The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues, Book 3) [Hardcover]

Peter Lerangis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

ATTENTION! Amy and Dan Cahill have been located once again, this time in the company of the notoriously unreliable Alistair Oh. Could they have been foolish enough to make an alliance?

Spies report that Amy and Dan seem to be tracking the life of one of the most powerful fighters the world has ever known. If this fearsome warrior was a Cahill, his secrets are sure to be well-guarded . . . and the price to uncover them just might be lethal.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Amy and Dan Cahill are now on their way to Japan. In the dramatic opening chapter, while boarding a flight to Tokyo, they are outfoxed by two of their cousins, also in search of the Cahill family secrets. Separated from their au pair, Nellie, and cat, Saladin, they are forced to find alternate transportation in their Uncle Alistair's private jet. Though they never fully trust him, Amy and Dan must rely on his knowledge of Japan and of their Cahill ancestor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous warrior whose stronghold may harbor their next clue. Lerangis continues the formula of the earlier "39 Clues" books: plenty of action and surprises, but little in the way of characterization or description of the setting. The small tidbits of historical information about ninjas are not well integrated into the story. Nevertheless, this is sure to be popular with fans of the series who appreciate Dan's bad jokes, the double-crossing Cahill relatives, and cliff-hanger endings. (Note: Library edition does not include the playing cards.)—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545060435
• ISBN-13: 978-0545060431
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > Siblings
  • #70 in Books > Children's Books > Mysteries & Detectives
  • #74 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction

More About the Author

Peter Lerangis's books have sold over 4.5 million copies and been translated into 28 languages. Titles include THE SWORD THIEF, THE VIPER'S NEST, one-fourth of VESPERS RISING, and the upcoming THE DEAD OF NIGHT (in the N.Y. Times bestselling series, THE 39 CLUES); the novel SMILER'S BONES (a N. Y. Public Library Best Book for Teens); the SPY X series; the YA thriller WTF; and the upcoming YA novel SOMEBODY, PLEASE TELL ME WHO I AM, written with Harry Mazer. He'll gladly recite the rest of the list if you ask nicely. He's also performed on Broadway, run a marathon, rock-climbed in Yosemite during a 6.1 earthquake, and, with his wife, sprouted and grown two sons in NYC. At the moment he's moving his car for alternate-side-of-the-street parking and will be right back. (Meanwhile, for a longer bio, see http://peterlerangis.com/about-peter/bio/.)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Secrets, More Alliances, and More Bad Jokes From Dan, March 8, 2009

By 

S. Stevenson "FictionAddict" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I love being able to follow along with a series as the books come out. The anticipation of waiting for the next book always makes me somehow euphoric in a weird, booky way. I love it. So when the next entry in THE 39 CLUES came out, I had to pick it up. This time around, the book was written by Peter Lerangis, an author I must admit I had not heard of before picking up THE SWORD THIEF, the third book in this highly marketable series by Scholastic.

The story picks right up from where ONE FALSE NOTE (book 2) ended off, so it would definitely be hard to just jump right in. You've got to really start back at book 1 (THE MAZE OF BONES) and work your way through. Not that reading these is work -- they fly through pretty quickly. In fact, THE SWORD THIEF is the shortest of the three so far, coming in at a mere 156 pages.

This time, Dan and Amy are off to Japan, but they've been separated by their scheming relatives from their au pair, Nellie Gomez. And they'll have to work along with Alistair Oh in order to solve the next clue in the whole big puzzle. There is definitely plenty of adventure and Lerangis handles the action scenes fairly well. I felt that this book moved along a little more swiftly than ONE FALSE NOTE, which had a few moments of "slowness." We find out more clues to the overall Cahill secret, and some interesting details about Amy and Dan's past.

One of the only things that somewhat confused me at times was the incessant head-hopping that Lerangis did. One minute we're in Dan's head. Then a few pages later we're in Amy's, then in Ian Kabra, then Alistair Oh, then back to Ian, and on to Natalie. It was a little bit confusing at times, but I can see how Lerangis wanted to build on a couple of the different characters and develop them a bit -- which makes for probably what will end up being a few different plot twists later on in the series.

Overall, this is another decent entry in a pretty fun, sometimes forgettable, series that has some really great potential. I can't wait to see what Jude Watson will do with book #4...

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the series so far!, March 8, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I love every book in the "39 Clues" series, but this is THE BEST! It's a cool story and funny too. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. Now my friends are taking turns reading it. I am 12 and love spy books - I am going to look for more books by Peter Lerangis.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combine with the audiobook for a good read-along with your kid, March 13, 2009

By 

J. Ramos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I don't have time to read the actual text like my 8 year old. However, I am able to buy the audiobook and read along with him since they come unabridged. It is very interesting how the authors tell the story using modern references while still teaching the reader about History. Having the same narrator throughout the series is the best part.

The first two audio books offered short glimpses into Grace Cahill's early life before the hunt; each audio book has information not available in the regular book.

Either product comes with the same trading cards. I didn't bother to purchase the card packs but the ones inside offer some more puzzles for enhanced story details. Very good series.