by Pseudonymous Bosch
Little, Brown for Young Readers, $16.99, 423 pages
When we last saw our Terces Society heroine Cass, she’d eaten the dreaded Time Travel Chocolate in order to discover more about her ancestors and “The Secret” (the very thing the Terces Society was sworn to protect). She is in a deep sleep and her mind wanders between time periods. Her best friend and society member Max-Ernest must race to find the antidote before the Masters of the Midnight Sun find out what Cass knows. They want the key to immortality. Cryptic author Pseudonymous Bosch is back with This Isn’t What it Looks Like, the fourth book in his wacky, fantastic, and very popular series. Readers will likely want to start with Book One (yes, it’s that entertaining), but the books can stand alone. The young and the young at heart will tear through the pages to see what kind of trouble Cass and Max-Ernest find themselves in now. Bosch’s style is wry and witty. He often pauses the narrative to interact directly with the reader. His frequent footnotes add more humor to an already hilarious story. He includes an appendix in the back with activities (like how to make your own camera obscura).
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin