The Name Of This Book Is Secret

 Author: Pseudonymous Bosch (pen name of Raphael Simon)

Junior Fiction

Volume 1 in the Secret Series

Reviewed by Mikaela-Summer Reading Programmer

Rating: ⅘ scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream

Review:

This book truly goes out to the kids (and adults) with habitually overactive imaginations. The Name of This Book Is Secret is written in a style reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, through the framing of a narrator who constantly breaks the fourth wall- a whole chapter is blacked out “for our own protection”- which is a further testament to the author’s dedication to feeding into imagination. It’s through this elaborate framing device we meet Cass, an eleven-year-old girl best known for her constant survivalist prepping, and sort-of friend Max-Ernest, a boy who cuts all of his hairs the exact same length so as to not leave any out.

Our preteen protagonists are thrown into a world of mystery, history, and the unknown by way of discovering a magician’s abandoned tome- along with the evil Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L who seek the book for their own nefarious purposes.

I don’t want to give away too much- this story is layered with twist after turn, and despite its junior fiction categorization it’s an exciting read for all ages. There’s a whimsy Bosch has brought to the world, one that I appreciated as a middle schooler, and now as an adult. Read this book, for your own good!

To place this book on hold, click here.

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