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Nowhere to Run

nowhere-to-runBy: Jude Watson

39 Clues Unstoppable series bk 1

Dan and Amy Cahill finally think it’s over and they can go back to having a normal kind of life, or at least as normal as can be. Then strange things start to happen, men attack them out of nowhere and suddenly their whole lives are under attack. A tiny mistake has lead them to a terrible catastrophe that could endanger the whole world. At first they think there is no way what they think has happened could possibly have happened, but when they put everything together, there is no way around it. Someone has stolen the serum and that someone will stop at nothing to rule the world and if that means getting rid of Dan and Amy permanently then thats what they will do. The Cahill’s find themselves on the run, just to survive before they can go on the offensive.

It is possible that you could think the 39 Clues franchise has run it’s course, but this takes it to a whole other place. The thing they spent so long fighting against is actually happening, from an unexpected direction. It will be interesting to see how this new enemy effects the group dynamic. Amy has relationships to work through as well as the responsibility of being the head of the family and she wants to protect as many people as she can, but that isn’t really possible. Dan has to decide if he really wants in this still. Loads of favourite characters are here, both good and bad ones as well as a new and powerful enemy. This enemy fights differently though, this enemy throws the media under his control at the problem meaning the Cahill’s have to fight this battle on two fronts, the one that paints them as tearaway, wealthy brats and the real fight.

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 03 October 2013

Format: Paperback 192 pages

Categories: Adventure, Family, Crime

ISBN 13: 9780545521376

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of the page

 

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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A King’s Ransom

By: Jude Watson

Cahill’s Vs Vespers Bk 2

The hunt for the 39 clues is well and truly over but Dan and Amy Cahill are still into things way over their heads. Seven members of their extended family are being held hostage by a sinister organisation known as The Vespers. The Cahill’s want nothing more than to bring the hostages home safely but to do so means hopping through the increasingly difficult hoops set by the person known only as Vesper 1. They have stolen artwork, found an ancient book and now have to track down a long lost map. This search leads them on the path of Nazi’s and spies and in the process they find friends where they least expect to.

The action and adventure don’t really let up in this book. Amy and Dan are still mostly on the same page, though Dan is keeping something from Amy and at times she feels he is slipping away from her and she has no idea how to reach him. This fracture in their relationship adds another dimension to the already complex family dynamic. The different family members who now work together don’t always get on as they still retain their very distinctive family traits. Also the involvement of Evan, a complete outsider changes things a little, in a good way. The addition of a couple  of characters that we thought we’d seen the last of is a nice touch which in the process adds a whole other layer to the mystery of the Vespers and just what is going on.

This installment felt a little lagging in the middle but that could be because, for all that the story and challenge are different, we have been here before. However it picked up and by the end I have to say I was left wondering, as always, what was going to happen next. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 05 January 2012

Format: Mixed media product 336 pages

Categories: Adventure, Family, Crime, Action

ISBN 13: 9780545298407

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of page

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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Strings Attached – Book Trailer

Strings Attached is written by Judy Blundell. She is the 2008 winner of The National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED. She also writes under the name of Jude Watson, and is the author of the bestselling Star Wars: Last of the Jedi and Jedi Quest series as well as contributing author for the 39 Clues series.

Strings Attached is set in the 1950’s and is the story of Kit Corrigan who arrives in New York City only to get caught up in love, mystery, Broadway glamour and Mob retribution.

Category:

Book Trailers, Young Adult Fiction

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Vespers Rising

By: Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman and Jude Watson

Gideon Cahill finds a formula while researching a cure for the Black Plague. Damien Vesper once friend, now foe, wants to know what secret his old friend has stumbled upon, if it can give him power he will take it. Gideon must try to save his family and stop Vesper. Then there is his family ring, that holds a terrible secret and must also be kept out of Vesper’s hands.

Madeleine Cahill never knew her father, she grew up hiding behind the personality of Maddy Babbitt. Her mother drilled into her training, survival, a need to stay well away from the Vesper’s and to always remember three rules – 1) Keep the ring safe, 2) Never let anyone abuse the power of the 39 clues, 3) Unite the Cahill’s when the time is right. When her mother dies she has to run from Damien Vesper and tries to find one of her siblings, but Luke isn’t what she was expecting to find. This brings home to Madeleine what the task in front of her entails, Maddie Babbitt becomes Madeleine Cahill and the Madrigals are born.

Grace Cahill is thirteen, her father has abandoned his children, her sister doesn’t want anything to do with their baby brother Fisk. Then one night Grace  translates a morse code message intended for her father. She goes to her sister who tells her that though their parents had been training her for the family business she wants nothing to do with it. Grace finds she can’t let it go so she sets out to deliver the message to General Patton, who is invading Casablanca. Once done she finds she can’t leave it alone as more of the message becomes clear to her. On her first Cahill mission, young Grace enters and leaves a war zone and is successful in more than just that.

Amy and Dan Cahill are trying to settle back into normal life. It’s not as easy as they thought it would be. Then the message comes that the Vespers are making a move against the ring, a ring they knew nothing about, until now. Dan and Amy learn about the power hungry Vespers as they race against time to save that most vital of items. In doing so they go to Switzerland, almost crash to their deaths in a cable car, go skiing and learn more about their grandmother Grace. It becomes clear to them that there is still so much they need to do. They must be ever vigilant.

Four incredible authors have come together to give us four pivotal stories about the Cahill’s and the Vespers. This is a fascinating look into Cahill history and how it ties with the present day. Things are put into context, the past is filled out and things are put into place for a future story line. This is an action packed bridging book that leaves you wanting more.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 07 April 2011

Format: Hardback 256 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Family Family Issues Siblings

ISBN 13: 9780545290593

Purchase: here

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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