The 39 Clues - 4 - Beyond the Grave product reviews

Wow - what a book.

So, the fourth installment is as gripping as the previous 3 episodes, and as other readers of the series, we expect the remainder of the series to be compulsive reading too.

Amy and Dan continue their adventure, discovering more clues in their quest to find the ultimate prize of all - the Cahill family secret. But how do they get on? Well, you will have to read the book to find out, but it is safe to say, that once you get hooked, you will want the rest of the books anyway. I know my daughter has been itching to get her hands on the book.

Such has been the impact on the series on my daughter, she has been reading on her own and willingly too. A book that does this to my somewhat unwilling-to-read and possibly somewhat lazy daughter gets my vote every time.

Okay this book series has officially taken over as my sons favourite, even replacing Star Wars (which if you know my son is a HUGE thing ).

Once again Amy and Dan are off on the hunt for another of the 39 clues. As per the other books not only do you get more little hints of the actual 39 clues but you also get more of the backstory concerning Amy and Dan, like which Cahill line are they from?

These series of books have become my sons staple bedtime reading material, and we were extremely happy when this one arrived as we had just finished reading the first three to him for the 3rd or 4th time running.

Also as with the previous books you get more of the 39 Clues online game cards for you to load into your profile.

This has to be the best series for youngsters today and I am more than happy that this is helping my son develop a love for books.

INCOMING! Amy and Dan Cahill have rushed off to Egypt on the trail of the fourth of the 39 Clues hidden around the world, but will they be brave enough to make the sacrifice? I think the book was AWESOME because of its cover and its fast-paced story that is filled with lots of Egyptian history and heaps of action. What I enjoyed the most was that the cover was cool because of its bright colour and the background went well with the golden statue of Sakhet, and the book code got me very excited. The cards looked very interesting and I couldn't wait to put them in my online card collection. I didn't enjoy it when Amy and Dan were trapped, betrayed and nearly killed. I just can't wait for book five: The Black Circle!

Here we are a fourth time, not even half way through the series of books and I am stunned at how this series is panning out.

With every book, the characters gain new depth and complexity... even the bad guys have their moments of epiphany... and some turn out to be not as bad as first thought. Some turn out to be worse.

Once again the story is packed with action suitable to the target readership age (8-14 years old), and historical background information that helps the nkids explore the past in a very kid-friendly way. The clues are convoluted enough to require some thought, yet easy enough to decypher that even younger kids can share the joy of discovery (with perhaps a little help from Mum or Dad).

Personally, I love these books, since I know the my 9yr old son can be left to read this in peace and he'll grasp it all very easily, or has access to a good enough research library that he can find more details on anything he's not sure of. It's great to watch him come dancing into the room expounding on about 'his' latest 'discovery' and actively getting back into his reading.

Overall, an excellent fourth addition to The 39 clues series.

I was really impressed by this book. More than I was by the others in the series. After reading some of the reviews on this site I had to go out and buy the full set for my younger clanmembers. A great way to deal with birthday presents as they are fun and educational all in one.
This book really caught their attention and after reading them all I can see why. the characters feel a lot more real in this book and that is probably because they all seem to undergo some crisis of faith in themselves that threy had to work through before they could move on. Something we all come across in our lives too now and then.
The history lessons in each book are great and had the little clannies all running off for library cards and computers and begging any available adult to help them research these "cool new facts" they had discovered. (What is it about the gory aspects of ancient mummification that so fascinates kids? Especially the boys.)
All in all, so impressed that even I can't wait to see whats coming next.

Another excellent book in this ever developing series. I love that reading this book as a young adult, I still get a lot of value and enjoyment out of it. The cover even looks sophisticated enough that I don't feel embarassed reading it at University (when technically I should be studying).

This part of the adventure takes place in Egypt, a place I thought would lend to a great deal of stereotype - Tutankhamen, the Pyramids, the Sphinx - you know the deal. Hence I was pleasantly surprised to find that the facts we learn are less obvious and significantly more interesting. The dam in the Nile for example, and the way that the ruins on one island had to be moved to another when the water level rose.

I particularly enjoyed the way that the characters became more fleshed out and showed real human flaws and weaknesses. Both Amy and Dan go through a crisis of faith and come out stronger for it. Even the bad guys start showing a few interesting cracks.

All up, 39 Clues is turning into a complex story that is so simple to read that you just absorb the complexity in your stride. I am kept guessing right to the end and even when something obvious has happened, I find myself wondering why I didn't see it coming. A great story with wonderful consistency from book to book despite there being four different authors so far.