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39 Clues Wrap-up

I’m back home for the weekend after a whirlwind tour for 39 Clues. Next week it’s off to Florida for some Percy Jackson craziness, followed by a week in the UK.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Maze of Bones events. Monday we had a huge crowd at A Children’s Place Bookstore in Portland. It was hotter in Portland than it was in San Antonio, which was weird, and the store was packed wall-to-wall with kids, but everyone was very patient and in good spirits moving through the signing line. Thanks to the staff for running things so smoothly. It was great meeting a lot of fans for the first time, since this was my first Portland event. I’ll be back in October for the Multnomah Library in case you missed this event. Hopefully the weather will have cooled off by then!

After that we flew to Denver, another one of my favorite cities. I addressed a group of teachers and librarians for Scholastic Book Fairs (about half of the audience was kids who got release time from school to see me – which was cool!). Then we drove down to Colorado Springs for dinner with the Mountains and Plains children’s booksellers. We passed the Garden of the Gods – a major setting in Battle of the Labyrinth – and I couldn’t help looking for demigods flying around with bronze wings. No luck, but maybe the Mist was just playing tricks on my eyes.

Yesterday I had an afternoon event at BookPeople in Austin. As usual, BookPeople threw an incredible party. The kids were divided into the four branches of the Cahill family, then did various challenges and events to earn beads for their branch. They had mazes, puzzles, and even a bungie cord pull. The Lucians won, but all the other branches gave it a good effort. Thanks to the hundreds of people who came out and braved a hot afternoon to be with us, and to the tireless BookPeople staff who worked so hard to make the event a success.

I understand Maze of Bones is off to a great start. It debuts at #1 on the New York Times children’s hardcover list next week, and we’ve heard from a lot of kids, teachers and parents who are enjoying the books and the game. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to play the game past the registration, so don’t ask me any questions about it. You know more than I do! I’m especially happy to hear the book has gone over well with teachers and their students. It’s a fun way to teach history, and I’m told Scholastic is working on some teacher support materials right now, so stay tuned for that.

I will post more from the road. Until then, have a good weekend and keep reading, everyone!

Rick Riordan