Monday, April 23, 2012

"You Have to Stop This"

What do you think about pseudonyms? Mark Twain, Lemony Snicket, Richard Bachman and George Orwell are some pretty famous ones. How many of these author's real names can you remember? In children's books, pseudonyms have become a large part of the marketing. I recently read the last book in a series with a particularly creative pseudonym for the author. Enjoy the review.

“You Have to Stop This”
By Pseudonymous Bosch
For Ages 9 – 12
The fifth and final book of the “Secret” series finds our heroine Cass struggling to discover the secret and keep it a secret from her friends. Full of action, magic, mystery and a mummy. Rated 4.25 (mystery, action, peril)

If you’ve read the other four books in this series, you already know what to expect. If this is your first foray into this series, close this book and put it down. You need to read the others first.
    
“You Have to Stop This” begins quickly when Cass discovers an ancient Egyptian ring in the trunk of treasures left to her by her elfin ancestor. The discovery just happens to coincide with a world-class mummy exhibit opening in town. Coincidence? There is no such thing in these stories. When Cass accidentally breaks a finger off the prize attraction at the museum the chaos begins. It does not take long for Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji to begin battling the invisible Lord Pharaoh. Both want to be the first to place the ring on the broken finger and discover the secret.

It’s a fast-paced, quirky, fun, mysterious, strange and entertaining adventure. Bosch does a good job of continuing the character development from the earlier books, inserting multiple plot twists and maintaining the battle of good versus evil without ever losing his touch of whimsy. Kids with imagination will love the final installment and wonder – is it really the end?