Dan and Amy Cahill are still determined to be the first to
win the clue hunt started by their grandmother, Grace, who
in her will, left the children either a million dollars or
a clue. They are competing in this hunt against members of
the four other branches of their family tree, who have
fought against each other for hundreds of years, while at
the same time producing some of the greatest minds in
history. While Dan and Amy have sometimes "teamed up" with
some of their relatives, they have often been betrayed.
Their only consistent allies in the hunt have been their 20-
year-old au pair, Nellie Gomez (who wears her hair in
multiple colors and sports a snake nose ring), and their
cat, Saladin. Each branch of the family holds claim to a
specific strength (for instance, the Tomas branch excels at
sports and exploration) and the characters take their basic
attributes from these categories.
Though there are a large number of references to things
that happened in earlier adventures (this is book 10),
which have taken the children everywhere from Jamaica to
Egypt, readers starting with this volume will still find
Dan and Amy likable characters, and will get enough on-the-
fly back-story to enjoy the adventure at hand, which begins
in England. This time, the clue that shows up in the hotel
where they are staying points to Shakespeare, and all the
usual suspects are soon fighting it out on-stage at the
Globe Theater.
A sense of sadness pervades the series, for Amy and Dan are
orphans who, before the hunt even began, had been turned
over to the uncaring Beatrice, who wants to send the two to
foster homes. From the moment they began searching for
clues, they faced danger, darkness and impending death --
but if they win the clue hunt, they might just find a sense
of hope.
INTO THE GAUNTLET is a concept-driven book, heavy on the
characterization, with a straightforward plot. This may be
because THE 39 CLUES series is supposed to be an
interactive experience, with prize money at stake (through
December 31, 2010) on the Scholastic web site.
Throughout the hunt for the 39 Clues, Amy and Dan Cahill
have uncovered history's greatest mysteries and their
family's deadliest secrets. But are they ready to face the
truth about the Cahills and the key to their unmatched
power? After a whirlwind race that's taken them across five
continents, Amy and Dan face the most the difficult
challenge yet-a task no Cahill dared to imagine. When faced
with a choice that could change the future of the world, can
two kids succeed where 500 years worth of famous ancestors
failed?
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