Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Where are Amy and Dan Cahill? The two kids were last seen in Egypt,
hunting for one of the 39 Clues that could make them the most powerful
people on earth. But no one has seen the siblings since. Has the
ruthless Irina Spasky finally tracked them down? Or worse ... the
Madrigals? No one knows where the Clue hunt leads next. But one thing
is certain -- Dan and Amy are gearing up for their most dangerous
adventure yet.
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— ◊ —
The Black Circle
The 39
Clues Series
Patrick Carman
Scholastic (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-545-06045-1 (0545060451)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06045-5 (9780545060455)
Publication Date: August 2009
List Price: $12.99
— ◊ —
Review: Amy and
Dan are back for the fifth installment in the 39 Clues series, The Black Circle, written by
Patrick Carman. This time they are off to Russia, home of the notorious
Irina Spasky, who follows them at every turn. What will happen now as
they are in the territory of their worst nightmare? Or is she really
the threat they must fear?
The book starts off with the yelling of, "Telegram for Mr. Cahill!"
Amy, who is rudely awakened from an excellent dream, answers the door
and receives the telegram from the child and then attempts to wake up
Dan. Dan slowly wakes up but once he reads what is on the telegram, he
becomes very wide eyed. The telegram spoke of a bottle cap collection
that Dan had owned about a year ago. Along with it were numbers for a
locker at the airport that contained items that would help them in
their search. So Amy and Dan immediately left their hotel in Cairo,
sadly leaving their au pair and cat behind, so they could pursue the
hunt quicker. After a fast and scary cab ride to the airport, they
realized to their dismay that the Kabras, another pair in the hunt, had
followed them to the airport. There was a confrontation curbside, then
Amy and Dan fled to the crowds of the airport, and lost the Kabras by
putting their tracking device onto a baby stroller. The kids then fled
to the locker room. There they found a clue to their next destination,
Russia. The kids will have to stay focused on the hunt to succeed in
Russia. Nothing is what it seems, and they may have to team up with
another team to solve the clues.
First and foremost I thought the book was very well put together.
Carman was able to put action and adventure into a story, while still
adding in the rich history of Russia itself. Many books that are like
The 39 Clues series forget the cultural aspect of the places they go
and only rely on the action and adventure to pull the reader through
the book. But when you add the history it makes the book seem to flow
with a more mysterious aura. This book would be good for anyone in
middle school down to late elementary school and would be excellent for
both boys and girls. The only problem I had with the book was the
title. I feel that the title of The
Black Circle gives away a concept that happens at the very end
of the book, and will probably be in books to come. Other than that, it
was a very good book.
In the end I would probably give the book four of five stars. It was a
very good book, nearly every part of it was grabbing the reader for
attention but some points were awkward or didn't go together quite
right. Like I said it was very good it just wasn't excellent. Still I
can't wait for the next book to come out, the series itself is awesome!
Special thanks to Alex Nauert for contributing his review of The Black Circle and to Scholastic for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Alex Nauert — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission
Have you read The Black Circle? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The
Maze of Bones
Scholastic (Hardcover), December 2008
ISBN-10: 0-545-06039-7 (0545060397)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06039-4 (9780545060394)
One
False Note
Scholastic (Hardcover), December 2008
ISBN-10: 0-545-06042-7 (0545060427)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06042-4 (9780545060424)
The
Sword Thief
Scholastic (Hardcover), March 2009
ISBN-10: 0-545-06043-5 (0545060435)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06043-1 (9780545060431)
Beyond
the Grave
Scholastic (Hardcover), June 2009
ISBN-10: 0-545-06044-3 (0545060443)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06044-8 (9780545060448)
The
Black Circle
Scholastic (Hardcover), August 2009
ISBN-10: 0-545-06045-1 (0545060451)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06045-5 (9780545060455)
In
Too Deep
Scholastic (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0-545-06046-X (054506046X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06046-2 (9780545060462)
The
Viper's Nest
Scholastic (Hardcover), February 2010
ISBN-10: 0-545-06047-8 (0545060478)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06047-9 (9780545060479)
The
Emperor's Code
Scholastic (Hardcover), April 2010
ISBN-10: 0-545-06048-6 (0545060486)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06048-6 (9780545060486)
Omnimystery keywords for The Black Circle ...
Location(s) referenced: Moscow, Russia.
