The Medusa Plot (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Gordon Korman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 30, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers (Book 1) | Lexile Measure: 730L (What's this?)

Are you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.

Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world's most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over. They even thought they'd won. But Amy and Dan were wrong.

One by one, distress calls start coming in from around the globe. Cahills are being kidnapped by a shadowy group known only as the Vespers. Now Amy and Dan have only days to fulfill a bizarre ransom request or their captured friends will start dying. Amy and Dan don't know what the Vespers want or how to stop them. Only one thing is clear. The Vespers are playing to win, and if they get their hands on the Clues . . . the world will be their next hostage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book One: The Medusa Plot

"An excellent start to an epic, new hunt." — Quill & Quire

"[A] lean, easy-to-like thrill ride with guaranteed crowd-pleasing elements like secret societies, art heists, and heroes with unlimited cash and connections to fuel their around-the-world intrigue." — Booklist

About the Author

Gordon Korman is the author of The 39 Clues Book 2: One False Note, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and The 39 Clues Book #8: The Emperor's Code. Gordon has written more than sixty books for kids and young adults, including Zoobreak, Swindle, and Son of the Mob, as well as the On the Run series and the Island, Everest, Dive, and Kidnapped trilogies. A native of Ontario, Canada, Korman now lives with his family in Long Island, New York.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; Har/Crds edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545298393
• ISBN-13: 978-0545298391
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon Korman has written more than fifty middle-grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times #1 bestseller The 39 Clues: One False Note, The Juvie Three, Son of the Mob, Born to Rock, and Schooled. Though he didn't play football in high school, Gordon's been a lifelong fan and season ticket holder. He says, "I've always been fascinated by the 'culture of collision' in football and wanted to explore it-not just from the highlight films but from its darker side as well." Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of ecitement, nonstop action and around-the-world quests August 31, 2011

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Two years have passed since Amy and Dan survived the hunt for the 39 clues. The now 16- and 13-year-olds have settled into the rebuilt mansion of their dear grandmother, with Uncle Fiske and Nellie as legal guardians. Both have grown and matured some; Amy even has a steady boyfriend named Evan. She still stutters sometimes, but has more confidence in herself. She knows that she will never escape being a Cahill, so she has been preparing herself for anything with constant workouts, self-defense lessons, and a fancy command center with lots of high-tech stuff. Dan, on the other hand, is bored. After racing around the world on an important quest, eighth grade seems rather trivial. He even drops into periods of depression. But before long, things get interesting --- and life-threatening --- again.

The Cahills are finally attempting a peaceful reunion, having called a cease fire. The older generation hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet, but the younger cousins have actually become friends. Sort of. This is good as there's another enemy lurking about, and the Cahills will have to band together in order to survive. The evil Vespers kidnap seven of the Cahills to use as ransom: Nellie, Reagan, Uncle Fiske, Natalie, Alistair Oh, Ted, and 12-year-old Phoenix Wizard. The Vespers are using the hostages to force Dan, Amy and their cousins scrambling to steal a priceless painting of a severed Medusa head.

But nothing is as it seems, and trust is treacherous. Dan and Amy have serious doubts that they will be able to rescue Nellie and the other hostages in time. While Amy hits the library for research and reaches out to other Cahill resources, Dan starts on a backup plan. At the end of the clue hunt, they had destroyed the very dangerous 39-ingredient formula invented by Gideon Cahill that would have given a person absolute power. No human should have that kind of power. But one copy of the formula still exists --- in Dan's photographic memory. Dan starts collecting the rare ingredients to recreate the formula that he will use on himself to save Nellie.

This new spinoff series from the original 39 Clues books starts off with an adventurous bang. Gordon Korman takes the lead novel and does an outstanding job with lots of excitement, nonstop action and more around-the-world quests. In the first book, he shoots Dan and Amy off to Florence, Italy, to hunt down the famous and grotesque painting of the severed Medusa head. He uses lots of vivid imagery to set the scenes, giving readers a unique look at the story. Dan and Amy are a bit older, with different hurdles to overcome and mountains to traverse; Amy is in a serious relationship, and Dan is struggling with some depression. This may explain why the humor is a bit keyed down here as compared to previous installments, though the story does have some funny parts.

Keep your eyes roving for those clues stashed in the pages! Book Two is due out in December 2011 courtesy of Jude Watson.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced Adventure for older Tweens November 5, 2011

By Working Mom TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Had my 11YO son read this (he's a 39 clues fan) and tell me his thoughts.

Things he liked:
+ Lots of adventure
+ Characters were easy to relate to
+ He liked the characters
+ Fast paced - a lot happened quickly
+ Had all the elements needed for a fun story: good plot, likeable good guys, rotten bad guys, a little scary and a lot of excitement and mystery.

Things parents might want to know:
= The villains might be scary to younger children
= There is a small bit of violence
= There are some things that are not realistic

After a brain picking session, my son related some of the books events. I asked him how he felt about the violent part (wasn't bad so don't want to provide a spoiler), he said it was no big deal. Compared to what kids see on TV and read in other books, it probably wasn't. I heard the villains were really creepy, he said it wouldn't be good if they weren't. OK. There were some parts he told me about that I thought were totally unrealistic. His take was that it's just a story.

There's also cards that come with these books. We didn't get them with our copy. My son said he usually didn't use them anyway, but just liked reading the books. That tells me that the story is good enough to carry itself without the multi-media aspect. My 20YO daughter, however, loves to get her hands on the cards and check out the online stuff.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cahills vs Verspers a new series begins January 23, 2012

By W. Hubbell

Format:Hardcover

Having read the entire 39 Clues first 11 books
I was a little bit disappointed with the new series.
They went to some length in the previous books to say how the Cahills are the smartest most powerful family in the world, and here they have them being blackmailed into committing criminal acts by the Vespers.
It is good light reading even if dubious in plot and setting a bad example for ethics.