| The Name of this Book is Secret | |
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US Cover |
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| Author(s) | Pseudonymous Bosch |
| Translator | Dania Al Toma |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Series | Secret Series |
| Genre(s) | Mystery / Adventure |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers |
| Publication date | 2007 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 384 |
| ISBN | 0316113662 |
| Followed by | If You're Reading This, It's Too Late |
The Name of this Book is Secret is a 2007 fantasy novel for young readers by Pseudonymous Bosch. It chronicles the adventures of two children, Cass and Max-Ernest, as they investigate the mysterious death of local Pietro Bergamo. As you find out later in the book, he is not really dead. Frequently during the course of the book Pseudonymous chastises himself for writing the secret, going so far as to change his mind and stop halfway through, only to bribe himself into completing the story.
A sequel was published in late 2008, under the name If You're Reading This, It's Too Late[1] A third book was released on September 1, 2009, with the title This Book Is Not Good for You. A fourth book, This Isn't What It Looks Like, was released on August 21, 2010. A fifth book was released on September 20, 2011 and is titled "You Have to Stop This (Secret)" [2]
Contents |
Cassandra--Cassandra, or Cass, for short, is the female 11 year old survivalist of the story. She is always prepared for any disasters that may occur, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, and carries with her a backpack filled with survival gear. Thus, the narrator frequently refers to her as a survivalist. Although she prefers to think of herself as a loner, she allows Max-Ernest to collaborate with her on her investigation of Pietro's death. She is also noted to have very large ears, and calls her mother's high school history teacher and his friend her grandparents.
Max-Ernest - Max-Ernest is the 11 year old male protagonist of the story. His parents became divorced shortly after his birth because they couldn't decide whether to name him Max or Ernest. Despite this, they still live in the same house, which they have divided into two sections (saying that while they dislike each other, they don't want to rob their child of a childhood shared with both his parents). Max-Ernest has a talking disorder that has caused his parents to take him to many psychiatrists and doctors. Instead of inhibiting his speech, it makes him talk incessantly until someone stops him. As he has so many conditions, his parents have a problem of thinking that he has every single condition that exists. Cass is his only friend. He is the only one that can understand Benjamin Blake.Spoiler alert,He is Pseudonymos Bosch
Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L--Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L are the two antagonists of the story. They seem to know the cause of Pietro's death and are desperate to find his journal, which contains information about the secret the series revolves around. Once they find out Cass and Max-Ernest have his notebook, they go to many lengths to take it from them. It is also revealed during the story that Dr. L is Pietro's brother after Cass discovers a birthmark of a crescent moon on the back of his neck that is mentioned earlier in the book. They own a spa called "The Midnight Sun," which is run by alchemists whose mission is to search for secrets to everlasting life. As hinted several times in the book, Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L are much older than they look; they wear long gloves to hide their wrinkled skin that is only on their hands and Ms. Mauvais wears a blonde wig to cover up her gray hair. Or does she?
Pietro Bergamo--Pietro Bergamo is the synesthetic magician, who was given The Symphony of Smells, a box containing vials of different fragrances, from Ms. Mauvais many years ago. He also wrote the notebook that Cass and Max-Ernest found, telling them about how he joined the circus. He had a twin brother, named Luciano (who also has synesthesia), who was kidnapped by Ms. Mauvais, and is now her partner, under the alias Dr. L. Although the narrator often refers to him as "dead," Cass and Max-Ernest receive a note from him in code which they decipher. Pietro's initials are used at the end of the note.
Benjamin Blake--Benjamin is a boy that goes to Cass and Max-Ernest's school. He won a prize for an art show, since he has synesthesia, or the confusion of the senses, and painted in an attractive yet unique way. Halfway through the book, he was kidnapped by Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, as they thought his brain would help them find out information about the Secret. He reappears later in This Isn't What It Looks Like, and goes through an immense change in character as he attended a private school run by the Midnight Sun.
Grandpa Larry and Grandpa Wayne--Grandpa Larry and Grandpa Wayne are Cass's grandfathers. They are not her biological grandfathers, but love Cass just the same, as her real grandparents are "not around." Grandpa Larry was Cass's mother's history teacher when she was in high school; as for Wayne, it is not explained what relation he has with Cass's family. Grandpa Larry and Grandpa Wayne also own a shop established in an old, abandoned fire station that Gloria Fortune visits to drop off junk from Pietro's house, including the Symphony of Smells.
Owen--Owen is a butler whom Cass meets soon after arriving at The Midnight Sun Spa. When they first meet, he has a strong stutter and appears to be very shy but friendly. Cass and Max-Ernest soon discover that Owen is actually a spy of sorts. He helps them escape the Midnight Sun with Benjamin Blake and takes them to Cass' grandfathers. Owen's most notable characteristic is that he imitates other accents, instead of speaking normally. In the first book, Owen speaks with a slight stutter, a nautical surfers' accent and an Irish brogue.
Gloria Fortune--Gloria is a probate specialist, or a "real estate agent for the dead." When people die she clears out their homes and tries to sell their house. She loves to gossip, and was a guest at the Midnight Sun although she no longer remembers it and thinks it was a dream.
Pseudonymous Bosch--Pseudonymous Bosch is the author narrator of the story. He gives little information on himself, however by indirect observation, we can see he has trouble keeping on subject, and is addicted to chocolate.
The story starts when real-estate agent for the dead named Gloria finds a mysterious box in a magician's house called, The Symphony of Smells, and gives it to Cass and her substitute grandfathers. Cass is an outcast misfit in her school until she stumbles across another misfit, Max-Ernest, who talks too much and has divorced parents but whom are still living in the same house.
Cass and Max-Ernest become collaborators and investigate the dead magician's - Pietro Bergamo - house only to get caught by a young couple; but not before they find a mysterious journal hidden in a secret room. Later the couple comes to their school looking for them but find a synesthete boy named Benjamin Blake after they examine a piece of art painted by him on display in the school. After initially loathing him, Cass decides its her job to save him. However, during this time, Cass and Max-Ernest stop being collaborators After leafing through some spa brochures collected by her mother, Cass decides to pose as one of the Skelton Sisters, a pop band, and calls The Midnight Sun spa to pick her up in a limousine. Cass then meets Owen, a stuttering servant who sets up her room and tries to make her comfortable. Later that night Owen comes into Cass's room, speaking with a strange accent a notable characteristic he had when she last met him. Max-Ernest and Cass reunite as Owen leaves to go about some business and they discover that the goal of the Midnight Sun is to achieve eternal youth. The duo save Benjamin and a fire breaks out, but before it is implied that Ms. Mauvais' conspirator Dr. L is Pietro Bergamo's brother Luciano.
Owen meets up with Max-Ernest, Cass and Benjamin and they all speed away from the spa in the limousine as the light from the orb atop the pyramid dims and eventually goes out. Owen sets off on his own in the limo while Benjamin, Cass, and Max-Ernest drive home with Grandpa Larry. Cass and Max-Ernest become collaborators again shortly before the end.
Reception of the book has been mixed to positive, with Kidsreads.com, in a positive, review saying "The narrator's playful voice, engaging characters and unusual plot make The Name of This Book is Secret a delight to read."[3] Many reviewers have cited the uncanny similarity between Bosch and another children's writer Lemony Snicket (a.k.a Daniel Handler) as both use the same narrative technique. Commonsensemedia.org, in an average review, criticized the similarity to Handler by saying "Apparently trying to take a leaf from Lemony Snicket's books, he gives incessant warning about how dangerous it is to read this book; this, combined with the utter lack of anything that justifies the build-up, comes across as lame at best and annoying at worst." Also, the book came out right before Lemony Snicket's "The End", causing some question about Bosch copying "A series of Unfortunate Events." [4] The Washington Post gave the book a positive review and praised the author's voice saying "The best part of this book is the narrator. The reader doesn't know who that all-knowing person is, but it seems that he (or she) is an important character, too. Part of the mystery is figuring out what role the narrator plays in the story."[5]
As of November 2, 2010, it holds a 4½-star score (out of a possible 5) on Amazon, based on 72 customer reviews.[6] See another review at Goodread Book Review Website