With The 39 Clues, can Scholastic repeat the success of Harry Potter?Among many other things, the Harry Potter series exposed a humongous hunger for magic-fantasy stories. This clue to publishing success left by J K Rowling is picked up, not surprisingly, by her former publisher, Scholastic. With a series of 10 fantasy-filled books, called The 39 Clues, the publishing house aims to whip up a craze among pre-teen readers akin to Potter mania.To achieve this, they have a foolproof plan—a 10-book series, hundreds of collectible cards, an engrossing online game and the lure of attractive prizes. The first book The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan is already out worldwide and December 2 is the date for the second book One False Note by Gordon Korman. Three months later, the third book of the series, The Sword Thief, written by Peter Lerangis will hit the stands.Sayoni Basu, director of Scholastic India, says the multi-platform concept is fantastic but the books too have to be good. “The 10 books written by as many great authors won’t disappoint,” she adds. Though the first book is available in India, the cards will be in the market shortly. In the online game, India will be eligible for the prizes in December with the launch of Book 2.Riordan, the author of Book 1, is the creator of the series. “When Scholastic approached me for The 39 Clues, I was so excited. As a history teacher, I love anything that can make the subject exciting. Secondly, I love the multi-platform approach they are taking,” he says.The series has already caught the fancy of Dreamworks Studios, which has acquired its film rights. For those who are not yet initiated into the hunt started by the series, its protagonists are two young Cahills— Amy, 14, and Dan, 11. Their grandmother, Grace, in her will, issues a challenge— take a million dollars or get the first clue from the 39 clues spread across the world in the most dangerous places. The first team to find all the clues would discover the Cahill family power and become the richest and most influential in the history of human civilisation.Apart from a gripping story, what will keep the readers glued to the series are the clues given in the books to piece together the Cahill family jigsaw.The pre-teen readers in India may not be too clued into the series now, but Basu believes its popularity will eventually grow.
