The Secret Keepers

The Secret Keepers
Trenton Lee Stewart
501 Pages

Back cover reads:  He took a last look at the hole in the wall, wondering how long the watch had been in there.  It had been put there by someone like him, someone who found places that were secret to others.  It could only have been found by someone like him, as well, which made its discovery feel very much like fate.

Inside cover reads: A magical watch.  A string of secrets.  A race against time.
  When Reuben discovers an extraordinary antique watch, he soon learns it has a secret power and his life takes an intriguing turn.  At first he is thrilled with his new treasure, but as one secret leads to another, Reuben finds himself torn between his innately honest nature and the lure to be a hero.  Now he is on a dangerous adventure--full of curious characters, treacherous traps, and hairsbreadth escapes--as he races to solve the mystery before it is too late.  Even with fearless Penny, mighty Jack, and the wise Mrs. Genevieve on his side, can Reuben outwit and outmaneuver the sly villain called The Smoke and his devious defenders the Directions and save the city from a terrible fate?
  In this ingeniously crafted novel, Trenton Lee Stewart invites readers to join the adventure, decipher the clues, and ask themselves the question:  Is knowing a secret a gift or a curse?





Initial Reaction
Ok, so since I'm pretty much in LOVE with the series of the Mysterious Benedict Society and its leader, I approached this tidy little 500 pager like a slavering fan-girl.  I took some notes on the way regarding the story, but the thing that struck me the most is that I just didn't want to keep reading this one.   A shocker, I know, especially with my absolutely love for his previous series.  I guess I was just expecting it to be just as good, but it really wasn't.  The book is sectioned into three parts, and the action didn't really pick up until right before Part II.   After that, the action dropped off until the last few chapters.  There are still many meritorious things about The Secret Keepers, but when I compare it with MBS, it doesn't hold a candle.  An unfair judgment, mayhaps, but I really wanted Stewart to deliver.  I feel like he kind of over-delivers in this book by saying in 500 pages what he could have said in about 300 or so.

Promote Virtue?  Yup.  The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad.  Good guys fight for the greater good of humanity, overcome internal struggles, and show mercy.

Transcendentals?  The main characters are again on a quest for the truth to battle for the common good.  Stewart's writing is beautiful.

Overcome human condition?  Not so sure about this one.  In MBS, the kids do get into a lot of mischief, but their little minds and hearts are always redirected toward correct and good behavior by great role models.  In TSK, there is a ton of lying, and it's kind of justified.  Not sure how I feel about that.  There is some great character development regarding the protagonist.  Reuben's clock-watch has faint traces of The One Ring in LOTR.  Reuben experiences a glimmer of the experience of all those tempted by the Ring.  He and Penny are certainly like Frodo and Sam in that they're trying to destroy it at the end.  Reuben is also feels mercy and pity toward his enemy, which is a beautiful thing.  Yes, the bad guys lose, but the winners don't gloat about it.  (See Notable Quotables below.)

Attitude toward Catholicism? There is a little nod to St. George on p. 429 when one of the characters finds "Santo Varges's Saint George and the Dragon" in the Smoke's mansion.  It made my heart smile.  The Church in New Umbra is not specified as being Catholic, but Rueben uses it as a point of reference as he's trying to escape the smoke.  Also, Mrs. Geneveive helps save the day by running into a church and asking the congregation for help.  However, no priest is mentioned (or pictured in the illustration of the crowd), so I'm not sure.  I'm happy that it was positive, though!

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  Nuh-uh

Violence?  No, the main bad guy is all about thugs and fear-mongering, but I don't think that there's really any violence described.

Appropriate age?  Eesh.  Not so sure about this one.  I usually recommend MBS to 5th grade plus. This one wasn't tougher, per se, it just dragged on a lot more than his other books (which do have their fair share of dragging at certain points.  While MBS has several plot points going on at once and challenges the reader to help solve the mystery or figure it out themselves, TSK pretty much sticks to one main point, a linear plot, and very few surprises, ingenious moments, or shock-turn of events.  If the reader is into adventure stories and will commit to the long-haul, I'd say 6th grade plus.  Some of the vocabulary would be challenging.

Writing Style:  Stewart's grip of the English language is masterful.  I am still in love with his lexicon, his word play, the character development, and the realistic way that he writes.  I also absolutely love how he plays around with words when he names things.  For instance, most of the story takes place in a town called New Umbra, where it's kind of dark and dreary:

Notable Quoteables:
"She had a round face that was completely covered with freckles, as if she'd gotten a suntan through a screen..."(177).

"Reuben shifted uneasily in his chair and looked over at her.  He'd wanted to tell her everything, had wanted to from the very beginning, but he was so used to holding on to his secrets...No, it was more than that.  The clock watch made him feel powerful--for the first time in his life, he actually felt special--and revealing his vulnerabilities might take away from that feeling.  That was the truth, he realized.  But the though of explaining this to Penny made him feel even more vulnerable, and all he managed to offer her was an apologetic shrug" (321). This is where I started thinking about similarities to Lord of the Rings.

"Reuben figured he was the only person in the world who actually hoped the psychiatrist would help Faug.  Sure, he was glad the man was locked up.  Yet he also wanted him to find peace.  Reuben wouldn't have imagined that he could feel both things about the same person, but he did" (491-92).  Outstanding!

Great words:  Morosely (Dead Poet's Society, anyone?), sundry, reluctant, slake, maniacal, decrepit.

Final Summation:  While I am a huge fan of Trenton Lee Stewart, I was a tad bit disappointed with this one.  It just wasn't as fast-paced and enthralling like his previous work.  Still, it's a phenomenal book that was just....