The Secret Keepers Book Review

Overview

Reuben is just a normal kid who happens to like to explore, and one day while he's exploring he comes upon an ancient watch. To his astonishment, he discovers the watch can turn him invisible! He tries to find someone to help him, and a watchmaker tells him that the mysterious villain, basically a mob boss, known as The Smoke, who runs the entire city, has been hunting for the watch. Reuben must find his courage and hunt the hunter, or else. 

Positive

Reuben is a typical pre-teen boy, he loves his Mom and feels guilty when he disobeys her, which he, unfortunately, does frequently, though he does it to shield her from the fact that he is in life-threatening danger. His Dad died early in his life, and his Mom works double-time to be able to pay for her and her son's lodging. Reuben frequently has to find bravery, something which is very unnatural to him, he is used to simply hiding or escaping, but when he can't escape or hide, he has to find bravery enough to face his worst nightmare, The Smoke. Speaking of The Smoke, he makes a fantastic villain. I once heard that the best villain is the person in the world who can best confront the hero's weaknesses, and The Smoke does that perfectly. Besides that, he's also creepy enough to bring back your terror of the dark. 

Negative

Not much from a writing or storytelling point of view, though there are some from a Christian viewpoint. The Meyers are a family that is seemingly perfect, they can't lie, they are always trustworthy and responsible, etc, which clearly contradicts the Christian view that everyone is fallen. However, there are a few members of the family that don't fit this description at all. Jack is, in short, a rogue. He lies to the police and his family, steals a car, and frequently tries to use violence to solve problems, though to be fair everything he did was to take down the villain and protect Reuben and Penny, his two young charges. 

Conclusion

The Secret Keepers is an extraordinarily well written and thought through story. The characters are well written and developed, the ending is satisfying, and the creepiness of The Smoke is just so perfect for the story. A great book for 8+.