One False Note by Gordon Korman | Book Review

Good morning, bookpups🐾 Hello, Monday-ers! Have you read any amazing middle-grade books? I’ve been devouring The 39 Clues series and today, I’m sharing my new favorite, One False Note by Gordon Korman (the second book in the series). It’s full of more sneaky Cahill tricks, danger, and hilarious moments! A definite 5-star read.

QOTD: You’re offered $1 Million or the chance to race around the world and POSSIBLY become the most powerful person in the world. What do you do?

In The Maze of Bones, Amy and Dan are both offered $1 Million … EACH. They turn it down to race around the world, competing for the chance to find all 39 Clues and possibly become the most powerful person in the world. While I understand the draw of that (and what their aunt would have done with the money until they turned 18 – hello, flaw in the system), I’m not sure I could have turned down that amount of money, just for the possibility. Maybe I’m too chicken … what about you??

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Oh my gosh, bookpups, I am having so much fun with this series!

In The Maze of Bones, we’re following Benjamin Franklin in France. Now, the Cahill kids (and Nellie!) are running around Austria! This time, it’s Mozart, one of the greatest composers of all time. And of course, he was a Cahill, too.

Danger still at every turn. I really loved how much Nellie’s character grew in One False Note. She was on board with their little “scavenger hunt” in the first book, but now she’s really present. She’s protective, quirky, and I just absolutely loved her!

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Trust no one.

In this second installment, we are reminded yet again to TRUST NO ONE. And I’m actually pretty proud of the Cahill kids for remembering this. But again, each time they get close to the next clue (or think they’ve found something significant), one of their shady relatives is right on their heels, ready to take it from them. Really?? Even though each of their relations either has money, power, strength, or fame on their side, I’m amazed at what the Cahills are able to accomplish together.

“Were you born a dweeb, or did you have to get a diploma?”
-Amy Cahill, One False Note

Sibling rivalry.

I loved how, even though Amy and Dan are pretty strong as a team, it’s still very obvious at times that they are 14 and 11-year-old siblings. Oh my gosh, is it ever! Nellie even gets caught in the middle as referee!

This is one of those books/series that you can read once, set aside for a time (in my case, about 7 years!), and come back to it as fresh as the first time you read it. I loved One False Note the first time I read it and I noticed that, even though this was a re-read, I was enjoying it (and discovering things) just as much as before! It’s great for kids who want to read a book where kids are the stars. Amy and Dan (with Nellie’s help) are pretty much on their own, no parental involvement. So it’s perfect for kids who want to read about just what kids can accomplish. It’s also an entertaining read for adults who want a little bit of a break, too 😉

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If you’ve read One False Note and would like to chat about it, DM us on Bookstagram or leave a comment below! Want more of our reviews? Check them out in our Review Archives!

Crossing off the letter O for our #2020AtoZReadingChallenge with One False Note by Gordon Korman.