Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
A delightful collection of three short stories set in Riordan’s modern mythological US. It introduces a handful of new mythological characters (Phobos, Deimos, and Persephone) while relating more about characters we already know and love (Annabeth, Percy, Clarisse, Charlie Beckendork). There are also interviews with some of the principal characters. A great book to hold of those Percy Jackson fans until we get our hands on The Last Olympian.
The 39 Clues (Book 1): The Maze of Bones
I picked up a copy of The Maze of Bones yesterday and aside from being tricked into buying a card pack that “goes with it” (according the the sales clerk), it’s been a good experience so far. I created an account on the 39 Clues website (the39clues.com) and I’m in the Tomas branch of the Cahill family. I enjoyed adding my cards and solving the puzzles. I’m eager to see this play out. I’m about half-way through the book and greatly enjoying it (Riordan’s writing in this book is superior to some of his later Percy Jackson books). It’s like the Da Vinci Code for kids! And I love that the follow up book is only 82 days away. While this is has been a heavily marketed book and clearly designed to suck up your dollar on accompanying cards, if the experience is worth it, I don’t have a problem with it.
“Fortunately, the librarians were having a slow day, and Amy wasn’t shy around them at all. She loved librarians. When she told them she was doing a summer research project on Benjamin Franklin and needed to use historical documents, they fell all over themselves to help her.” (p 89)
Now that sounds exactly like Librarians 
