49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Idea, May 1, 2009
This review is from: The 39 Clues: Card Pack (v. 1) (Cards)
What makes this series so unique is the fact that 7 authors are writing 10 novels to tell a single continuous story. In the series the Cahill's family matriarch passes away. In her will she leaves one million dollars to each family member, or they can trade that money-order for a clue that will lead to the treasure that will lead them to become the greatest Cahill of all time. There are four branches in the family: Janus, Ekaterina, Lucian and Thomas. Each branch has its own strengths and weaknesses. Our story follows Amy and Dan Cahill, orphans who choose to take the quest. The adventure crosses continents and has clues hidden in art, architecture, music and more. The books teach a lot about historical characters, events and places. These cards supplement the story, they are also used for online games to help you solve the 39 clues and the chance at $100,000 in prizes for solving the puzzles.
This Card Pack supplements books 1, 2 and 3. There are 16 cards per card pack and a total of 55 new cards in these packs. Each card has a unique code used to enter it online, and add it to your collection to help you solve the 39 clues. The cards are great as collector's items go.
One drawback is that you cannot really trade them, because even duplicate cards have different codes and can be used online for game play differently. The artwork is great and the cards are fun and interesting. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to how Scholastic is working these books and card packs. The concept of numerous authors writing a series together is great; it will introduce readers to a number of authors, and fans of some of the authors will be introduced to other writers. The online games are fun and interesting, the puzzles challenging and entertaining. The drawbacks that I see are: first the online game zones close down as each new book becomes available, and the online puzzles for the cards will end when the books finish. Now what I have read of the books so far is great and the books will stand on their own without the cards or online puzzles, but the online interaction definitely enhances the books and the whole adventure of it all. What I wish is that the daily prizes for each game zone end with the next book, but the zone stayed open for future readers to have fun with. That way the card packs would also have a continuing interest and market.
The books are great, the cards are well done and enhance the books and supplement the online game component. The fact that the cards and online is planned to have an end is disappointing. Even without the daily prizes and grand prize these add to the adventure of following Dan and Any as they follow the 39 Clues. But be warned - they are addictive and you will want them all. As a side note it took me 6 Card packs to get the 1 Ultra-Rare card for this first set, and yet I was still missing 9 cards.
About the Cards in General:
* Each of the 39 Clues books also come with a Set of 6 specific cards
* Book 1 "The Maze Of Bones" you get cards No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6
* Book 2 "One False Note" you get cards No. 17, No. 18, No. 19, No. 20, No. 21, No. 22
* Book 3 "The Sword Thief" you get cards No.33, No. 34, No. 35, No. 36, No.37, No. 38
* There will be around 355 cards to collect for all 10 books
* The First Set has 73 cards - 55 From the Packs and 18 From the Books (No. 1 to 73)
* + currently 17 or 18 Promotional Cards (400s)
* (Additional cards will be created virtually online during the game and/or sold separately with specific packages and promotions)
* Most o f the 400 level cards are available at the sites below, and are general use cards, The codes can be used by anyone.
The 39 Clues:
The Maze of Bones - Book 1 - Rick Riordan
One False Note - Book 2 - Gordon Korman
The Sword Thief - Book 3 - Peter Lerangis
Beyond the Grave - Book 4 - Jude Watson (June 2009)
The Black Circle - Book 5 - Patrick Carman (August 2009)
In Too Deep - Book 6 - Jude Watson (November 2009)
Book 7 - Peter Lerangis (February 2010)
Book 8 - Gordon Korman (April 2010)
Book 9 - Linda Sue Park (June 2010)
Book 10 - Margaret Peterson Haddix (September 2010)
Card Pack #1 - Books 1-3
Card Pack #2 - Books 4-6 (June 2009)
Card Pack #3 - Books 7-9 (February 2010)
Rare Card Pack (June 2010)
(First published in Imprint 2009-05-01.)
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