Blurring Formats

I've really enjoyed Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books about Greek gods and myths in the modern world, so this intrigues me:

Scholastic Plans to Put Its Branding Iron on a Successor to Harry Potter

. . . An online game will allow readers to search for the 39 clues themselves, while solving puzzles and playing mini-games that will be refreshed daily. Mr. Levithan said the site would include blogs written from the points of view of characters, and maps, treasure hunts and videos, many with historical and geographical content.

Each book will come with six collectors’ cards that can be used to find further clues in the online game. Players can also win cash and other prizes.

The publisher hopes that reluctant readers will be drawn to the books by the game. “Reading the books will make you better at the games, so that is the incentive,” said Suzanne Murphy, publisher of Scholastic’s trade division. . . .

Mr. Riordan was drawn to the series partly because of the gaming component. “I’m a gaming geek from way back,” he said, recalling his passion for Dungeons and Dragons as a teenager. Now he plays online games like World of Warcraft with his two sons. . . .