Rating: 8.5 of 10 stars
Like Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, in The Name of This Book is Secret, the author addresses the reader while telling the adventures of Cass and Max-Ernest as they try to solve the likely death of a magician and find a box with mysterious contents.
The characters are off-beat: Max-Ernest is a non-stop talker and joke-teller, small for his age, and a fan of riddles and word games; Cass is a survivalist, wearing her backpack filled with equipment to mitigate any dire eventualities; Cass's grandfathers, Wayne and Larry live in an old firehouse that has been converted to an antique-shop-and-warehouse for almost anything they take in; Gloria Fortune is a real estate broker who specializes in selling buildings whose owners have died; and Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais are two strange and clearly evil people who always wear gloves.
The mystery seems straight-forward, but is it?: Gloria Fortune brings a box of supposed junk from the house of deceased magician, Pietro Bergamo, for Larry and Wayne to sell. Cass and Max-Ernest discover a strange treasure from Bergamo's house, and in exploring its properties, find a connection to a number of kidnappings over the last century, including that of one of their classmates.
The author is very present in the story: When she speaks to the reader as part of the retelling, I find her voice much more engaging than that of Snicket. In Snicket's series, there is one basic tone the author uses, either in explaining the meaning of a word, or in cautioning the reader to look elsewhere for a happy outcome. In Secret, Bosch uses word play, gives the reader choices, reminds readers about earlier hints, adds details not written about, reneges on promises, or mercifully draws a curtain down over events too painful to write about. There is almost a sense of relationship with the reader, a friendly and fallible person visible behind the narrator's words. When explaining why the title, setting, and names of the characters are not the real ones, she writes to the readers, "It's very simple. I can't keep a secret. Never could. I hope you have better luck...."
In addition to the peculiar twists of plot and character as Cass and Max-Ernest visit strange places and get in and out of trouble, readers will discover and become familiar with the meaning of synesthesia!
Bosch promises a sequel entitled If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. I hope the author doesn't go back on her word!
Usual Borrowers: Fifth grade and up
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Mysteries
Also: 8 1/2 or Better List
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