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A review by spiffybumble
The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
5.0
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!
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!