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Erin Fry

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Secrets of the Book Kindle Edition

by Erin Fry (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 484 ratings

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You don’t choose the book—the book chooses you.

Sixth grader Spencer Lemon has a degenerative eye disease—and he’s rapidly losing his eyesight. So he has no idea why he was chosen to guard Pandora’s Book. When Ed, the old guy at the nursing home, hands over the book, he doesn’t get a chance to explain any of the rules to Spencer. Spencer only knows that the book contains famous dead people—people who can be brought back to life. Spencer and his autistic best friend, Gregor, soon figure out how to get people out of the book, but not how to get them back in. Then Ed disappears, and a strange man shows up on Spencer’s doorstep—and he seems to know a lot about Spencer and about Pandora’s Book. Is he one of the bad guys? Or is here to help Spencer unravel the secrets of the book? But there are others interested in Pandora’s Book, others who might use its powers to take over the world. And it’s up to Spencer, along with Gregor and Ed’s mysterious (and cute) granddaughter Mel, to protect the book—and save the world.

Reading age

8 - 11 years, from customers
Print length

188 pages
Language

English
Grade level

2 - 6
Lexile measure

680L
Publisher

Two Lions
Publication date

February 4, 2014
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Erin Fry
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Publishers Weekly

Spencer Lemon is a reluctant volunteer at a local nursing home, a gig that takes a wild turn when Ed, the elderly man Spencer visits there, gives the 12-year-old Pandora’s Book, which is filled with images of people who “made some kind of impact on society—in a positive way.” The book’s caretaker can bring any of its pictures to life, from Socrates to Theodore Roosevelt, both of whom make appearances in this story of friendship, bravery, and good vs. evil from author and PW contributor Fry (Losing It). When Ed disappears and a threatening man with a copy of Pandora’s Other Book shows up, Spencer relies on his best friend Gregor and Ed’s granddaughter Mel for help. Spencer is instantly relatable, thanks to his sharp and amusing narration; that Gregor has autism spectrum disorder and Spencer is slowly losing his eyesight makes them stand out as the kind of heroes too seldom seen. The historical cameos add an extra dash of flavor to this engaging, suspenseful adventure. November 2013

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—Spencer Lemon (pronounced le-MONE, "not like the sour yellow fruit") is rapidly losing his eyesight to a degenerative disease, loves running track, and is unhappy that his mother makes him visit a nursing home twice weekly. Ed, his friend at the home, tells him that he is the next guardian of the magical Pandora's Book, which contains pictures of famous people and can bring them temporarily back to life. Ed disappears before he can fully teach Spencer how to use the book, leaving the sixth grader and his friend Gregor, who has autism, to protect the book from its enemies and figure out how to use it on their own. Ed's granddaughter, Mel, helps the boys, but when she is injured and Gregor's dog is kidnapped, it's up to Spencer, Gregor, and some historical helpers to save the day. Fry has created a memorable group of contemporary and historical characters to give life to this fast-paced adventure. Spencer and Gregor's conditions aren't allowed to define them, and Gregor's behavior adds to his motivation and interest. Even reluctant readers may be drawn in by the opening scene in which Ed introduces Spencer to Pandora's Book by letting him take batting practice with Babe Ruth. Fans of Dan Gutman's "Genius Files" series (HarperCollins) may enjoy the mix of danger and historical facts in this appealing story.—Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

From Booklist

In this suspenseful adventure, pictures of history’s greatest heroes and villains come to life from a pair of old books. When Pandora’s Book chooses him, in spite of his bad eyesight, sixth-grader Spencer proves he’s an appropriate guardian against of the efforts of a bad guy from Pandora’s Other Book to gain control of both volumes. Working with his best friend, Gregor, whose autism spectrum disorder leads to inopportune meltdowns but whose loyalty and knowledge of history is invaluable, Spencer engages in a series of increasingly painful quests, first to understand the workings of the book and then to get the book back after its theft by “Evil German Guy.” The friends get help from Socrates, Teddy Roosevelt, Al Capone, and more, as well as characters from their own lives and the book’s original owner (and his leggy great-granddaughter, Mel). Sure, the adventures are improbable, but the setting is so believable and the action so fast-moving that middle-school readers are unlikely to pause to notice. Grades 6-9. --Kathleen Isaacs

Review

“Fry has created a memorable group of contemporary and historical characters to give life to this fast-paced adventure.” —School Library Journal

“This thoroughly enjoyable story offers a high-spirited adventure enhanced with a dose of educational fun.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

About the Author

Erin Fry is also the author of Losing It. She lives in Glendora, California, with her family. Learn more: www.erinmfry.com.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DH3MP7S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Two Lions (February 4, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6028 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 188 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #605,338 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #141 in Children's eBooks on Disability
- #1,054 in Children's Books on Disabilities
- #2,033 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Adventure

Customer Reviews:
4.5 484 ratings

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Erin Fry

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Erin Fry has a couple of things she loves: writing books, teaching kids, hiking mountains, and tracking weather.

For seventeen years, Erin has taught 6th-grade English and history at a middle school in southern California, where she also coached cross country, and mentors a Young Authors Club.

Erin has three books for young readers—LOSING IT, SECRETS OF THE BOOK, and UNDERCOVER CHEFS—and one book for teens, THE BENEFACTOR. She also writes curriculum guides for her books.

Erin loves to hike with her husband and 3 kids, and considers summiting Mt. Whitney—the tallest peak in the continental United States—the hardest, most amazing thing she’s ever done.

Visit Amazon or http://www.5050press.com/ to learn more about Erin’s other books.

You can find curriculum guides for most of her books and learn more at www.erinmfry.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

484 global ratings

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Jennifer C.

A great and unique adventure

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2022

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This book was so much fun! The narrative voice is absolutely engaging, and I loved the added aspects that come from Spencer progressively losing his eyesight and Gregor having ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

Spencer Lemon (pronounced Leh-mohn, like it's French, and NOT the bitter citrus fruit!) knows that he will be blind one day, and there's nothing he can do about it. But instead of being depressed and mad about it, he works to make his life as it is as full as he can. Because his mother is trying to teach Spencer about giving back, he spends an hour every Tuesday and Thursday at a nearby nursing home visiting with Ed. On one visit, as soon as Spencer enters Ed's room, Ed tells him to close the door and the blinds and then proceeds to introduce Spencer to Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe, and Albert Einstein.

After showing Spencer Pandora's Book, which has pages full of all sorts of notable figures from history, Ed gives him to book to take home and familiarize himself with. Ed has every intention of showing Spencer how the book works the next time he visits, and tells Spencer to simply look through the book and learn who's inside of it.

It's when Spencer gets home that things begin to go sideways. Now Spencer needs help, Ed is missing, and a strange and creepy man seems to be much too interested in the book.

With the help of his best friend, Gregor, and a new acquaintance, Mel, Spencer sets out to try and find Ed and protect Pandora's Book.

The main characters of this book are really well-developed, and the author, via Spencer, is a born storyteller. Written in first-person perspective, it really was like listening to someone tell me their crazy adventures. This was even more true since I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Todd Haberkorn. The voices he used for the different characters were great, and I truly enjoyed listening to him tell the story. The emphasis and feeling, tension and release that he injected into the narration were perfect, and he is one of the few narrators that I didn't have to speed up to reach a normal speaking speed. If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, take it. It's absolutely great!

Between the fabulous writing and wonderful narration, this is absolutely a book that I will be listening to multiple times. Not only is it a great story with amazing characters - current and historical - but it also has main characters who have disabilities, and I love seeing that positive representation. I will absolutely be following Fry and reading more of her books going forward.

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Michael Thal

Actually, Pandora had a Book, not a Box

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017

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Pop applauds author Erin Fry for including lead characters with disabilities in her extraordinary middle grade novel, Secrets of the Book. Spencer Lemon, a pre-teen with a degenerative eye disease and his buddy Gregor, stricken with autism, manage with great effort to overcome their impairments to defeat the bad guy and save the world.

Sixth grader Spencer is the novel’s narrator who admits right away, “I can’t see jack,” but he’s not yet blind. One day a week he meets Ed, an aged man living in a retirement home. The young boy soon learns from Ed about a magical book, “Pandora’s Book” that provides brief biographies of people who have contributed positively to humanity. With a wave of a white cardboard paper and a few taps, Ed brings to life Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe.

Ed lets Spencer take the book home to read, but warns, “Don’t try to use it until I teach you.” At home, while doing their homework, Spencer shows the book to best friend, Gregor, an autistic student he befriended from school. Gregor has an acute mind for history and dates. He’s also a kick-ass runner on Spencer’s track team. When Spencer mentions meeting Babe Ruth and getting batting tips from the great Bambino, Gregor is skeptical until Spencer manages to bring to life one of Gregor’s heroes, Socrates. But how do you put the guy back?

Erin Fry does a masterful job showing how two school outcasts have joined forces in helping each other overcome their challenges in the face of adversity. The boys encounter an evil plot to steal “Pandora’s Book” and its negative companion, “Pandora’s Other Book”, which contains the brief biographies of history’s villians—Ghengas Khan, Adolph Hitler, Al Capone, and others. Somehow this book lands in the hands of Heinrich, who Mel, Ed’s granddaughter, calls the Evil German Guy. He’s evil because he kidnaps Ed and Gregor’s dog to get his hands on Spencer’s book so he can rule the world.

Secrets of the Book contains a fast-paced plot and realistic characters who face real-world problems. Fry reaches middle school readers with an action packed story that shows the problems near blind and autistic kids endure while teaching a bit of history along the way. Highly recommended.

Michael Thal is the author of the Koolura Series.

One person found this helpful

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niewi

Inventive story with lots of suspense

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

Great to read or listen to for young readers who love a great adventure. The story is quite intriguingly told, characters are likable and authentic.

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Steven Ramirez

Never Open a Book with Pandora in the Title

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

If you are looking for a fun middle-grade novel filled with adventure, danger, and sly humor, you should take a look at Secrets of the Book by Erin Fry. I thought the author’s choice of lead characters was interesting. Typically, you give the hero a flaw, like Superman and his sensitivity to Krypton. Which I never really understood because isn’t that where he’s from? Never mind. In this story, Spencer Lemon (pronounced leh-MOHN) suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, which means he is slowly going blind. His best friend Gregor is on the spectrum and, as a result, occasionally has episodes when things disrupt his routine and become overwhelming, which essentially defines the entire book, so you can imagine. In lesser hands, these guys would have been relegated to the role of sidekick. But not today.

Now, add a cute, smart girl named Mel and a sketchy old man who goes by “Ed,” and you have the makings for some real excitement. Oh, I almost forgot—there’s this book, and you really shouldn’t mess with it unless you know what you’re doing, which of course, no one does. I mean, the thing has the name Pandora in it. Kind of says it all, don’t you think?

I had a great time reading Secrets of the Book. Fans of KidLit and history should check it out. I’m confident it will have you hooked after the first couple of pages.

2 people found this helpful

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