causing the reader to realize choices do have consequences that cannot be mended in the next story. Only Dan and Amy's ultimate decision keeps the series from crashing into a bleak, chaotic mess, but the threat of the mess gives the story legitimacy.  The title provides a solid ending to the first series without tainting the capacity for the next storyline.

Currently, Scholastic Books publishes the second series of the 39 Clues, which continues to follow Dan and Amy with the allies and foes they gained in the first ten books.