I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: PETER BJORN & JOHN-“I Wish I Was a Spy” (2012).

Yo Gabba Gabba has always been a source of interesting music–very cool bands devote time and music to this, frankly bizarre kids show.

This song from Peter Bjorn and John is fantastic.  While the lyrics are kid friendly, there’s no reason that this song need be played only for kids.

The song opens with a good vibrato “spy” guitar lick and vocal breaths.  The unusual percussion really shows how much this song sounds like a PB&J song even if it is of a very specific genre.  When the vocals come in (sounding very PB&J), the lyrics simply state that he wishes he was a spy, and then he gives some great examples of what he would do as a spy.

But the big surprise comes from the chorus which s bright and bouncy and talks about how we can all pretend we are all agents.

The Yo Gabba Gabba version ends at 2 minutes, but the extended version has more instrumental surf/spy guitar work.  It’s kind of an extraneous coda, but the sound they capture is really cool, so it’s fun to get the extra minute of guitar work.

[READ: May 6, 2014] The Medusa Plot

When I finished Vespers Rising, I said I would pace myself because the Cahills vs. Vespers series was six book which would conclude in March 2013.  Clearly I paced myself too slowly because here it is May 2014, Cahils vs. vespers is long done, and they are on the next series already.

But hey, I’m not playing the online game so there’s no time constraints for me.

Also, Clark started reading the original series so I wanted to keep a little ahead of him.  It seemed like a good time to start this middle series.

And man, once I started reading I was immediately brought back into the exciting world of Dan and Amy Cahill.  I had forgotten about the short story in Vespers Rising (about the ring that Amy now has) and about the Vespers in general.  But that didn’t matter, because it was quickly set up that the Vespers (led by the unknown V-1) in particular are bad and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal (which we don’t know yet).

It has been two years since the end of the 39 Clues.  As the book opens, several members of the disparate Cahill family clan are kidnapped: Fiske Cahill, Reagan Holt, Natalie Kabra (who, with her brother is now poor since their evil mother disowned them for not being evil enough), Alistair Oh (no!) and Ted Starling (his brother Ned escaped), Phoenix Wizard (Jonah’s little cousin) and, gasp, Nellie Gomez!  They are taken to an undisclosed location, given jumpsuits and left in a small cell with nothing to do and minimal food on a regular basis.

Amy and Dan were attacked in their school bus, but they were able to fight off the attacker (to the shock of everyone, especially Amy’s boyfriend Evan).  He wants to help out but she can’t risk it.  Once she learns about her relatives, she and Dan contact the families (Dan and Amy used their fortune to set up a command center in Attleboro, MA).  The older family members are still mad about losing the Clues hunt and they refuse to help, but the younger generation sees the importance of what Dan and Amy have done and must do, and they all help in various ways.

Soon enough they learn that they have to follow the whims of V-1 or he will begin killing the hostages.  And their task is to steal a painting: Caravaggio’s Medusa.  It is in The Uffizi Gallery in Florence–not exactly an easy place to break in to.

Since this happens in the beginning of the book, its no spoiler to say that they do steal it–but the technique is fanatic–very exiting and well done.  When V-1 arranges to pick it up though, it proves to be a fake.  Which means that Dan and  Amy must find the original–something that no one even knew was not even in the gallery.  How in the heck will they do that?  With extensive research, of course.

Oh, but since they gave V-1 the wrong painting, someone will pay.  And one of the guards shoots Nellie in the arm!  She spends the rest of the book in agony (and a creepy section later in which someone has to take the bullet out).

Then something strange happens (for this series)  An outsider is invited in t help them. It turns out that Evan, in addition to being crazy about Amy and willing to do anything for her, is also a super tech nerd.  And he has some insights that will help them on their quest–even if he is camped out in Attleboro while Amy and Dan (and others) traipse around the globe again.

And then another strange thing happens: more outsiders are invited in.  Dan has made online friends with a younger boy named Atticus.  Atticus is a genius (he’s in college at age 11).  And he and Dan are good friends.  Atticus’ brother is not impressed by Dan, but the heck with him.  Atticus and Dan have a lot in common–they’ve each lost their mother, and they love quests and potty jokes. When it turns out that Atticus can help them because he knows the Roman Coliseum very well he and Jake show them around.  (the genius way that the Medusa is linked to the Roman Coliseum must be applauded)

As this book ends, Dan and Amy have stolen several priceless artifacts and are now wanted by Interpol.  They have alienated Atticus, and now they have another quest.  When they turn in that precious Medusa to V-1, he informs them that no one will be released until they get him something else.  At least so far none of the kidnapped family members have been killed.  Unlike with the 39 Clues, they have more family and friends to help them out.    And that is what Book Two is all about.