One False Note

This was fast paced and action packed and it was wickedly good. Unlike Alex Rider it's not overly sad and unlike Cherub - I like the main characters. As a reader, I relate to Amy but I love Dan's way of looking at things. They're a great team. Nellie, the au pair, is hilarious. She's laid back and loyal and can speak a seemingly million different languages. The rest of the Cahill family kind of suck, but what's an adventure story without a villain? Or ten? The plot is riveting - the mix of fiction and history is fascinating and I flew through this and The Maze of Bones. They're not particularly long - but then this kind of book never is - or at least never feels like it is. I can't wait to read the rest. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.


This show more was full on. I love Mozart and Venice and having actually been made this book all the more enjoyable. The different authors didn't bother me as much as I thought it might. The action is intense enough that I didn't actually notice. The puzzles/riddles/clues are really clever (at least to me they are) and even though I miss most of it (unfortunately I'm not smart enough with this sort of thing...) I love reading how the clues and how they put it altogether to solve it. And poor Saladin on his hunger strike.
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In the second novel of the series, everyone is heading to Vienna after figuring out that the clue is about Mozart. Did you know that Mozart had a sister that was as good a musician as he was but did not have a chance to be educated? I did not - I even looked it up to make sure it was not an invention of Korman.

Amy and Dan get betrayed more times than I could count but they manage to make it through and find the next clue at the end (which after all is the whole point). But Vienna is not enough - Venice becomes a big part of the story, so do a few smaller places. And the rest of the players gets fleshed a bit better - not by much, they are still almost cartoonish in their decisions and actions (the Kabras for example order Dan and Amy show more to be thrown off a boat), there is another explosion and Saladin, the cat, goes on strike for a while.

I liked the writing in its book more than in the first - it sounded more mature and clearer. I did not expect it, considering that the book is written from a less known author, and his style makes me wonder if I should check what he had written outside of the series.

Let's see what will happen in the next book when we all go to Tokyo. show less

Definitely a fast paced book! I couldn't believe how fast I read through this second installment of the 39 Clues! I see now why my daughter reads through them so quick. Now what did I think of it? It was good. I wasn't as excited about this one as I was the first one. Now I expected that all the books couldn't stay at the level of the first one, so I'm ok with it. I won't go into much details, because I don't want to give much away. What I did like was that it didn't rehash the entire first book. So many times I read a second book and it feels like a ton of it is just reviewing the previous story. This had some of that of course, but not so much that it got in the way of the current story. I also loved the pace - with 10 of these to show more read they CANNOT drag! They need to keep pulling the reader right along. What I didn't really like - the clues seemed a bit more convoluted and muddy. Even when they were all explained I still felt a little like I needed to say "uh?". The clues in the first book really fell together. These seemed like the pieces fit but someone didn't sand off the edges so they fit well. At the end I had to flip back and remind myself what was found.

What I am liking about the series as a whole is that not only are they fun and work your brain some - they teach you a bit. This one taught me some facts about Mozart I didn't know and I took piano lessons for 11 years! As a reader that is fun but as a teacher that is fantastic!

Final thought: Keeps the ball rolling and the clues coming
Best stick-with-you image: The Janus Head Quarters - cool!
Best for a reader who: liked the first book and likes mysteries
Best for ages: 8-12 show less

{My Thoughts} – I like that this series is written though different authors. It will definitely help to keep things fresh.

Amy, Dan and their Au Pair, Nellie, head off to Europe in search of more Ben Franklin and Mozart clues. The siblings have an interesting plan in order to obtain all the clues that are needed to solve the ending mystery. They are under the belief that as long as they are with Nellie they will succeed and I can’t say I disagree with them, but I can say they have some rough travels.

Amy and Dan have a few brushes with death in this book as they did in the first. They also have some run-ins with the police, and many of their insane must defeat all and get clues to keep to themselves relatives. They siblings however, show more prove to be quite resourceful and are capable of keeping up with the rest of their relatives even though they don’t have all the perks of being rich and having everything pretty much handed to them.

I like that they are part of a non-privileged class in a sense and that they are overcoming those that assume to be greater. I kind of makes me think of Harry Potter. Orphaned children, overcoming the odds, defeating those that would otherwise be considered evil. It really is turning out to be a wonderful series to read and I can’t wait to pass it onto my children. This series is kind of making me want to finish reading or re-start the Harry Potter series. I don’t know for sure yet, I do have a load of books to read before that can happen.

I do think that this is a must read book for anyone that enjoyed the National Treasure Movie Series and Harry Potter even Sta Wars quite honestly. They all seem to have a little something of each in common. Main thing being the whole main characters are orphaned. It might be just what you need to read if you want different but similar takes on the stories you have read or heard before. show less

Amy and Dan Cahill continue their quest for the 39 clues, now on their way to Vienna in search of Mozart's clue. Once again, their cousins are in the hunt and after Amy and Dan. Brother and sister will have to have to use all their ingenuity to outwit their family in the hunt for the next clue.

This book made very clear to me that I am not the audience for this book. It's not my genre (over-the-top adventure) nor is it written for my age group. While I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a child in elementary school that was looking for a fast-paced or short read, as an adult I found it impossible to buy the premise of the books and get over the fact that Amy and Dan are on the run from social services with their au pair in Europe.

The writing in this (the second book of the 39 Clues series) is mechanical and heavy with exposition. Where's the sparkle? The wit? The fun? If it had taken me more than two hours to read, I wouldn't have finished it.

I particularly hated Jonah Wizard's dialogue. "This place is off the hook, yo"? Really?

Let's hope the next author to take up the story is more inspired.

One False Note by Gordon Korman is the second of the 39 Clues series. Amy, Dan and Nellie are en route to Vienna and Venice, following a clue buried in KV617 — a piece composed by Mozart for Benjamin Franklin.

Anytime there's a musical clue in a mystery aimed at children, I'm brought back to Scooby Doo where Velma figures out a clue left in a music score. As this clue, though, involves some danger, there's also a hint of Goonies and the TNT booby trapped piano that shows up in a couple different Looney Tunes shorts.

Mixed in the caper, there are a few geography and history lessons. For a short books, the lessons aren't that deep but they're more detailed than the Magic Tree House books. They are interesting enough to inspire curious show more readers to head to the nonfiction section of the library.

But as entertainment — they're fun. They have a similar pace and mixture of clues and danger as a Clive Cussler book. Except, they are about half the length of the average Dirk Pitt mystery. show less