Saturday, August 14, 2010

39 Clues, Percy Jackson, and The Warrior Heir

I have enjoyed reading the many great adventure series out there for a while now. It is such fun to imagine a world in which monsters, secrets, wizards, etc. exist. The best thing about this kind of series is the fact that it usually starts with a kid who has absolutely no clue that these kinds of things exist or that he/she is involved.

The first series that I want to talk about here is 39 clues. I love the idea for this series. I love that it will stay fresh throughout because each book is written by a different author. Each book is in itself a mystery which resolves itself by the end to reveal a clue. The clue hunt is a dangerous game and Amy and Dan find that they know many of the answers because of things that their grandmother did with them. I love that this series is very easy to read. Anybody, even a struggling reader, would be able to get through these books. Each book is short and quick to read and I find myself really curious to see how the whole thing will work out. The only thing that I don't like about the series is that there are some things that happen that are quite unbelievable...the reader needs to use quite a bit of imagination to think that these two kids would survive some of the adventures that pop up for them. I just finished reading the 8th book in the series and am looking forward to finding the 9th book.

I also just finished the 4th book in the Percy Jackson series. The premise of these books is that the Greek gods actually exist and still rule over the happenings on Earth. Percy Jackson is a demi-god because Poseidon is his father. He ends up having to go on quests to keep different bad things from happening. I like the fact that there is a prophecy that the reader finds out about in the books because it foreshadows a big decision that Percy will have to make soon. In this book the battle is shaping up to be a major battle to keep the Titans from returning and overcoming the Gods. I was very intrigued by the hint of a love story taking shape and the two girls that Percy is probably going to have to choose between. I can't wait to get the 5th book and read the conclusion of a great series of books.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda WIlliams Chima is another book along the same lines of the Harry Potter, Pendragon, Percy Jackson line. In this book the protagonist, Jack, has no clue that he actually has a warrior stone and will need to train to play the game that the wizards run. The book describes the struggle that he goes through as he finds out that he is more than what he thought he was and learns about the Weir people. There is a very intriguing story to explain the secret workings of the wizards, sorcerers, enchanters, and warriors. Jack has to take on the new story of who he is and keep it a secret from his mother and his friends who are Anawier...people without special powers. It all comes to an exciting conclusion as Jack has to participate in a fight to the death against another warrior. I am looking forward to finding and reading the other books in this series. If you like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, you will like The Warrior Heir.

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