So how will those clues work?

“The 39 Clues” is publishing on an aggressive timetable, with plans to release one book every two to three months. Rick Riordan wrote the first book (due out tomorrow!) and outlined the next nine novels, which will be written by other authors.
Scholastic has started to use its marketing power, tied to a Web-based game (www.the39clues.com) and collectors’ cards. The publisher, which thrived on the enormous success of the Harry Potter novels, is now facing the reality that many children are now as engrossed in the Internet and video games as they are in books.
“The idea is that every aspect will add to the storytelling in its own way,” said David Levithan, an executive editorial director for multimedia publishing at Scholastic. “The Web or card experience is not at all going to replicate the book experience, nor is the book experience going to replicate the Web.”
Levithan and three other Scholastic editors wanted to make sure that the books would complement the Internet game. Each of the 10 books would reveal only one clue per title, leaving gamers to find the other 29 online; another was that the series take place in a number of locales around the world.

Prizes!

So, Scholastic has released information about the prizes with listings for each participating country. Looks like some good stuff is up for grabs! It looks as if the $10,ooo grand prize the publisher is offering only applies in the U.S. and Canada. It's $5,000 in New Zealand and Australia, £5,000 in the U.K. To be the Grand Prize winner, kids collect all 39 Clues and must remain in the top 39 point scorers in the online game.
All areas with the exception of Australia are offering Book Prizes as well. After reading each book, children add the included trading cards to their online collection to see if they won up to $500!
The site will host Missions for the kids to do too. Playing along with a Clue Mission gets you in the running for as much as $250.
Let's not forget the Episode Prizes, an episode is a book, a Clue Mission, trading cards and other activities on the web site with more chances for cash. In Australia, kids compete for gaming consoles for Episode Prizes.

UNITED STATES
GRAND PRIZE: Collect all 39 Clues and be one of the top 39 point scorers, and you can compete for the $10,000 grand prize.
BOOK PRIZES: Read a Book, add the cards to your online collection, and you have the chance to win $500.
MISSION PRIZES: Start an online Clue Mission, and you have the chance to win $250.
EPISODE PRIZES: The top point scorer for a 39 Clues Episode (that's one Book, one Mission, card combos, and other online activities) wins $1,000.


CANADA
GRAND PRIZE: Collect all 39 Clues and be one of the top 39 point scorers, and you can compete for the $10,000 grand prize.
BOOK PRIZES: Read a Book, add the cards to your online collection, and you have the chance to win $500.
MISSION PRIZES: Start an online Clue Mission, and you have the chance to win $250.
EPISODE PRIZES: The top point scorer for a 39 Clues Episode (that's one Book, one Mission, card combos, and other online activities) wins $1,000.

UNITED KINGDOM
GRAND PRIZE: Collect all 39 Clues and you have the chance to win the £5,000 grand prize.
BOOK PRIZES: Read a Book, add the cards to your online collection, and you have the chance to win £250.
MISSION PRIZES: Start an online Clue Mission, and you have the chance to win £125.


NEW ZEALAND
GRAND PRIZE: Collect all 39 Clues and you have the chance to win the $5,000 grand prize.
BOOK PRIZES: Read a Book, add the cards to your online collection, and you have the chance to win $500.
MISSION PRIZES: Start an online Clue Mission, and you have the chance to win $250.

AUSTRALIA
GRAND PRIZE: Collect all 39 Clues and be one of the top 39 point scorers, and you can compete for a home entertainment center valued at $5,000.
EPISODE PRIZES: The top point scorer for a 39 Clues Episode -- that's one Book, one Mission and other online activities -- wins a gaming console.

With all of these great prizes and lots of cash just waiting to be claimed, this will be a fun and exciting adventure for all kids!

Book 2 release date!

Book 2 "One False Note" by Gordon Korman in The 39 Clues book series will be release Dec. 2.

Don't forget to grab a card pack as you pick up the new books. The cards will provide lots of helpful hints and earn kids points for prizes. The 39 Clues Card Pack One comes with 16 randomly assorted cards relating to books 1, 2 and 3, as well as a 16-page Clue Finder Guide. The games begin Sept. 9.

More story background from Scholastic...

This is the information provided about the story line of "The 39 Clues" book series:

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has assembled them. Now young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what happened to their parents.

The books will set the scene, telling the basic story while the cards, website and game allow kids to participate. Kids visit the website and discover they are lost members of the Cahill family. They set up online accounts where they compete against other kids and Cahill characters to find all the clues. Through the site, kids can track points and clues, manage card collections, dig through the Cahill archives and "travel" to collect artifacts, interview characters and search for clues. Collecting cards helps: Each card is a piece of evidence containing information on a Cahill, a clue or a family secret. Prizes will be given away through the books, website and cards, including a grand prize of $10,000.