If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (The Secret Series, 2) - Hardcover

Bosch, Pseudonymous

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316113670 ISBN 13: 9780316113670

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008

Synopsis

Read the bestselling series by the much-beloved and very mysterious Pseudonymous Bosch—if you dare.

Beware!

Dangerous secrets lie between the pages of this book.

OK, I warned you. But if you think I'll give anything away, or tell you that this is the sequel to my first literary endeavor, The Name of This Book is Secret, you're wrong.

I'm not going to remind you of how we last left our heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest, as they awaited intiation into the mysterious Terces Society, or the ongoing fight against the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. I certainly won't be telling you about how the kids stumble upon the Museum of Magic, where they finally meet the amazing Pietro!

Oh, blast! I've done it again. Well, at least I didn't tell you about the missing Sound Prism, the nefarious Lord Pharaoh, or the mysterious creature born in a bottle over 500 years ago, the key to the biggest secret of all.

I really can't help myself, now can I? Let's face it - if you're reading this, it's too late.

About this title

About the Author

Pseudonymous Bosch is the infamously anonymous author of the New York Times bestselling Secret Series and the Bad Books. Despite rumors to the contrary, his books are not actually written by his pet rabbit, Quiche; the rabbit is merely his typist.

Reviews

Grade 4–6—This stand-alone sequel to The Name of This Book Is Secret (Little, Brown, 2007) combines mystery, adventure, and fantasy. On their mission for the Terces Society, 11-year-old Cass and Max-Ernest must find the homunculus, a 500-year-old man born in a bottle, before Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais do. The evil duo plans to use him to uncover the secret of immortality. The use of an overbearing narrator to create a sense of danger works in the beginning, but grows tiresome toward the end. The numerous parenthetical comments and footnotes are often laugh-out-loud funny, but also draw readers out of the action. Bosch creates sufficiently quirky, well-rounded protagonists, while stereotypes suffice for the secondary characters, with the exception of the homunculus. Cynical humor shines through in the portrayal of the Skelton Sisters, an evil tween pop group in the employ of Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. The dark illustrations, descending chapter numbers, and playful fonts will catch readers' attention. Fans of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (HarperCollins) will enjoy this slightly more fleshed-out read.—Kim Ventrella, Ralph Ellison Library, Oklahoma City, OK
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The adventures of aspiring magician Max-Ernest and survivalist-in-training Cass continue. As with The Name of This Book Is Secret (2007), the author often intrudes on the story to offer dire warnings to the reader that even reading this tale is too dangerous to consider, presumably because of a world-shatteringly nefarious secret and the evil machinations of the two young adventurers’ archnemeses, Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. It’s a clever ploy that adds a level of heightened drama to the tale, which, underneath all the trappings, has some neat elements (a “Sound Prism,” a cantankerous homunculus) but lacks many true thrills. There are still codes for Max-Ernest and Cass to unravel and secret societies to infiltrate, but the injection of a third main cast member reeks of the old sitcom ploy of throwing in a hip new character in an attempt to make a show fresh. Chapter-opening illustrations add a lighthearted touch to this solid sequel, which is more character-driven than the first, and will hit or miss depending on what readers like more, the people or the puzzles. Grades 4-7. --Ian Chipman

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0316113670
• ISBN 13: 9780316113670
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400