Stewart, Trenton Lee.
The
Secret Keepers, illustrated by Diane Sudyka. 501 pages. Megan Tingley Books (Little Brown and
Company), 2016. $18.99. Language: G (2 swears), Sexual Content: G,
and Violence: PG.
Reuben’s town is run by the Directions who work for The Smoke. His mom works two jobs and they can barely
make rent. While she’s at work, Reuben
is good at keeping out of sight. One
day, he climbs a building and sits on a ledge.
He sees something in the brick.
He pulls it out the bit of leather and finds an antique watch with a
key. The inscription on the watch is Property of P. Wm. Light. Reuben tries to sell the watch, but
realizes that it is something special.
When he puts the key in the watch to wind it, he goes invisible—blind
and invisible. The Smoke wants the watch
and Reuben has to hide. He follows the
clue from the inscription to meet Penny Meyer.
She tells them the story of her ancestor who owned his watch and why The
Smoke wants the watch. Together, with
the help of her brother Jack, they plan to stop The Smoke and save the
city.
Reuben is an unlikely hero on a grand adventure. He’s a shy, likeable kid, that loves his mom
and dreams of a better life. Over the
course of the story, his character develops from a mouse to a confident young
man. Penny Meyer creates a strong female
protagonist who is smart and adventurous.
The secondary characters are also well developed. His mom’s character is a spunky, hard-working,
and funny. The entire Meyer clan is a hilarious
bunch of strictly upright individuals. The
Smoke is devious, but not too dastardly.
The black and white illustrations added to the spooky, mysterious tone
of the novel. The plot had a few
exciting twists, but overall the pacing felt slow.
EL-ADVISABLE.
Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
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