The Medusa Plot

The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman

The 39 Clues. Cahills vs. Vespers. Book 1.

As if finding all of the 39 Clues’ ten books written by seven different authors wasn’t hard enough. We, librarians, really need a cheat sheet. It is hard even keeping track of the titles. I sometimes wonder if we couldn’t just shelve them under 39 Clues. Of course, would they be at the very end or the very beginning because it’s numerical OR would we shelve them alphabetically by Thirty-nine?

Not to mention the odd eleventh book, Vespers Rising, that is a prequel of sorts written by four different authors itself. (one of my favorites because of the background and history.)

But I’ll stop complaining because the kids continue to ask for them. Whatever brings the kids in and not only inspires them to read, but keeps them coming back for more – well, I’m thrilled with that.

And I actually, really and truly enjoyed The Medusa Plot. Get out! Seriously. I even know why I appreciated it so much. Amy and Dan get to go to Italy! With trips to Florence, Lake Como and Rome – all places that I have been! I especially relished their visits to the Uffizi and the Colosseum. It really helps to have a vested interest in a setting.

Cahills vs. Vespers takes place two years after Vespers Rising. What have our young clue hunters been up to? Amy has been preparing herself so that she will never be caught off guard and helpless again. She and Sinead Starling, an Ekat, have created a Cahill Training Camp for themselves at Amy and Dan’s replicated Grace Cahill Mansion. Amy has become a lean, mean, fighting machine – with a serious boyfriend who, of course, knows nothing of Amy’s secret Cahill life.

Dan has entered a solitary depression. It’s hard to live a normal life after the adventure-filled, danger-packed, epic-quick life of a clue hunter. With his photographic-memory, he IS the last copy of Gideon’s super serum. Only Dan has the list of 39 ingredients with the directions to combine them. To fight his boredom, as well as to give him a sense of security, Dan has been acquiring the ingredients so that he will be prepared when the Vespers strike. He is not quick enough.

The Vespers finally make their move by kidnapping seven Cahill cousins and holding them hostage in an undisclosed place. It is up to Amy and Dan and any remaining cousins to jump through hoops to save the lives of the hostages. And Vesper One requires the Cahills become criminals. They must steal a valuable work of art from the Uffizi and deliver it to the Vespers or else a hostage will die.

But there is more to the demand than meets the eye.

Can Amy and Dan commit a felony, complete the mission, discover the location of the hostages, and uncover the true intent of the Vespers before a hostage dies? I’m sure it will take several books to find out!