I'm going to give a generic review of the series. Basically because I'm lazy and don't want to write 39 reviews. Okay, 11.

We finally read Book 1. And then because we liked it so well, the entire series. One son (age 12) has read them all, the second son (also age 12) is on Book 2. And son #3 (age 8) will be starting as soon as he finishes his current book.

I thought the premise of this book very interesting. I loved how they integrated history and geography along with problem-solving skills and c More...

RUSSIA. Yes, Amy and Dan went to Russia, where a Lucian stronghold is located. Mind you, they went there without their au pair and actually had managed to pull through provided these getups and golden Visa card from this anon person abbreviated as "NRR" (NRR is a she. Stands for Nataliya Ruslanova Radova). I've actually given up expecting this series to be plausible anymore. LOL

What I liked about this book was it had given me a couple of Russian historical details. 'Cause honestly, I didn't kno More...

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! :D it shows here that you can't trust everyone but you can always trust someone.That's what I've learned in this book when an alliance happened and a friendship began. This book also made me feel curious about who NRR is. And at the end...well, almost at the end, you'll know who HE is :) but sometime there, I doubt her because SOMEONE called her and it was ____! So there was a brief doubtfulness inside me. But then again, HE did help them and HE turned out to be good :) So More...

This one wow-ed me. I've always liked the series, but this one 'knocked it out of the park'. It seems that book three was just a hiccup for this great series. My only regret is that the books seems to be maintaining a riduculous price-to-number of pages ratio. I bought my copy in-store and paid almost $16 for a measly 168 pages.

This time Amy and Dan are off to Russia: the land of snow, the Kremlin, Tsars, and ... Irina. After being forced to leave their au-pair, Nellie, behind, Amy and Dan head More...

I am now halfway through this exciting series, which ends with Book Ten coming out August 2010. The Black Circle begins with a telegram that lures to Russia 11 year-old Dan Cahill and 14 year-old Amy Cahill—a brother and sister team who are in the race to uncover the 39 clues leading to great power. I must admit I had flashbacks of James Bond spy movies as I read this book.

What caught my interest this time is that Dan and Amy go through a whole risky adventure, even traveling from Cairo to Russi More...

As far as I know, The Black Circle marks the halfway point for the 39 clues series. And while this was definitely one of the better books, I find myself able to list more things I *don't* like about the series, than I do. (Note: these comments are more about the books in general, rather than The Black Circle particularly).

The writing. On the plus side, having a bunch of different writers take a turn does add various dimensions of flavor, but it's also a bit disconcerting. Sometimes the transitio More...

I have enjoyed each and everyone of the books in this series. After the first one this one was probably my favorite. In the past Dan and Amy have been chased by other families but have not formed any alliances that lasted throughout the book. They were double crossed in each one. It was refreshing to see them make an alliance with the Holts that lasted all the way through the book. Irin played a bigger role in this book. She is probably the one character that I have loved to hate. That is changi More...

Not the worst book in the 39 clues series so far, but also not the best. In this, Amy and Dan find themselves traveling to Russia (without their au pair) and following clues that a mysterious benefactor has left them, eventually having to work together with another team in the race to solve the puzzle in the time limit they're given.

I loved the fact that this took place in Russia and featured all sorts of Russian history. Anyone unfamiliar with Russian history will be floored at all the things More...

Maybe 3.5 stars......I have mixed feelings about this book in the series. There were two things I really liked about the book. First, I enjoyed the history part taking place in Russia. the details included would easily appeal to kids reading the book, I would imagine. And second, I thought the pace was good - lots of action and a few more details falling into place.
But - some items fell flat, in my opinion. I know the books aren't meant to be plausible, but I think there should be logical explan More...

I learned about the 39 Clues series around the time I first finished Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's not really a surprise, since Rick Riordan wrote the first book and the children's librarian at our favorite branch loves to share new series that she thinks we'll enjoy with us.

I'd read the first couple in the series but hadn't gotten around to reading the rest. Then came the unexpected trip to Philadelphia. I knew from past experience that Rich and I would go nuts if we were forced to list More...

Dan and Amy Cahill are lured to Russia by a mysterious telegram, promising information about the death of their parents. But they find themselves in the middle of a Lucian stronghold, where the Kabras and Irina Spasky have vast resources at their disposal. They'll have to make new alliances and new friends in order to survive, get the clue, and discover the mystery of their parent's death.

The series just keeps chugging along. Good things: yet another important character who doesn't care about th More...

Today I will be typing about the 39 clues the black circle what I liked about this book is that it takes place in Russia, which is why I am fascinated with this book because I have always been intrigue with Russia. My favorite part of this book is when Amy and Dan make a alliance with the Holts because it is really hard to join forces with the holts. A part in this book that really surprised me was that Irany Spanky(a hated aunt of Amy and Dan Cahill)spared there life when she found them in a s More...

This has been my favourite book of the series so far. I like the Irina character because she has changed over the course of the series. The children moved around a bit more in this book than the others I think. I can't wait to finish the rest of the first series.

Ok. Considering the fact that around the time of this review, I had a World War 2 unit. Our teacher liked the Russian Revolution the best, and the history in this book is the Russian Royal Family, including the Romanovs. This is the first time in the series the explicitly bent around history so that Anastasia survived because Rapustin passed on his survival "powers" to her. The way he came into the picture was because Anastasia's brother, Alexi, had hemophilia. That means when he got a cut, he More...

I read this book because I wanted to continue the story of the 39 clues. The fourth book, Beyond the Grave, left with a cliffhanger and I wanted to read the next book. This book is about Amy and Dan who goes to Russia to continue for the search of the 39 clues. They encounter enemies and dangerous situations which made the story very interesting. My favorite quote is “’One gram melted amber.’ ‘Dude, that’s gross. Who’s Amber?’” I chose this quote because I found it funny. Also because I think th More...

I was extremely impressed by this series. I started listening to the Maze of Bones audiobook while at work. I enjoy listening to young adult series as they aren't too difficult to follow while also concentrating on my computer. After listening to the Percy Jackson series 2 or 3 times I figured I'd give this Riordan book a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find a compelling mystery! The Cahill kids are likable protagonists on a bigger adventure then they could ever have imagined having in their More...

The more of these 39 Clues I read, the more I doubt that the end will be worth it. My son loved these books and they're not bad for kids, but there is just not enough substance to keep my interest. In this book #5, we get more of the same - an 11 & 14 year old somehow capable of world travel, dangerous adventure, and finding lost historical secrets all on their own. Amy & Dan travel to Russia which comes across very "Cold War-ish." KGB protected secrets and that sort of thing abound in t More...

There's an old story about how you can't cook a frog in a kettle of boiling water -- he'll jump right out to escape the heat. But if you put him in a kettle of nice, cool water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog won't notice the change in temperature until his po' legs is jes' fried and it's too late for him to get out of his predicament.

That helps to describe how I'm starting feel about this series. When I first started reading The 39 Clues, I jumped out of the boiling water, shouting pr More...

Another great installment in the 39 Clues series though I do have a few complaints. I was sad to see Nellie's total lack of involvement in this book and felt Carman created a poor excuse for her absence (dead cell phone battery-lame!). I was also very disappointed in the inclusion of NRR. I always found it appealing that the kids were able to figure out the clues on their own based on each's particular interests and talents. But in The Black Circle the kids don't figure out a single clue but are More...

This installment of the 39 Clues series takes Amy and Dan to Russia, where they have secret benefactor giving them hints (and money!), but is their unknown helper really a helper?

While I liked reading about Rasputin and the Romanov family, I had several gripes about this book. First of all, there was a complete lack of Nellie in this book, having Amy and Dan ditch her in Egypt. Also, I was kinda angry about the new quasi-alliance with Hamilton Holt. You’d think Amy of all people would remember w More...

So by now, the fifth book in this series, things are starting to wear a little thin. The 39 Clues seems to have at least three overall goals: to be an action/adventure, to be a mystery, and to be a history/travel log. The third goal is supposed to be the sneaky educational nutrition hidden by the deliciousness of the first two. In this volume, the subject is the Romanovs, Rasputin, and Anastasia, as well as the statuary and architecture of Russia. And that is good, as far as it goes, though as a More...

I've read the series up to this point. It's some GOOD stuff.

So this review is on the entire series, not just this book.

Characters: Brilliant. Unique. And they develop as the hunt for the clues progresses.
Setting: Many, many places. If I were a 13-year old, I could totally learn all about the world with this.
Plot: Find the clues. It's just not as easy as it sounds.
Tying Up Ends: We're nowhere near the end yet, so we'll see how that goes.
Uniqueness of Style: There are a bunch of different authors More...

Book 5 takes you into Russia and the Lucian stronghold.
Good enough for me to read and good enough for my 9 year old to read. Although I am a little behind in these books they are a good read and it allows me to discuss the places Amy and Dan Cahill are going to with my kids. It also allows a bit of suspense too keep me reading where Amy and Dan go next. It never hurts to learn a bit of history with your kids while reading a good book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read chap More...

I understand this series' aim targets 3rd-4th graders, but I will admit to reading the books well into seventh grade. While they lack substance, the 39 Clues really just fulfill a juvenile-rated desire in the thrill of adventure and mystery. A few one-liners and humorous banter between Dan and Amy and their evil cousins (?) might convince me to devote a solid half hour to reading their latest installments. The authors, also, made valiant attempts to pass off the stories. However, I also found it More...

As with the previous four installments, this book was an easy and engaging read. I love the way history is introduced so naturally - you come away curious and ready to learn more (in this case about Russia). I think these books are an amazing way to open childrens' minds to the world and leave them interested.

The characters continue to develop, something else I have really appreciated about this series. They are beginning to do new things, like drive vehicles and use fake passports. They are gro More...

The 5th in The 39 Clues series, this book takes Dan and Amy Cahill to Russia where they learn about yet-another-famous-relative, Anastasia, the last surviving member of the ruling Romanov family.

This series is great as far as getting kids hooked and reading. It also throws in some history and culture at the same time. But each book in the series is written by a different author. I loved the first book which was authored by Rick Riordan. This one is written by Patrick Carman and I found the writ More...

The book I read is titled The Black Circle by Patrick Carman.I liked this book because of the adventure and suspence.My opinion of this book on a scale from one to ten is an absolute ten, because this book was exciting to reading.The plot of this book was that the main characters Amy and Dan cahile would solve a mystery.The problem is that Amy and Dan have competition.The characters always felt rushed because of the cometition.This book is in a series of eighteen books called the 39 clues.The ge More...

This review was originally posted onBibliophilia, Please.

The Black Circleis the fifth installment of the multi-author collaborative series, The 39 Clues . These middle-grade books focus on Amy and Dan Cahill's race to find the thirty-nine clues their ancestors have hidden across the world, after the death of their grandmother. This novel was written by Patrick Carman, who has written more than twenty books.

Dan, Amy, and their au pair, Nellie, are still in Cairo following Beyond the Grave . As th More...

I know a little bit about Russian history after reading this book. Could say that this book make history is easy to remember ^^. The History of Romanov Royal Family is something new for me, but they are real, just like when I check it on wikipedia.

Since the author of this book is not one person, but several person, I can understand that the way story told is also different between one book and the others. This one is fast (compare to the third book), many scenes and many adventures, but it make More...