Publishers Weekly
★ 07/18/2016
It’s summer vacation for 12-year-old Reuben Pedley, a resident of a rundown neighborhood in New Umbra, a city ruled by a mysterious figure known as the Smoke and his minions, the Directions, who constantly patrol the city. While Reuben’s mother is at work, he spends his days exploring; one afternoon, he finds a leather pouch containing a strange antique watch. In attempting to discover the secret of the watch, Reuben attracts the unwanted attention of the Smoke and the Directions. Reuben teams up with Penny and Jack Meyers, descendants of one of the original owners of the watch and keepers of a dark family secret, to outsmart the Smoke and free New Umbra from his clutches. Stewart (the Mysterious Benedict Society series) has created an exciting, fully imagined world filled with mystery and danger, where children can have real adventures without parental supervision. He doesn’t shy from putting the children in true danger, both physical and moral, keeping readers on tenterhooks until the final page. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Eric Simonoff, William Morris Endeavor. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Mysterious Benedict Society:
"Great cast of characters, lots of cool puzzles and mysteries. This book reminded me of some of the better children's books I grew up with, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Phantom Tollbooth." —Rick Riordan
Praise for The Secret Keepers:
A New York Times Bestseller
An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade of the Year Choice
ALA Notable Book for Children
Amazon #1 Best Book of 2016 for Children Choice
Bank Street College of Education 2017 Best Children's Book of the Year
*"Stewart... has created an exciting, fully imagined world filled with mystery and danger, where children can have real adventures without parental supervision. He doesn't shy from putting the children in true danger, both physical and moral, keeping readers on tenterhooks until the final page."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
*"Fans of Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Societyand series like it will devour his latest novel. This epic story filled with adventure and twists and turns is certain to keep readers' interest from beginning to end."—School Library Journal (starred review)
*"Children will be caught up in the mystery, trying to decipher the clues as they follow Reuben and his new-found friends in their race to save the town from a dreadful future.... All in all, this is another winner from Trenton Lee Stewart."—School Library Connection (starred review)
"There are enough hidden tunnels, concealed traps, enigmatic secrets, hair-raising surprises, quirky characters, and ethical dilemmas to keep the plot buzzing. Fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society series will welcome Stewart's latest puzzling adventure, whose seemingly ordinary hero proves quite extraordinary."—Kirkus Reviews
"The plot builds with a simplicity that slots each element firmly into place before adding complications, leading to a clear, comprehensible line... Stewart is thoroughly in touch with young readers' delight in all things sneaky and hidden."—The Horn Book
"Fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society series will be thrilled to see a new Stewart novel, and this adventure easily lives up to the high bar....The Smoke is an excellent main villain, creepy and oozing menace, and his various henchmen are worthy additions to the novel."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
School Library Journal
★ 07/01/2016
Gr 5 Up—Parkour practitioner Reuben Pedley has been having a hard time since his mom lost her job and they had to move to a different (and poorer) part of the city. Friendless, he spends his days avoiding the Directions, the enforcement officers of the mysterious Smoke, who runs the city. On one of these afternoons, he finds a very interesting object after getting himself stuck on a ledge while he was supposed to be at home. What he discovers crammed in the masonry of a wall is an extremely old pocket watch that he is certain is worth a large sum and might just help him and his mother leave the poor part of town. Instead, he realizes that the watch has a little bit of magic in it, which gives him a special ability. Regrettably, the Directions learn of the presence of the watch, and they will stop at nothing to bring it to the Smoke. Only Reuben and his newfound friends have what it takes to solve the mystery of the watch and save their city. VERDICT Fans of Stewart's "Mysterious Benedict Society" and series like it will devour his latest novel. This epic story filled with adventure and twists and turns is certain to keep readers' interest from beginning to end.—Wayne R. Cherry Jr., First Baptist Academy Library, Houston
DECEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
Opening with the sound of a ticking clock, this audiobook introduces the atmosphere of mystery that surrounds an unusual “clock-watch,” which holds many secrets. While darker and more ominous than Stewart’s usual fare, the book does include the puzzles his fans eagerly expect and enjoy solving. Cameron Brown’s narration enhances the story’s atmosphere. He employs clear enunciation and expert pacing to immerse the listener in Reuben’s mind as he puzzles his way through the mystery. Brown’s performance will engage young listeners who enjoy being on tenterhooks and feeling deliciously scared as they inhabit a dark world. He uses inflection to give unique voices to the many characters. Mrs. Genevieve, Reuben’s moral compass, is especially well voiced with an appropriately foreign but grandmotherly accent. N.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-06-22
A solitary boy with a penchant for finding "spots where no one would ever think to look" finds a mysterious watch and unravels a series of startling secrets.Growing up in shabby New Umbra, white, 11-year-old Reuben lives with his widowed mother. Exploring a precarious ledge, Rueben finds a case containing a spherical watch that enables him to become temporarily invisible. Excited and empowered, Reuben experiments with his secret watch but is worried when he hears that The Smoke, an ambiguous character controlling New Umbra, is desperate to find the watch and has his bullies searching for it. An inscription on the watch case leads Reuben to a lighthouse where a young white girl named Penny reveals a long-kept family secret. Reuben discovers there are really two watches and whoever holds both becomes immortal. Convinced The Smoke already possesses the other watch, methodical Reuben must rely on moxie and wits to confront him on his own turf. Despite the novel's daunting length and Reuben's tendency to overthink everything, there are enough hidden tunnels, concealed traps, enigmatic secrets, hair-raising surprises, quirky characters, and ethical dilemmas to keep the plot buzzing. Sudyka supplies atmospheric black-and-white spot illustrations done in ink and wash. Fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007) will welcome Stewart's latest puzzling adventure, whose seemingly ordinary hero proves quite extraordinary. (Adventure. 8-12)
