This was one of the first books in my childhood that really impacted me and started turning me into a lifelong reader. I remember emailing the author in 4th grade for a book report because there really was no information out there about them. The email I got back got me so excited. I was given a fake name to use for my book report and as a kid, I was thrilled to be trusted with this information (having believed it was a real name) and ended up not using any of the information given to me for my book report, wanting to keep the secret.

I reread this book in 2021 to see if it still held up now, as an adult reader. And I'm thrilled to say, it still does. Middle grade books have a way of igniting a sense of adventure in the reader that can really only be felt from a book written from a child's perspective. Cass, one of our main characters, is a survivalist. Yes, she's only 11 but she's always prepared for anything with her backpack, in which she carries around all the survival gear she's collected. She is a bit of an outcast and ends up befriending Max-Earnest, also an outcast and our other main character. Max-Earnest is a bit of an odd kid, trying out his comedic skills on his classmates and talking everyone's ears off. But he believes in Cass when no one else did and Cass listens to Max-Earnest when no one else did. And so they become collaborators. When one of their classmates goes missing, Cass and Max-Earnest have to figure out how to save him, since none of the adults around them take their concerns seriously. The two of them embark on the greatest (and most dangerous) adventure of their lives. I've already said too much, as this book contains a secret. Read if you dare.

Characters are interesting but plot is too thin, nothing is resolved and narrator is annoying.

Amusing book, read to the kids about a year ago.

First, I should admit that I'm a huge fan of Lemony Snicket. I think that The Series of Unfortunate Events is one of the greatest book series ever written because it totally targets the reluctant readers and helps them understand reading by (1) defining words right in the text (yet never shying away from using complicated words) and (2) including hints the author's "story" in the telling, subtly encouraging writing at the same time. Anyone who follows the path of Lemony Snicket is going to have a tough time impressing me because everything is going to be compared to Mr. Snicket's work.

This book does choose to follow that path, and does a pretty good job doing it.

My youngest son tells me that this book series is too scary. He read only the first book. My daughter, a couple years older, loves the whole series that she has read. A couple of years makes a difference. The villains in this book are scary and their plans are scary... probably nightmare-inducing scary if you're young and have a good imagination. But there's a good mix of absurd bits, too. The character who is a spy is great for absurd comic relief, breaking the tension during some of the scarier parts. The minor characters are almost all unique and interesting... there are no "which guy was that again?" moments. Also, I do like that the main two characters are misfits in school. They're both strong, clever children working together to solve a big big problem.

I like the way the story is told here: "I don't want to tell you this, but I can't help myself. I'm going to change details from reality, though." It's a nice frame.

And now comes the inevitable contractually-required (because of the first paragraph) comparison to Lemony Snicket. When I read the Lemony Snicket books, I always have the feeling of laughter going on behind the curtain. I'd say the cause is the many absurd situations and characters in his books, but "The Name of This Book is Secret" has some of the same absurd things going on, and I don't get that same sense. So, yes, I prefer Lemony Snicket.

Still, I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series.

Ok-so in my defense, this book has been living in my car just in case I get somewhere and have an unexpected wait and need something to read. Missed my opportunity to pick up a book on hold at the library before the long weekend, so I grabbed this book. Very cute. I'll have to read the other 4 in the series because that's just how I do books in a series. Considering it for a read-aloud option, but need to take a poll to see how many students have already read it.

"Warning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch.
As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn't want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story inside is, too. For it concerns a secret. A Big Secret."

The Name of this Book is Secret
By: Pseudonymous Bosch

I remember stumbling across this book in my middle school library and it was maybe the first time ever I found a book all on my own, not bought, lent, or required by any other person, that I genuinely loved. So much so that I brought it home as a wee 11 or 12 year old and had my sister read it too.

Finding it in the library bookstore brought back some fond nostalgia and some vague memories of secret codes, a circus, and I think a cult of some kind? Reading it again as an adult clarified the whole story, reminded me of why I liked it so much in the first place, and brought back memories of disappointingly looking for any of the sequels in my school’s library only to find none.

This book is the Mysterious Benedict Society but if the Mysterious Benedict Society had witty and fast narration and actual dialogue between the characters. It is cute and charming and clearly written for a younger audience (I’d wager to guess this book is good for 10-14 year olds at target range) but doesn’t talk down to its readers nor does it pull back punches for sake of propriety. I can see someone not liking the narrator-as-a-character style, but I remember thinking it was ridiculously clever as a kid, and definitely not something you’d find in required school reading.

I like the characters, I like the world, I like the writing. Give this to your local 10-14 year old and see if it sticks, because it certainly did for me!

I'm reading this series with my 9-year-old nephew, and it couldn't be more perfect to capture his attention!