Trenton Lee Stewart's The Secret Keepers
If you’ve read our review on The Mysterious Benedict Society series, you know that we’re Trenton Lee Stewart fans. His writing is witty and riveting, weaving a colorful cast of characters into a unique, puzzling plot. The Mysterious Benedict Society introduced readers to a world of conundrums and close escapes, dastardly plots and counterplots at the hands of multi-talented children who find their courage from their friendship. This is a satisfyingly intelligent and altogether rewarding series.
The Secret Keepers did not disappoint. Keeping to his themes with an altogether new cast of characters, Stewart has woven a standalone that will appeal to the same crowd that enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society. 11-year-old Reuben Pedley lives with his mother in the Lower Downs--gloomy New Umbra's gloomiest and most run-down neighborhood. Men called Directions patrol the streets, and everyone lives in fear of getting on The Smoke's bad side. Everyone knows that The Smoke really runs New Umbra, even if no one has ever seen him. Is he a ghost? A phantom? Reuben is shy and friendless. During the day, he sneaks around the streets of the Lower Downs, searching for hiding places and climbing to impossible perches. One day, Reuben finds something odd on one of his escapades. High up on the side of a building, a spherical clock watch is hidden in a wooden box. Reuben soon learns that his discovery has yielded more than a sellable antique; the watch turns its holder invisible. While this discovery is exhilarating, possession of the watch comes with several prices. Not only is the holder blind to his surroundings while invisible, and extremely tired once the invisibility has passed, but the possessor of the watch is in grave danger. The Smoke, it seems, has been searching for this very same watch for a very long time. And he will stop at nothing to obtain it.
Finding himself and his mother in danger, Reuben searches for more information on his discovery. His search brings him to the clock-repair shop of Mrs. Genevieve, an old woman who seems more concerned for Reuben's safety than Reuben is himself. Finally, Reuben finds himself at the lighthouse of a certain Meyer family; a clan of steadfast redheads dedicated to lighthouse-keeping since the founding of Point William. Reuben, little Penny Meyer, and her brother Jack unravel the great mystery of the watch--and the dangerous mission its possession entails.
There are only two possibly-objectionable points that I think are worth mentioning. The first is that there is a brief mention of suicide. Nothing at all graphic, and it is a single sentence in which a character (as part of a backstory) is said to have taken his life.
The second point is that Reuben is deceitful. Not only does he lie to his mother regularly about his whereabouts (despite the fact that he loves her very much), but he later lies to the Meyers and sneaks about their property invisible. However, it is worth pointing out that this is also the case with the Magic Treehouse series; Jack and Annie frequently lie to their parents about where they are going or where they have been all day. While not purposefully malicious, Reuben makes a habit of lying. Later, with Penny’s help, he learns to be more truthful.
I really enjoyed this book. While the setting is entirely different and Trenton Lee Stewart is working with a fresh cast of characters, The Secret Keepers conveys the same witty charm and maze of puzzling enigmas as its forebears. Definitely worth the read!