Title: Mister Max: The Book of Secrets
Author: Cynthia Voigt
Series: Mister Max, book 2
Major Themes: Spies, Friendship
Synopsis: Max is still trying to figure out what happened to his parents and how to rescue them—and solving mysteries that people present him with at the same time.
Last year, I bought a book titled Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things and sent it to my mom’s house until I was able to get it. She loved it and read it aloud to an adult with whom she was taking a trip; he loved it so much that he took it home with him after the trip to finish the last chapter or two! That made us quite interested in the book, so we read it soon after it reached us…and then realized it was part 1 of a trilogy! So, we checked all the online libraries we have access to, and found the sequel, Mister Max: The Book of Secrets.
Publisher’s description:
In Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things, Max Starling proved that he is more than a detective, he’s a Solutioneer. His reputation for problem-solving has been spreading—and now even the mayor wants his help.
Someone is breaking windows and setting fires in the old city, but the shopkeepers won’t say a word about the culprits. Why are they keeping these thugs’ secrets?
When the mayor begs for help, Max agrees to take the case, putting himself in grave danger. It’s a race to catch up with the vandals before they catch him.
Meanwhile, Max is protecting secrets of his own. His parents are still missing, and the cryptic messages he gets from them make it clear—it’s going to be up to Max to rescue them.
My thoughts:
We enjoyed the second book about as much as the first one. Max is a clear thinker, and ready to help anyone who requests assistance. These requests range from a child needing his father’s attention, to a man wondering what his son is up to, to the mayor trying to get to the bottom of the vandalism in the old city. Solving these problems requires ingenuity, a lot of thought, and careful attention to costumes so that he can continue to live on his own without being investigated. Would he be able to get to the bottom of each mystery? Meanwhile, his own mystery is becoming ever more bothersome. How can he find his parents?
The Book of Secrets is a wonderful story about family, friendship—and spying! Max did all he could on his own, but often he needed help from others, and ended up with some very close friendships in the process. I especially enjoyed the brainstorming scene near the end of the book!
We really enjoyed this book, and would already be reading book three except that I like to have a break between books in a series when I am reading them aloud. One of my sons has made it clear that he will be choosing The Book of Kings as soon as we have an opening for another book!
WARNING: Chapter 15: Boy forced to walk at knife-point. Chapter 16: Boy knocked unconscious, someone says, “Stupid git.” Chapter 18: Remembering the knife. Chapter 19: Puddle of blood on the floor.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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