The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Publication: Little, Brown Young Readers (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 384 pages / ISBN 0316113697
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Children’s/YA
Rating: 4/5
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First sentence: WARNING: DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS PAGE!
So, yeah, this is a Series of Unfortunate Events rip-off, only it’s less depressing, has less moody characters, weirder villains (if possible), and codes to decipher. I liked it!
Summary from Amazon:
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.
It’s not entirely like Lemony Snicket’s books, of course, but it does resonate heavily of them. However, like I said, there’s practically no depressing parts and the writer is willing to actually tell us things, although very grudgingly. What he does’nt tell us are things that aren’t really important anyway, like Cass and Max-Ernest’s real names, where they live, etc. The author also a) isn’t on the run and b) hasn’t lost someone important in his life, so he isn’t whining all the time about them. This is very refreshing.
Besides the author and his writing style, there are fun characters, a fun mystery full of hidden codes and dangerous baddies, secret societies, and a sad story about twins who wanted to be magicians. I thought it was well done, and I enjoyed reading it once I stopped comparing it to the Lemony Snicket books.
I’d recommend it for those who didn’t like the Series of Unfortunate Events but want to read a quirky kid’s book with some interesting characters and a fantastic reveal.
The cover is pretty nice, eh? It’s the US version. Here’s the British cover:
I’m not sure which one I like better. Which one do you prefer?
Get your own copy from Amazon.
Other reviews: Becky’s Book Reviews | The Book Bark! | A Fort Made of Books
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Does anyone know the genre of this book???? I was thinking of reading this book for my mystery report but i’m not sure if it’s a mystery. None of the google links tell me. Thanks for your answer!
It’s a mystery, for sure!
IS this a dystopian book?!?!
Nope, it’s a mystery with a bit of sci-fi.
its totally awesome and the sequels are good too! they are all about the senses this one about smell the 2nd about hearing the 3rd about taste and the fourth (hasn’t come out yet and i’m dying for it to) about sight! i guess the fifth will be about touch.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What else is there to say about this book?!?!
Is there going to be a 5th book?
I like the us cover better and i read the first and second book in that series and they were both phenomenal!!!:)
I think that Max-Ernest is Pseudonymous Bosch because his enitials spell out ME!!! Love the books they are so good. By the way Pseudonymous Bosch’s real name is Raphael Simon!!!!
I, personally, like the British cover better.