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Unabridged Digital Audiobook
Runtime: 5 hours, 11 minutes
Read by David Pittu
I’ve often said that one of the fun things about being a parent is having a good excuse to read (or re-read) some great books for kids. And now that my daughter is old enough to enjoy a good thriller, we’re diving into The 39 Clues series, starting with the audio version of Rick Riordan’s The Maze of Bones.
The story begins with the death of Grace Cahill. At her funeral, her orphaned grandchildren, Amy and Dan Cahill, learn about the influence that their family has had on the world. At the reading of Grace’s will, several family members are offered a choice: they can inherit a million dollars, or they can exchange it for a clue that will lead them on a quest for answers that will make them the most powerful members of the family. And with their au pair, Nellie, as their clueless chaperone, the siblings set off on a dangerous mission around the world.
It’s clear from the start of this adventure that it won’t be easy. The Cahills, it turns out, are pretty ruthless people. And, since Amy and Dan were Grace’s favorite relatives, the competitors suspect that they were given inside information—and, therefore, are the ones to beat. That means that they often find themselves being chased, trapped, and double-crossed. They’re almost killed in a fire in Grace’s home and an explosion in Philadelphia. And that’s clearly just the beginning of the perils they’ll face at the hands of their greedy, power-hungry family members.
More than just action and adventure, though, the story also has a pretty sneaky way of teaching young readers about history and the world around them. The first clue points to Benjamin Franklin, a Cahill relative whose contributions changed the world. They travel to Philadelphia to examine some of his works, which later send them to Paris—and down into the catacombs beneath the city. And as they race to put the pieces together to come up with answers before their cutthroat competitors, these kids will open readers’ eyes up to fascinating people through time and places around the world.
If you have a family road trip on the horizon, be sure to pick this one up to listen on the road. It’s guaranteed to keep the whole car captivated—and it’ll make the hours fly by. You might want to have the second book in the series handy, too—because once you finish the first, you’ll want to keep going.
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