Demarest Free Public Library
90 Hardenburgh Ave Demarest, NJ 07627
(201) 768-8714
kate.gorman@bccls.org
39 Clues
Age range:
Grades 3 to 6
# of attendees:
I would say it depends on the amount of help you had and the size of the
scavenger hunt. The first time I did it, I had about 20 kids with about 2 adult helpers. I paired the
kids into a two-person team.
Length:
About 1 hour. You will have kids that accomplish the list early and you
will have some that need a little more time.
Budget/supplies:

Pencils

Questionaire

Genre/subject related books available

Small prize (I've given away extra ARCs to those with the closest answer and then
bookmarks/pencils/erasers to all attendees.)
Room setup:
The children's room and some aspects of the main library. This all can be
arranged around your “clues”.
Helpful websites:
39clues.com
funology.com/trivia-and-strange-facts/
Publicity:
Flyer, website, local newspaper, online calendar, patron listserv
Overview
I first did a “39 Clues” program about 3 years ago. It is essentially a library scavenger
hunt, however each question is based on one of the books from the 39 Clues series. I varied my
questionaire from easy to hard. Some questions are designed to get the kids acquainted with the
library, for example “Where are the 39 Clues books located?”. Other questions are used to get
kids accustomed to the Dewey Decimal system, “In One False Note, the second book in 39
Clues, Amy and Dan learn about the music composer Mozart. Where are NONFICTION books
about music?”. Many of the questions were multiple choice so the kids could go to the specific
areas, however I encouraged the kids to ask me questions and would wander the aisles to help
those who might be struggling. The best thing about these questions are that they can be changed
to suit your library and what you would like your kids to know. Also now there are a ton of 39
Clues books, you can not only make it subject specific, but author specific.
I did put a guideline for the scavenger hunt. Since I was using the children's room in a
“competitive” way, I foresaw a lot of running and screaming. Therefore, I warned each team that
they started with a certain amount of points; if I saw anyone running, screaming, pushing, etc.
their points would drop and leave them at a disadvantage. Having a ten point start also helped
some kids feel more comfortable if they were struggling with their questions. They knew they
had something. I'd also suggest setting up some board games and cards in a “finish” area. Some
of the kids will finish first and easily become bored. Being occupied kept them from rioting
while waiting for others to finish. At the end, we all sat together and I would read a question and
each team would give me their answer. It's a great learning experience!
(For me as well! I had written a question asking where I might find books on George
Washington thinking the kids would put biographies. I had one team tell me the call number of
the Revolutionary War, technically they were right! Taught me to be more specific when asking
questions!)