Into the Gauntlet (The 39 Clues Series #10) »

Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of many critically and popularly acclaimed teen and middle-grade novels, all published by S&S. She lives in Powell, Ohio, with her husband and two children. A graduate of Miami University (of Ohio), she worked for several years as a reporter for The Indianapolis News. She also taught at the Danville (Illinois) Area Community College. She lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio.

Throughout the hunt for the 39 Clues, Amy and Dan Cahill have uncovered history's greatest mysteries and their family's deadliest secrets. But are they ready to face the truth about the Cahills and the key to their unmatched power? After a whirlwind race that's taken them across five continents, Amy and Dan face the most difficult challenge yet- a task no Cahill dared to imagine. When faced with a choice that could change the future of the world, can two kids succeed where 500 years worth of famous ancestors failed?

Children's Literature

Fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother Dan, along with their babysitter Nellie, are continuing to search for the 39 clues to the secret serum that is rumored to cure all. Other clans of the family are searching, too. This is part of "The 39 Clues" series, readers will feel lost if they have not read the earlier books, although sufficient information is provided to enable one to mostly understand the storyline without prior knowledge. Similar to Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events," the reader follows main characters, in this case a boy and a girl, through their searching for the final solution, amid others who are also seeking this same treasure and who will stop at nothing to win. This tenth volume ends the story, with the serum's recipe being discovered, and the families reconciling as one, just as the original hider of the clues had intended. Whether watching Shakespeare only to see ninjas overtake the stage or trying to scale a mountain on a deserted island that does not appear on any map, Amy and Dan triumph over all, learning history, literature, and more while they uncover the solution to each clue. Reviewer: Sara Rofofsky Marcus