As the third book in The 39 Clues series, The Sword Thief is an exciting continuation of this mystery. The Sword Thief was written by Peter Lerangis, and he is the third different author for this series. It is ideal if your homeschooler is reading these books in order, as they are all based in large part on the previous book.

Here are some comprehension questions to ask your child when he or she has finished reading this third installment, along with the answers for you in parentheses.

1. Why did Natalie get annoyed with Nellie?
(Because she was so messy!)

2. Who did Dan name the swords after?
(The founders of Rome-Romulus and Remus.)

3. What did Dan really think about his Ninja fighting?
(He hated it!)

4. What made Amy act so kindly to Alistair?
(She pretended to like him so he would continue helping her and Dan)

5. What were the letters on the bottom of the scroll?
(TOOTA.)

6. Where did Ian want Amy to go with him?
(Into the hedge maze.)

7. Who ended up saving Amy from the figurine?
(Ian.)

8. What were the two uses for the triangular mirror?
(It pointed upward for a person to look up and it was also the symbol for fire.)

9. What was Nellie's reason for going to Japan?
(For Sudoku!)

10. What important clue did Amy and Dan find in the secret room off the tracks?
(Geometric Shapes.)

Additional enrichment activities for the book are a fantastic way to get your child excited about reading this series. Here are some cool ideas:

1. Challenge your homeschooler to design a family crest to represent your heritage. Have your child research one or both sides of your family history and determine a good crest to represent this history. Remember to have your child draw his or her ideas first before painting or coloring the crest.

2. Your homeschooler will enjoy learning new vocabulary by creating a 'Definition Poster" for the new words in this book. Have your child define and illustrate several or all of the following words on a large poster board:

alchemy

palindrome

doubloon

espionage

pristine

Feel free to add additional words your child may be having difficulty with, too.


3. Encourage your child to read another one of Peter Lerangis's books, like
Antarctica: Journey to the Pole or The Watchers series. After reading another work of Peter Lerangis your homeschooler can can compare and contrast the books, and write a review of each.