The Sword Thief

A book review for parents

This mystery book by Peter Lerangis is the third book in "The 39 Clues" series and is published by Scholastic, Inc.

The Sword Thief is written for kids ages 9 to 12. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness.

Plot Summary

In the first book in "The 39 Clues" series (The Maze of Bones), Dan and Amy Cahill's wealthy grandmother, Grace, dies and leaves a challenge to her large extended family: Whoever finds the 39 clues she's left behind will gain wealth and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Orphaned Amy (age 14) and her brother, Dan (age 11), are determined to outplay their vicious, devious family members.

In this book, Dan and Amy find their boarding passes missing after Nellie (the kids' au pair) has boarded their plane to Tokyo. Uncle Alistair, a competitor, offers to take the kids to Tokyo on his private jet. Though Dan and Amy have been warned not to trust anyone, they have little choice but to accept since Nellie, their only adult-figure, is already en route to Japan. Once in Tokyo, Alistair and the kids discuss Japanese history and decide the clues are pointing them to an ancient warrior from the Thomas branch of the Cahill family named Hideyoshi and his descendants, the yakuza. They've just printed out a map of secret subway tunnels when they realize their computer has been hacked by the Holt family, another competitor.

The Holts capture and transport them to the subway, where the whole group looks for clues until they're almost hit by a train. The Holts escape the way they entered, while the kids are saved by Alistair, who pulls them into a secret room within the tunnel walls. Yakuza warriors with swords quickly drive Alistair and the kids above ground, but just as they're about to be captured, Nellie, the two relatives who stole their boarding passes (Ian and Natalie Kabra), and Grace's cat, Saladin, arrive to save them. Alistair and the kids decide to work with the Kabras temporarily. Ian gives Amy a coin with a symbol on it, and in conjunction with a scroll they've found in the subway, the group decides the clues are pointing toward Alistair's homeland, Korea. On the flight, Alistair thinks about his painful discovery: Many years ago his Uncle Bae hired someone to murder Alistair's father.

When the next clue leads them to an alchemy chart and a mountain cave containing a new clue, Ian takes back the coin and uses it to seal Amy, Dan and Alistair in the cave while he and Natalie escape to continue their quest. Alistair and the kids find gunpowder fuses and blow their way out of the cave, but Alistair does not emerge from the rubble. The children appear devastated because they think he died. Bae and the elusive man in black (who appears briefly in each book) watch their reactions from the shadows. They also believe Alistair has been killed. As the children and Nellie resignedly head to Egypt to follow the next lead, Alistair reveals to Bae that he's still alive.

Christian Beliefs

When Alistair and the kids need to start a fire and only have three matches left, Alistair instructs them to pray.

Authority Roles

Elderly Uncle Alistair has a soft spot for Dan and Amy, even though they're the competition. His inner monologue reveals that both his father and their parents were killed so someone could obtain clues.

(Clarifying note: On the one hand, Grace dies and leaves behind a challenge about the 39 clues. But on the other, the book indicates that the various Cahill branches have been looking for clues for generations. Alistair's father was killed when he was 4, and Dan and Amy's parents died seven years ago. Evidently they were killed by some of the clue seekers before Grace died.)

Alistair partners with Dan and Amy for most of the book, helping them get to Japan and sharing his secret information about the contest. He lies to a librarian about what he's researching so she will allow him access to the library's computers. Nellie, a young lady with multiple piercings and tattoos who loves punk rock music, is the token caretaker for the kids now that they're on the run from their mean aunt and legal guardian. Showing no concern for Dan's and Amy's lives, Eisenhower Holt commands his family to get out of a tunnel as the subway approaches. Alistair recalls his painful childhood under the guidance of his greedy, ruthless Uncle Bae, who had Alistair's father killed and raised him when his mother had to be hospitalized due to her grief.

Other Belief Systems

The kids find a collection of golden buddhas. Amy believes she and Dan have had a seven-year string of bad luck, beginning with the deaths of their parents. Alistair says evolution does not favor the Holts' branch of the family.

Profanity/Graphic Violence

Characters use God's name in vain several times. Butt, dang, fart, heck and turd also appear. When Alistair tells the kids they're in a cave full of schist, Dan tells him to watch his language. Eisenhower says that the Holts are viewed as stains on the family underpants. Irina curses violently, though the actual swear words don't appear in the text. Dan and Amy vomit after they escape from an explosion, which they believe has killed Alistair. Dan refers several times to video games he plays, including Warcraft and Ninja Gaiden. He says the ninjas in the latter game will cut off your arms and feed them to you. In their online search for clues, the kids find a picture of a scary Japanese warrior holding a severed head.

Kissing/Sex/Homosexuality

Ian brushes his lips against Amy's, an almost-kiss, after he saves her from a rockslide.

Awards

Unknown

Discussion Topics

If your children have read this book or someone has read it to them, consider these discussion topics:

How does Dan feel when he thinks Alistair has died?
Why has Dan vowed never to get close to adults?
Who did Alistair lose when he was a child, and why was the person killed?
Have you ever lost anyone who was special to you?
How did you feel?
How did you express your grief?
Have you ever felt, as Dan and Amy did, that other people have a stronger support system than you?
Did it seem like they had a bigger or closer family, or more friends than you?
Whose family are you always a part of, even when you feel alone?
Why do you think Nellie has so many tattoos and piercings?
Why does Natalie think Nellie will regret them once she gets older and gets a job?
How do people today react when they see someone with a lot of tattoos and piercings?
How does Irina Spasky feel about teamwork?
What does she believe will tear apart any teams that do form?
Have you ever been part of a team or group where jealousy, greed or betrayal drove a wedge between the members? What happened?
What are some of the benefits of teamwork?
What did you learn about Japanese history or culture from this story?
What does Alistair mean when he tells Dan and Amy that trust is difficult to build but easy to break?
What does he say will break the chain of mistrust between two people?
Who do you have difficulty trusting?
How can you know whom to trust?
What does the Bible say about God's trustworthiness?
Why is winning the contest so important to Eisenhower Holt?
How does he feel his family is viewed now?
Have you ever felt like you had something to prove or accomplish?
What happened?
How does Ian mistreat Amy?
Have you ever liked someone who ended up being mean to you?
How did it feel?
How does Amy feel?
What does Ian steal from his parents, and how does he justify the theft?
What does Dan steal from the hotel, and why does he think he needs it?
What does the Bible say about stealing?
Is it ever OK to steal? Explain your answer.
What are some things Dan and Amy lie about in their search for the 39 clues?
Are their lies justified? Explain your answer.
What does the Bible say about lying?
Are you familiar with the video games Dan likes to play?
What do you know about them?
Are they violent?
Do you think violent video games, movies and TV shows are dangerous? Why or why not?
On what sort of things does God want us to focus our thoughts?

Note:
Go to PluggedIn for reviews of the online games and video games that kids in this book played: World of Warcraft and Ninja Gaiden II

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. A book's inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.