Into the Gauntlet

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'm flying through the series. 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.


Well I'm at the show more end. Interesting books. I would've liked to see them all work together to run the gauntlet how it was intended but it wasn't bad. I'll likely pick up the rest of the books. At some point. There are a lot of them.
show less

Amy and Dan are nearly at the finish line. After the revelations made to them by their Uncle Fiske at the end of the last book, though, they no longer know what they are fighting for. The siblings now know they are Madrigals (Nellie too), and they learned that their branch desires for the other branches of the Cahill family to be reunited. Their whole world has been turned upside down.

By this point, Amy and Dan have realized that the 39 clues lead to a recipe of some sort, creating a serum that delivers the consumer enhanced power in all areas of Cahill genius: creativity, brilliance, athletic prowess, and cunning and strategics. Most of the other teams have figured this out, as well. They have collected their own share of the show more clues/ingredients, but no one has all 39. Now, however, Amy and Dan are trying to obtain the serum not for their own advancement, but to help bring their extended family together.

Amy and Dan receive a tip off that the next clue is at a Shakespeare performance at the reconstructed Globe theater. Midway through the performance, they see they are not the only team to figure this out. In fact, every other team in play in the series shows up, including the Starling triplets, who have been out of the race since the explosion in the first book. A battle royal breaks out in the theater, but Amy and Dan don't get caught in the tussle. They know enough to figure out their next stop is Stratford upon Avon. At Shakespeare's cemetery, though, all the teams have shown up again, except the evil Isabel Kabra. Ian and Natalie are acting strange, and everyone is behaving oddly civil. Dan finds the next clue when he makes a tombstone rubbing for his collection, and putting the pieces together, Amy and Dan learn the coordinates of the Madrigal stronghold, their next destination.

I enjoyed watching all the teams come together for the first time since the hunt began. Generally, Amy and Dan only have one or two teams to deal with at a time, which makes sense, as the clues lead teams all over the world. In fact, when I first read the theater scene, I thought it was too contrived, until I learned the Madrigals had tipped everyone off. The Madrigals feel the time is right to attempt another reconciliation, and they are manipulating everyone (even Amy and Dan) to force them into the moment. Makes sense, and the whole group interacting was a new and fun experience. The author did a really nice job juggling so many different characters in a way that only added to the story. I even felt close to the Starlings, and they've been absent in the previous eight books. I do think if the authors intended to bring them back in at the ending, they should have worked them into some of the earlier stories. I know this series has a different author for each new novel, but I would think the long-term planning would have addressed that issue.

Nonetheless, Sinead and her brothers add to the anticipation that events are heading towards a climax. Amy and Dan beat the others to the Madrigal Island, but just barely. Soon, the Holts are climbing the sheer cliff face, and the other teams are disembarking from boats or parachuting in. The familiar habit of competition is undermined when the Madrigal design forces teams to work together. One person from each branch has to touch the elevator keypad, and everyone is supposed to work together to answer questions drawing on knowledge from all of the branches to progress deeper into the cave.

By the time the teams are in the cave, their numbers have been reduced to mainly the children, besides Alistair, because the elevator could only hold so many. They soon enter the gauntlet, a long hallway filled with sealed doors that call on the Cahills to work together to open them. Yet the ingrained competition remains, and everyone knows that they are just biding their time until they can get their hands on the final clue first. Ian and Natalie reveal that they tricked their mom into heading to the wrong destination, and it's only a matter of time before she catches up to them all. Then the explosions start, and the sealed doors are hanging open, and the Cahills realize something is amiss in the gauntlet. When they reach the final laboratory, one person has somehow beaten them to the prize: Isabel Kabra. Now the teams must work together if they hope to survive the evil Lucian.

The first adventure ends here, although the series does have one more book, to work as an epilogue and a preview to the second 39 Clues series. The 39 Clues venture has been successful enough to create two more follow-up series, a set of short ebook novellas, and a collection of prequel novels. I understand why. The books combine treasure hunting adventure stories with an underdog story and complicated relationships. I have had a lot of fun reading these stories. This book, the climax to the first series, continues the tradition of clues buried in history and a quick plot that rolls to a suspenseful conclusion. Isabel is a horrible woman and a fitting antagonist for the end of the hunt. The final confrontation is filled with menace and emotion, although the way Isabel was finally defeated was a bit underwhelming. Despite that, this book is a strong conclusion to a series with a great premise and stories that became stronger as the series progressed. Yes, I'm a middle-aged woman, and I'm into this series. Someday my girls will be old enough to share the fun adventure with me. show less

Solid conclusion to a fun series. I've enjoyed these books as a great escape. No, they are not even remotely plausible, but seriously, who cares? Does everything have to be so serious? Why not have a little fun and excitement? Dan and Amy have been to China, to Africa, to Mount Everest, to Venice, and in this one, they're heading to England.

The previous book answered the big questions about what was going on, who was behind the deaths of Dan and Amy's parents, and who they could really trust. It was a little heavy! But this time around, it's a race to the finish to get that final clue and put it all together. It's also a chance to wrap up all those storylines that have been woven in through the series. Everyone gets a chance to end show more their story - Jonah Wizard, the Kabras, the Holts, and all the rest. Dan and Amy have struggled throughout to know who they could trust and they've taken some chances. But there's really only one enemy here, and they're all going to have to figure out how to work together if they want to win.

This is a great series to read with kids, either at home or at school, and get them interested in geography, foreign culture, and history. From Mozart to Shaka Zulu, there's a lot to get kids interested in the past. They're all fast reads and this is a great ending. show less

This was originally supposed to be the last book in the 39 Clues series, and it does wrap up the hunt for the 39 clues in a very satisfying way! Haddix manages to keep the tension up throughout the 43 chapters in this book. Because all of the Cahill families are racing for the final clue, we get to see each of the main characters in the book grow and develop (or, in one case, become even more evil). Due to a rained out baseball tournament, my son and I sped through the final seven chapters in this book yesterday, unable to put it down.

There is an eleventh book in the series now, but it starts a new plot line. Needless to say, we're starting that one this morning. This series has really engaged my fourth-grade son.

The way the authors of this series blend fact with fiction is absolutely astounding to me. I feel compelled to look up every little "fact" stated to see if it's true or simply part of the Cahill canon, but I stop myself because I REFUSE to destroy the temporary suspension of disbelief with this series (at least until I've finished it).

The final installment to the series brings all the characters and plot threads together for a final climax that more or less delivers on all the promises from previous books. Albeit somewhat predictable in ways, I finished this book with a sense of satisfaction that the entire series actually pulled it off: Ten books in less than three years, with (I think?) eight different authors and a continuous story arc. I have no idea what the sales were like for this series, but it was a fantastic concept (the multimedia format was brilliant) and each book kept up the pace with great action, storytelling, and character continuity (with the exception of a blip here and there).

On the whole, I'm satisfied with the ending of this series, though I did show more feel a bit irked over one thing... it's fairly clear there will be more to come. Not the same thing exactly, but the setup is there for another series -- I have mixed feelings about that (can they really repeat this series' success?), but if it manages to maintain the quality and intensity of this one, I'm sure it'll do just fine. show less

Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the end of the initial hunt for the 39 Clues. There is an 11th book — a collection of four short stories — that spins off a new series: Cahills vs. Vespers.

The clues have taken Dan and Amy around the world and now they are back in Europe — England, this time. Their last clue hinges on Shakespeare and his play, Loves Labour Lost. If you know a thing or two about the Bard (or have seen "The Shakespeare Code" episode of Doctor Who) you've heard of the "lost" sequel, Loves Labour Won.

Me being a fan of Doctor Who, and perfectly willing to imagine him having adventures in all sorts of different stories, I have no problem believing he's an honorary Madrigal. Regardless, this volume is all show more about the Madrigals and their behind the scenes role in the Cahill successes.

As with all the other branches, the Madrigals have a hideout. That's where everything comes to a head an truth behind the 39 Clues is finally revealed. I found their compound a little hard to swallow but seeing how all the remaining teams reacted to reaching the end was fascinating. show less