Cahills Are Going Down and Sideways

By Jude Watson

Scholastic 12.99 190 pages

Poor Amy and Dan. They are in the trouble in The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers: Book Two: A King’s Ransom. The Vespers have kidnapped seven of their relatives and they must do the villains’ bidding in order to save them until they can find out where the Vespers have hidden the hostages. Throw in the “Guardian,” Amy’s collapsing personal life, Dan’s collecting the 39 clues, and life could be too complicated even for them to puzzle out.

This book works on a number of levels. The kidnapping plot and the Cahill’s need to deal with that works rather well, as one group of kids attempts to find out where the family has been hidden. The quest to keep the Vesper’s happy while finding clues to what the kidnappers is up is there with a “great whodunnit,” as Amy and Dan are working two mysteries at the same time. Add in Dan’s dilemma, a couple of new allies, Amy’s love story and you have a book that keeps you hooked from the first page.

This is definitely turning out to be a great series.

Reviewed by Jamais Jochim

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