Read Online The 39 Clues: Book 8 by Gordan Korman - Free Book Online
Authors: Gordan Korman
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, Historical - General, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, YA), Children's Fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Orphans, Brothers and sisters, Other, Children: Grades 4-6, Siblings, Adventure stories (Children's, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Family - Siblings, Ciphers, Historical - Other, Family & home stories (Children's, Juvenile Historical Fiction
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he goes, it makes the news."
Alistair scanned the article. "According to this, his next stop is the Great Wall."
"Then so is ours," Amy decided.
"My dear," he told her, "the Great Wall of China is over four thousand miles long. Since Jonah is traveling from Beijing, we can make an educated guess that he will visit the Badaling section, closest to here. But even that is a vast amount of territory to cover."
"Jonah's a celebrity," Amy argued. "If he's there, we'll find him." Her face turned grim. "We have to if we want to save Dan."
* * *
Broderick Wizard frowned out the window of the Gulfstream G5. Far below, the rolling Chinese countryside gave way to a wide sprawl of houses and low apartment buildings. "I thought Dengfeng was
71
supposed to be a little village. There's a lot of population down there."
"Welcome to China," the flight attendant told him with a smile. "Even the small towns are big."
"When you've got one-point-three billion people, you have to stick them wherever they fit," suggested Dan from the depths of a forest of sodas, milk shakes, and snacks of all varieties.
It was a good thing Dan took advantage of the extravagance of the jet ride, because the comforts evaporated on the ground. The airport was little more than a landing strip, and their "limo" turned out to be a 1969 Volkswagen Bus.
Their driver spoke no English but kept up an elaborate travelogue in Chinese for the hour-long ride. The first thing Dan noticed in Shaolin was a small strip of souvenir shops and restaurants. Not even this remote corner of Asia could escape tourism. Then he saw it --the fields surrounding the main (path) were filled with kung fu classes -- dozens of teachers and students in the orange robes of the Shaolin monks.
He pressed his face against the fly-specked window of the VW and watched. "How cool is this?"
"Off the chain," Jonah agreed absently.
Dan recognized Jonah's tunnel vision. The star was so focused on the next Clue that he barely noticed his surroundings. He couldn't help wondering if Amy was the same way right now--so engrossed in the hunt that she had barely a thought for her brother.
72
The driver dropped them off with elaborate instructions no one understood, and they continued on foot.
The first view of the Shaolin Temple was of a magic floating kingdom. Nestled in the Songshan mountain range, the huge complex of hip-roofed structures seemed to float on the clouds.
This was the cradle of martial arts. All at once, Dan understood Amy's excitement when the contest took her to the footsteps of the history she loved so much. Standing between the foo dog statues that guarded the front entrance, he could almost feel the fifteen hundred years of super-sweet fighting skills that had been refined in this very spot.
If Amy were here, she could exact some revenge for the hard time he'd given her at all those museums and research libraries --oh, the boring Shaolin Temple, boring kung fu, I'm so bored....
Of course, Amy would never say that stuff. It was Dan who went around affixing the Dan Cahill Seal of Disapproval to anything he deemed uncool. Which was --let's face it--an awful lot.
On the other hand, forget Amy! I'm a Madrigal! We're stone-cold killers! What do we care about family--we probably eat our young --
An image of his parents appeared in his mind, bringing him up short. He didn't remember much about them, but the memories he had were not stone-cold at all. The thought triggered a stab of longing.
A young monk with a shaved head and orange robes
73
exposing one shoulder stepped in front of Broderick and pointed to the BlackBerry in his hand.
"Photography forbidden," he said with a heavy accent.
"I'm not going to take any pictures," Jonah's father promised airily.
Like lightning, the monk snatched the device out of his hand. "Return camera later."
Dan had never seen a human move that fast before.
Jonah's father was outraged. "That's my lifeline to the world!"
"It's all good, Pops,"
Alistair scanned the article. "According to this, his next stop is the Great Wall."
"Then so is ours," Amy decided.
"My dear," he told her, "the Great Wall of China is over four thousand miles long. Since Jonah is traveling from Beijing, we can make an educated guess that he will visit the Badaling section, closest to here. But even that is a vast amount of territory to cover."
"Jonah's a celebrity," Amy argued. "If he's there, we'll find him." Her face turned grim. "We have to if we want to save Dan."
* * *
Broderick Wizard frowned out the window of the Gulfstream G5. Far below, the rolling Chinese countryside gave way to a wide sprawl of houses and low apartment buildings. "I thought Dengfeng was
71
supposed to be a little village. There's a lot of population down there."
"Welcome to China," the flight attendant told him with a smile. "Even the small towns are big."
"When you've got one-point-three billion people, you have to stick them wherever they fit," suggested Dan from the depths of a forest of sodas, milk shakes, and snacks of all varieties.
It was a good thing Dan took advantage of the extravagance of the jet ride, because the comforts evaporated on the ground. The airport was little more than a landing strip, and their "limo" turned out to be a 1969 Volkswagen Bus.
Their driver spoke no English but kept up an elaborate travelogue in Chinese for the hour-long ride. The first thing Dan noticed in Shaolin was a small strip of souvenir shops and restaurants. Not even this remote corner of Asia could escape tourism. Then he saw it --the fields surrounding the main (path) were filled with kung fu classes -- dozens of teachers and students in the orange robes of the Shaolin monks.
He pressed his face against the fly-specked window of the VW and watched. "How cool is this?"
"Off the chain," Jonah agreed absently.
Dan recognized Jonah's tunnel vision. The star was so focused on the next Clue that he barely noticed his surroundings. He couldn't help wondering if Amy was the same way right now--so engrossed in the hunt that she had barely a thought for her brother.
72
The driver dropped them off with elaborate instructions no one understood, and they continued on foot.
The first view of the Shaolin Temple was of a magic floating kingdom. Nestled in the Songshan mountain range, the huge complex of hip-roofed structures seemed to float on the clouds.
This was the cradle of martial arts. All at once, Dan understood Amy's excitement when the contest took her to the footsteps of the history she loved so much. Standing between the foo dog statues that guarded the front entrance, he could almost feel the fifteen hundred years of super-sweet fighting skills that had been refined in this very spot.
If Amy were here, she could exact some revenge for the hard time he'd given her at all those museums and research libraries --oh, the boring Shaolin Temple, boring kung fu, I'm so bored....
Of course, Amy would never say that stuff. It was Dan who went around affixing the Dan Cahill Seal of Disapproval to anything he deemed uncool. Which was --let's face it--an awful lot.
On the other hand, forget Amy! I'm a Madrigal! We're stone-cold killers! What do we care about family--we probably eat our young --
An image of his parents appeared in his mind, bringing him up short. He didn't remember much about them, but the memories he had were not stone-cold at all. The thought triggered a stab of longing.
A young monk with a shaved head and orange robes
73
exposing one shoulder stepped in front of Broderick and pointed to the BlackBerry in his hand.
"Photography forbidden," he said with a heavy accent.
"I'm not going to take any pictures," Jonah's father promised airily.
Like lightning, the monk snatched the device out of his hand. "Return camera later."
Dan had never seen a human move that fast before.
Jonah's father was outraged. "That's my lifeline to the world!"
"It's all good, Pops,"
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