Part of the thrill of reading the 39 Clues books is that the series is written by different authors. Readers have an idea of what to expect, but a new author has a different approach to the story. This is also the philosophy of "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" podcast series from the Library of Congress. Different children's and young adult authors add to the story in a modern approach to a pass-around story.
Overview of "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" Podcast
Jon Scieszka, author of clever books like The Stinky Cheese Man and The Time Warp Trio, wrote the first podcast. Scieszka started the project after he was named the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The title of the first podcast episode explains the nature of the whole collection: "A Very Unusual and Completely Amazing Story Pieced Together Out of So Many Parts That It Is Not Possible to Describe Them All Here, So Go Ahead And Just Start Reading."
"The Exquisite Corpse" starts off with two children on a train. Joe and Nancy are part of a circus family, and they use those skills to solve a mystery and squirm out of dangerous situations. The series is funny and full of adventure.
In Episode Three, Tale of Desperaux author Kate DiCamillo is writing about the children confronting a ticking bomb being juggled by a clown, who is also juggling meatballs. "'Just be ready to use your catlike reflexes,' said Joe...The meatballs and the bomb flew through the air faster and faster: meatball, meatball, bomb, meatball, meatball, bomb." Each episode requires the children to unravel the evil clown's plan as the train rattles on to the circus' next stop.
Which Authors Wrote "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure"?
Some of the most popular names in elementary and middle school libraries wrote "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure." There are 27 podcast episodes, but some of the authors wrote more than one. The participating writers are:
- M. T. Anderson (2 episodes)
- Natalie Babbitt (2 episodes)
- Susan Cooper (2 episodes)
- Kate DiCamillo (2 episodes)
- Jack Gantos
- Nikki Grimes
- Shannon Hale (2 episodes)
- Steven Kellogg (2 episodes)
- Megan McDonald
- Fredrick L. McKissack (2 episodes)
- Patricia C. McKissack (2 episodes)
- Gregory Maguire (2 episodes)
- Linda Sue Park (2 episodes)
- Katherine Paterson (3 episodes)
- Jon Scieszka
- Lemony Snicket (2 episodes)
The podcasts tend to grow progressively longer. They start out at about 5 minutes, and the final podcast is 20 minutes. Most of the podcasts in "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" are about 10 minutes long. The podcasts started in May 2010 and was finished in September 2010. You can download " The Exquisite Corpse Adventure " podcast for free from the Library of Congress. You can also read the story in the online book format by clicking "Read It" next to each podcast. There are also some "Exquisite Corpse" games to play online that connect to the podcasts.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
