76th out of 1,324 books
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1,661 voters
The Name of This Book Is Secret (Secret #1)
Warning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch. As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky...more
Hardcover, 364 pages
Published
October 1st 2007
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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The Best Young Adult Books I Could Absolutely Never Ever Live Without in a Million Years!!
27th out of 375 books
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I was disappointed by this book. A lot of people compare this to A Series of Unfortunate Events, and although I haven't read those books (yes, I know I should) (I've read the first three of them now so I have a better understanding of how the books compare) and I have also seen the movie and I appreciate its darker, twisted humor. This book though, was annoying.
The story starts off in a promising way, but I wish I had heeded the author's advice and stopped reading. He goes on and on about not r...more
The story starts off in a promising way, but I wish I had heeded the author's advice and stopped reading. He goes on and on about not r...more
Dec 27, 2007
Carly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE
Shelves:
alreadyread-childrensbooks
Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. Reminded me of a cross between the Lemony Snickets and The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.
At times it is annoying how blatant the Snicket influences are (definitions of words are hinted at, and readers are sent to the dictionary to look up difficult words), but basically this book is just BETTER than any book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I felt like a great deal in those books was filler, and this book manages to be...more
At times it is annoying how blatant the Snicket influences are (definitions of words are hinted at, and readers are sent to the dictionary to look up difficult words), but basically this book is just BETTER than any book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I felt like a great deal in those books was filler, and this book manages to be...more
Originally posted @ Book Whales
This book caught my attention when I went to the Metro Manila International Book Fair last 2011 when I was still in the Philippines. They were promoting it because I heard it was a really good series and it was also gonna release its last book. And I decided to read the synopsis and did some background research upon it and then I fell in love with its concept. Do you know Series of Unfortunate Events? Its a 13 book series which will be in my all time favorite book....more
This book caught my attention when I went to the Metro Manila International Book Fair last 2011 when I was still in the Philippines. They were promoting it because I heard it was a really good series and it was also gonna release its last book. And I decided to read the synopsis and did some background research upon it and then I fell in love with its concept. Do you know Series of Unfortunate Events? Its a 13 book series which will be in my all time favorite book....more
Summary: A boy and girl named Max-Earnest and Cassandra find the symphony of smells. In the symphony of smells they find a note that says H-E-L-P. They both really want to find out the mystery to this magician. So they begin an investigation.
I think the genre of this book is mystery because Max-Earnest and Cass are trying to figure out who killed Pietro, and what happened to his brother. I think the Literary Element of this story is the plot. I think it is the plot because the kids are always th...more
I think the genre of this book is mystery because Max-Earnest and Cass are trying to figure out who killed Pietro, and what happened to his brother. I think the Literary Element of this story is the plot. I think it is the plot because the kids are always th...more
Oct 16, 2008
Linden
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fifth Grade and up
Recommended to Linden by:
Sam Wixon
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;...more
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;...more
Great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!on for ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...more
Sep 27, 2008
Willow
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
I recommend this book to pretty much anyone who enjoys mysteries and has a good sense of humor.
Recommended to Willow by:
My dad got it for me for Christmas!
This book is great! Good for minds wanting to sort out even the toughest mysteries!
"The Name of This Book is Secret" is mysterious and definitely written from a different point of view. I have never read such a mind-bottling book and that is a good thing in this case. I am also dying to read the sequel "If Your Reading This it's Too Late". I recommend this book to pretty much anyone who enjoys mysteries and has a good sense of humor.
But I warn you it has an open ending so it seems a little confu...more
"The Name of This Book is Secret" is mysterious and definitely written from a different point of view. I have never read such a mind-bottling book and that is a good thing in this case. I am also dying to read the sequel "If Your Reading This it's Too Late". I recommend this book to pretty much anyone who enjoys mysteries and has a good sense of humor.
But I warn you it has an open ending so it seems a little confu...more
Oct 25, 2011
El Templo de las Mil Puertas
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
09-eltemplo,
reseñas
"No sabemos si formaba parte de una estrategia de distracción para los villanos, pero el nombre de esta novela era hasta hace sólo unas semanas El título de este libro es secreto, y ni la portada era la misma. Un título tan rimbombante corre el riesgo de defraudar al lector, pero lo cierto es que el autor, escondido tras un seudónimo, engancha desde la primera página. No hay que leer ni cuatro líneas para entender que se trata de un libro muy, muy especial. Primero, el narrador: no conforme con...more
I really enjoyed reading this book by someone with the best pen name ever. And it's about time someone wrote a great novel about synesthesia. I thought it had elements of Lemony Snicket and Philip Pullman.
Having said that, the stuff that bothered me, really bothered me. (Stop reading this review now if you want to avoid listening to a tirade. I guess I'm just in one of those moods!) There are some subtle and not-so subtle political messages that irked me because I'm morally conservative. I reali...more
Having said that, the stuff that bothered me, really bothered me. (Stop reading this review now if you want to avoid listening to a tirade. I guess I'm just in one of those moods!) There are some subtle and not-so subtle political messages that irked me because I'm morally conservative. I reali...more
From the first page, you are taunted to not read any further. Everything about the book is a secret, including the title. Chapter one has even been redacted! Cass finds a mysterious box that contains The Symphony of Smells and a plea for help that is to enticing to ignore. Along with classmate Max-Ernest, Cass tries to figure out the mystery. This includes encounters with the evil Dr L (the Silver Man) and Ms Mauvais (the Golden Lady), as well as a visit to The Midnight Sun Sensorium and Spa. Th...more
This book was definitely meant for the type of kid/adult who enjoys the Series of Unfortunate Events. The author intrusions were very similar... and equally brilliant. It was an incredibly fun book to read.
Now, for my advice as a parent...
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***
Some reviews have noted that the book is scary. While the intensity was definitely heightened at the end, I think they're all referring to the scene very reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom--the human sacrifice scene and t...more
Now, for my advice as a parent...
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***
Some reviews have noted that the book is scary. While the intensity was definitely heightened at the end, I think they're all referring to the scene very reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom--the human sacrifice scene and t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The first book in a wacky, riveting, and puzzle-filled series. You know it'll be interesting when the title is "The Name of This Book is Secret" and the author is "Pseudonymous Bosch".
The book is along the lines of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Mysterious Benedict Society", with very unlikely heroes, extremely weird if not still menacing villains, and a storyline you can only describe as "quirky", or even "what kind of madman genius came up with this thing?".
Max-Ernest and Cass are t...more
The book is along the lines of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Mysterious Benedict Society", with very unlikely heroes, extremely weird if not still menacing villains, and a storyline you can only describe as "quirky", or even "what kind of madman genius came up with this thing?".
Max-Ernest and Cass are t...more
Stars: 4.6, so 4 stars cause its closer.
I suggest you read this cause its real good.
This book traveled a little ways with me and it was one of my childhood page turners that I still re-read now and then.
This is a rather peculiar book, written by a rather odd author.
The first chapter itself was unusual as well as the tittle.
The book tells you that this is a ll real and that identities and name places have been changed in order to protect the heroes in here. Of course that is all fake, but one b...more
I suggest you read this cause its real good.
This book traveled a little ways with me and it was one of my childhood page turners that I still re-read now and then.
This is a rather peculiar book, written by a rather odd author.
The first chapter itself was unusual as well as the tittle.
The book tells you that this is a ll real and that identities and name places have been changed in order to protect the heroes in here. Of course that is all fake, but one b...more
I read this book last year because all my friends were reading it. It's one of those books that you can read in a day simply because it's so easy read and flows together so well. I like the main characters (though I have to say Max-Earnest's situation is a bit far-fetched, but in this book, what isn't) and find the plot interesting.
The one problem I have with this story is that it's very unrealistic and a little hard to relate to. I mean, okay, they find the Symphony of Smells and decode its mes...more
The one problem I have with this story is that it's very unrealistic and a little hard to relate to. I mean, okay, they find the Symphony of Smells and decode its mes...more
The Name Of This Book Is Secret
By: Jasdip B.
Hey pssst..... Can you keep a secret, it means you can't tell anyone. The Book, The Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch gives details, but not too many to find out what happened.
Quest of 2 people going out in the world, The kidnapper has ideas, but who knows what can happen, Evil genius that want something from one of the Quest members, phenomenal settings that describe the crazy random places they visit, A crazy world out there.... Be Careful and rememb...more
By: Jasdip B.
Hey pssst..... Can you keep a secret, it means you can't tell anyone. The Book, The Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch gives details, but not too many to find out what happened.
Quest of 2 people going out in the world, The kidnapper has ideas, but who knows what can happen, Evil genius that want something from one of the Quest members, phenomenal settings that describe the crazy random places they visit, A crazy world out there.... Be Careful and rememb...more
ISBN 978-0-316-11369-4
$7.99
The Name Of This Book Is Secret
by: Pseudonymous Bosch
This story starts when Gloria Fortune, real estate agent from the dead, finds a mysterious box called the Symphony of Smells in a dead magician’s house whose name is Pietro Bergamo. She gives it to Cass and her substitute grandfathers. Cass is an outcast in her school until she meets another boy, Max-Ernest, who is also an outcast. They become partners and investigate the dead magician’s house and find a journal in...more
$7.99
The Name Of This Book Is Secret
by: Pseudonymous Bosch
This story starts when Gloria Fortune, real estate agent from the dead, finds a mysterious box called the Symphony of Smells in a dead magician’s house whose name is Pietro Bergamo. She gives it to Cass and her substitute grandfathers. Cass is an outcast in her school until she meets another boy, Max-Ernest, who is also an outcast. They become partners and investigate the dead magician’s house and find a journal in...more
The Name of This Book Is Secret and Max-Ernest are an unlikely pair who set out to discover what happened to a local magician who mysteriously vanishes. Each of them has skills that help them through their adventure. Cass has survival instincts and Max is good with solving riddles. They search for clues and uncover secrets that lead them to a secret society. Cass and Max find themselves deeper into the mystery when they come across a special leather book found in the magician's secret room. They...more
this book is very engaged and very myseros and i think that any one who like book like this on should defiantly be look into reading this.When i started to read it I thoguht that it was a little to confusing .i really did not understand it because, they keep telling u to forget what you read.It kindna gets annoying becuase they keep saying forget what u just read .But by about the 9 chapter , they started to get more and more in to the mystery and action of the book they started to talk about ho...more
The Name of This Book is Secret
“ On the particular Wednesday that this story begins, Larry was showing Cass how to make an compass by placing a cork in a bowl of water.”
This book is about a survivalist named Cass. She is a very adventurous girl and would do anything to save someone. She finds herself in the most awkward place asking the most weirdest person to be collaborators. It was Max Ernest, the one who can’t stop talking and everyone thinks he has problems. Cass’s grandpa collects many j...more
“ On the particular Wednesday that this story begins, Larry was showing Cass how to make an compass by placing a cork in a bowl of water.”
This book is about a survivalist named Cass. She is a very adventurous girl and would do anything to save someone. She finds herself in the most awkward place asking the most weirdest person to be collaborators. It was Max Ernest, the one who can’t stop talking and everyone thinks he has problems. Cass’s grandpa collects many j...more
It hooks people on finding the mystery of the magician. Sometimes I felt irritated by the interruptions of the narrator but, oh well! It does make me not control myself on holding the book, staring at them and thinking deeply (sometimes I gasped), and sitting on my chair, unaware of the sounds all around me. For me it is quite awkward for risking your whole life just to find out a secret. A secret has to be, in my opinion, simple. It doesn't need to be so much exaggerated for me. I believe the S...more
This book is a noteworthy addition to that genre of books that includes The Mysterious Benedict Society and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Not bad; I really enjoyed this book several years ago, and while the plot is still quite marvelous, the writing leaves something to be desired. The author's riddles are all flat, including the "terces" society. Hmmm...terces...what on earth could that be? It looks like something a five-y.o. would come up with. But, by far, the writer's worst flaw is, as it o...more
I liked this book a lot. Although it could have been better, it was a great book and I love this whole series. Ever since reading this series, I have loved the name Cassandra.
The characters . . . they were awesome! I mean, you always will find characters that you can like, but these are characters that you can loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove! Max-Ernest, Cass, Dr. L and his beautiful "wife." I love how Pseudonymous Bosch (I spelled the accursed name right, finally) crafted th...more
The characters . . . they were awesome! I mean, you always will find characters that you can like, but these are characters that you can loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove! Max-Ernest, Cass, Dr. L and his beautiful "wife." I love how Pseudonymous Bosch (I spelled the accursed name right, finally) crafted th...more
When I’m not wandering the aisles of a bookstore, filling my arms with more than I can carry, or sitting on the couch in my pajamas surfing library e-book catalogs in search of the next fabulous read, I find book suggestions through the recommendations of fellow bookworms. My latest find comes courtesy of my oldest niece, Kelsey. When we were at the bookstore together the other day she suggested I borrow her copy of The Name of This Book is Secret. What a great suggestion!
The Name of This Book I...more
The Name of This Book I...more
I like the writing style. I really do. PB is a hilarious author. I like the beginning and his little notes below some pages. The story and the using of synthesia was great.
It was the main characters that sucked. Okay, I do like Cass and Max-Ernest. They had some moments where I wished they were my friends too. But they were inconsistent! And sometimes brainless! Cass is supposed to be a survivalist, right? So that means she has to have common sense, which is essential in survivalists! That and a...more
It was the main characters that sucked. Okay, I do like Cass and Max-Ernest. They had some moments where I wished they were my friends too. But they were inconsistent! And sometimes brainless! Cass is supposed to be a survivalist, right? So that means she has to have common sense, which is essential in survivalists! That and a...more
From the black page with a great white exclamation point “Warning: Do Not Read Beyond This Page” no even before that on the title page of The Name of this Book Is Secret you are already laughing and wondering what in the world this book is about. By Pseudonymous Bosh this book has the same flavor already as Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events but you know absolutely nothing about what is going to happen next.
The compelling first pages “if, despite my warning, you insist on reading this...more
The compelling first pages “if, despite my warning, you insist on reading this...more
11 year-old Cass is practical. Her motto is “be prepared.” She is so sure that a disaster is coming that she carries survival gear in her backpack everyday: a flashlight, topographic maps, rope, a first aid kit, matches, a dust mask, etc. Max-Ernest is also eleven. His hair stands on end, he talks all the time and continually tells jokes that aren’t funny. His classmates don’t laugh. They don’t even smile.
Misfits at school, the two tentatively begin a friendship one day on the soccer field when...more
Misfits at school, the two tentatively begin a friendship one day on the soccer field when...more
First as part of favorable disclosure I want to tell everyone that I have not read the 'Unfortunate Events' series. As a matter of fact I hadn't even heard of it till I opened this page to write this review. As I understand the way this book is written(which frankly is the most novel part of this book) is inspired from that series. But now I have already given this book 4 stars and I am not going to take anything away from it just because I am an ignorant fool. So hereof I am going to write this...more
The Name of this Book Is Secret is an amusing, light read. I was definitely entertained by this book. A lot of people notice the similarities that this book has with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Mysterious Benedict's Society which are true. The Name of this Book Is Secret isn't the most original book out there.
However, the supposedly reluctant narrator who keeps annoyingly interrupting the story telling when things get to the good part made me chuckle quite a few time...more
However, the supposedly reluctant narrator who keeps annoyingly interrupting the story telling when things get to the good part made me chuckle quite a few time...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do Not Open This Topic! | 3 | 45 | 8 hours, 5 min ago | |
| What Do You think the Name of this Book could Be? | 2 | 19 | Mar 30, 2013 12:04am | |
| name the book...please | 3 | 29 | Mar 28, 2013 03:45pm | |
| Make a movie | 15 | 60 | Oct 08, 2012 11:01am | |
| The Name of this ...: Of Course WE love the secret series!!!! | 720 | 25 | Aug 25, 2012 09:03pm |
Pseudonymous Bosch is the anonymous pseudonymous author of the Secret Series. Not much is known about him other than that he has a passionate love of chocolate and cheese and an equally passionate hatred of mayonnaise. Rumors of Boschian sightings are just as frequent and about as reliable as reports of alien abductions. If you ever meet anyone claiming to be Pseudonymous himself he is almost cert...more
More about Pseudonymous Bosch...
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“Only bad books have good endings.
If a book is any good, it's ending is always bad - because you don't want the book to end.”
—
747 people liked it
If a book is any good, it's ending is always bad - because you don't want the book to end.”
“Books can also provoke emotions. And emotions sometimes are even more troublesome than ideas. Emotions have led people to do all sorts of things they later regret-like, oh, throwing a book at someone else.”
—
653 people liked it
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Apr 17, 2013 10:32pm
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