Review:
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Allen and
Unwin, 2008.
When the first few pages warn you about going further and the first
chapter is all blacked out with rows of x, then you know you are in for
a different read, and this is that and more. Cassandra whose back pack
is full of the most amazing things, just in case, is always prepared
for whatever happens. Things like a torch, topographic maps, extra
shoes and socks all point to adventures ahead. Given a box of junk from
a magician's house clearing, her grandfathers allow her to rummage
through. She finds a box inscribed with the words, The Symphony of
Smells and beneath that, the magician's notebook.
Along with her new friend, Max-Ernest, Cass endeavours to find the
secret, and after deciphering some of the clues, decide to attempt to
restore the magician and his brother. When Benjamin, another person
within the school who has extraordinary powers, is kidnapped, then Cass
and Max-Ernest must take action. A wholly entertaining and quirky
story,
The Name of the Book is Secret will enthrall upper
primary
students, with its story within a story, jokes and puzzles throughout
and the intriguing nature of Cass' past and the situation of
Max-Ernest's birth and subsequent life.
Fran Knight
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Consulting, 2007