I HAVEN’T read The Mysterious Benedict Society, so approached The Secret Keepers with no expectations. I loved Reuben - he’s just a great kid! Someone I wish I’d known when I was a kid. I was immediately hoping bad things didn’t come his way - but of course they do, otherwise there’d be no story, right? However, he’s soon found some great allies (and friends) in fearless Penny and Jack and the wonderful Mrs. Genevieve. This story has the lot: magic watches, mystery, secrets, trapdoors, a lighthouse, and difficult decisions to be made. Perfect for the intended audience of upper primary. However, I felt that it was way toooooooo long, at 500 pages. It would benefit from a fearless edit of at least 100 of those pages. However, a confident reader will hopefully not be deterred by its size, and will lose themselves in this romping great adventure story.