When I was a kid, my friends and I used to play a game, "Who Are You Related To?" We used to fantasize about which famous historical figures might be our ancestors. I liked to think I was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Mozart or Charles Dickens. My friends favored Napoleon, Amelia Earhart, or Albert Einstein.

What if you found out you were related to all of them? What if all the great people in the last five hundred years - from Susan B. Anthony to Shaka Zulu - were part of one huge family, and you were also a member? What if there was a secret to their power, and if you found that secret, you could become the most important member of the family, the most influential person in all of human history?

That's the quest awaiting Amy and Dan Cahill in The 39 Clues.

When Scholastic approached me about this project, I was immediately intrigued. Partly, it's the fact that I'm an English and history teacher. I spent fifteen years in the classroom, looking for ways to make history fun and relevant for my students. The 39 Clues is the perfect way to do this.

I was also drawn to the series because I'm a gamer. Yes, I'll admit it. I enjoy online gaming with my sons. I like fantasy worlds. I like becoming someone else for a while and having fabulous adventures. And I loved the idea that The 39 Clues has a gaming component. Not only can you read the books. You can get online, become one of the Cahills, and join the hunt for the Clues yourself! My sons and I fell for this idea, and I know other kids will, too.

Mostly, however, I fell in love with the story. Games and trading cards are great. Making education fun is excellent. But in the end, the story has to be good. My goal, first and foremost, is always to create books that will get kids to read. This story pulled me in. It has action, mystery, humor, globetrotting adventure - all the things I love. In no time, Amy, Dan, and the rest of their crazy, amazing, dangerous clan felt like old friends. Writing their first adventure, The Maze of Bones, was an absolute thrill. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it!

It's my pleasure to welcome you to the Cahill family. Good luck with the 39 Clues, but watch out. There are many other teams out there, and you never know who is a friend, and who is a rival. . . .

Good hunting!


Rick Riordan