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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

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2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

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2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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The Life Skills Reading Challenge

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Monday, November 09, 2009

New Book Reveals P.B.'s Nefarious Plot

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

[WARNING: This review does not contain spoilers for This Book Is Not Good For You, but it may inadvertently spill the beans about plot elements from its two predecessors. My advice, as always, is to read the books in order. You wouldn't want to miss anything important :) ]

I have a bone to pick with Pseudonymous Bosch, the mysterious author of The Name of This Book Is A Secret and If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. See, he says he doesn't want us to read his books. He warns readers away with cautionary titles and cryptic blog warnings about imposters and nefarious schemes now afoot. This is all well and good (after all, he does tell a dangerous story, which, for our own safety, we really should ignore), but then P.B. goes and does the unthinkable: He writes a story about chocolate. Sweet, creamy, delcious chocolate. As if anyone could resist an entire book about this delectable confection. To make the matter even more distressing, he titled his newest This Book Is Not Good For You. Everyone knows that nothing makes a thing more alluring than knowing it's not good for us. Suspicious, no? What do you think it all means? I have a theory: I think P.B. actually wants us to read his books. You're gasping. I know, it's unbelievable. But true nonetheless. The question is: Why would he want innocent people to read about that evilest of organizations - the Midnight Sun - if he didn't have ulterior motives? Are his "warnings" some kind of perverse reverse logic? Is describing the group's foul ways his sordid method of recruiting new acolytes? Curioser and curioser, wouldn't you say? I'll let you be the judge ...

When This Book Is Not Good For You opens, our young heroine is researching. As a survivalist, Cass has looked up many questions - How do you survive an encounter with a bear? How does one accurately identify toxic waste, just in case it should be lurking in the schoolyard? What tactics are most useful for obliterating the murderous mold growing under your sink? That sort of thing. But this question is altogether different. This time, she wants to know who she really is. She now knows she's adopted, but she doesn't have any of the details. And she really, really needs the details. So, she's searching her grandfathers' junk shop for the crate in which she arrived as a baby on their doorstep. She's certain it holds clues to her true origin. Although Cass' best friend, Max-Ernest, believes the search to be hopeless, he agrees to help her look. So it is that the two of them are in the shop when a box of magazines lands with a thump on its doorstep. A glance inside reveals a clue of another sort, one that points to where leaders of the Midnight Sun may be hiding. Before they know it, Cass, Max-Ernest and their friend, Yo-Yoji, are swept up in another whirlwind adventure courtesy of their membership in the Terces Society.

The escapade begins with an ancient object: a tuning fork that can create the most extraordinary tastes out of the most ordinary of foods. Why the Midnight Sun wants the fork remains a mystery. The lengths to which they'll go to find it does not: the heartless Sunners kidnap Cass' mother. Desperate to rescue Melanie, Cass and her friends set out in search of their enemies' new hideout, where they hope to find not only Cass' mom, but the tuning fork, and some way to take down the foul organization. The Midnight Sun, however, has its own motivation: it will stop at nothing to get the precious Secret. And when I say nothing, I mean, nothing. No one is safe from Ms. Mauvais and her gang, not Melanie, not the trio of kids, not the world. It's another wild, exciting adventure for our favorite survivalist and her friends. Will they live to see another?

With his usual zany humor, Pseudonymous Bosch continues his adventure series in high style. The books are witty, engaging and downright contagious. This Book Is Not Good For You is no exception. While it's not my favorite in the series, it's still an awful lot of fun (Oops, P.B. doesn't like it when I use that word - let's pretend I said dangerous). Seriously, though, this book is good, clean, lighthearted fun. I highly recommend the whole series (although I really shouldn't, because it's dangerous, remember?).

*Not surprisingly, P.B. has issued a rebuttal to my accusations - you can read it here. Just don't believe it. *

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for moments of danger that might be scary for younger children.

To the FTC, with love: Another gem from my local library. With the amount of money I've paid them in fees this year, they should soon be adding a new wing in my honor.

7 comments:

  1. So I opened your email after Harmony went to school. But I was there later for her concert and told her she had an email from him. You should have seen her eyes light up! She was ecstatic. I can't imagine what will happen when she actually reads it! (: You may have ruined TJ's Halloween, but you made Harmony's day!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello. I love that series! But, have you reviewed The Mysterious Benedict Society???
    That is one of my favorite series, and I reccomend you review it. :0
    -Sam

    ReplyDelete
  3. M - I knew she'd be excited :)

    Sam - I haven't read the Benedict series yet. I have the first one - I just haven't gotten to it yet. So many books, so little time ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. yep i have the first book too, just haven't read it yet. Right now i'm reading Fowl Weather(good book) and the 2nd book in the series of unfortunate events, the reptile room(also good) have u read any of these? and how could you accuse P.B. like that? Don't worry P.B. i'm on your side

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Abram - I haven't even heard of FOWL WEATHER. If it's good, I'll have to check it out. I love Lemony Snickett - I think I'm on the 8th book? I can't remember. I'll be reviewing the series as soon as I finish it. I actually thought P.B. and Lemony Snickett were the same author - they sound so much alike.

    P.S. I just love teasing P.B. He's such a good sport!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've read all of the Mysterious Benedict Society books AND all the Unfortunate Events books. All were amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this book!!!!!!!!!! Even though PB (I always have trouble spelling his/her name) wouldn't want me to say that...

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

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