103 pages • 3 hours read
Pseudonymous BoschThe Name of This Book Is Secret
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 15-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 15 Summary: “A Confusion of the Senses”
Cass and Max-Ernest run into Amber on their way back from the library; they learn that while they were busy with the magician’s notebook, Benjamin Blake went missing. Amber gives Cass her cotton-candy Smoochie, which Cass accepts unenthusiastically. Cass and Max-Ernest stop to examine Benjamin’s paintings more closely; the paintings are mostly abstract pieces that appear to be a random blend of colors and shapes, but Cass realizes that the titles all relate to music, such as “Rain Song” or “Music of Cricket and Cars” (153). Cass realizes that Benjamin must have synesthesia, and his paintings reflect the colors he sees when he hears these sounds.
Cass deduces that Benjamin must be the boy she saw in the limousine earlier, kidnapped by Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. Cass wants to rescue him immediately, but Max-Ernest stops her, saying they don’t have any evidence to prove her theory correct. Cass accuses Max-Ernest of not caring about the danger to Benjamin’s life, and Max-Ernest retorts that he doesn’t think Cass really cares either. He goes on to say that his most recent doctor theorized that Cass clings to survivalism and rescuing others because of what happened to her father. Cass, angry that Max-Ernest divulged this information to his doctor, breaks off their collaboration. She resolves to get Benjamin back because she feels his kidnapping is her fault.
Chapter 16 Summary: “A Rumor About Monkey Blood, a Forged Ransom Note, and a Scary Phone Call”
Cass sneaks back into her house and digs through her mother’s extensive collection of travel books for information about the Midnight Sun Sensorium. She reads that the Midnight Sun purports to help people become young again, although it remains shrouded in mystery. It is rumored that to achieve this end, the spa guests drink monkey blood or take molten gold baths. The spa also has a highly exclusive guest list; only celebrities or royalty are likely able to book reservations. Cass also finds a phone number and an address for the Midnight Sun.
Certain that Benjamin Blake has been taken there but unsure what to do about it, Cass writes a fake ransom note to Mrs. Johnson, attempting to convey her knowledge without revealing her involvement with Dr. L, Ms. Mauvais, or the magician’s notebook. At school, Mrs. Johnson sees right through the fake ransom note and reprimands Cass harshly. After class, Cass decides that her only remaining course of action is to go to the spa herself. Posing as a third secret Skelton sister named “Amber,” she secures a reservation for that very evening.
Chapter 17 Summary: “I’ve Changed My Mind”
The narrator pauses the story here to debate the wisdom of exposing the reader to the dangerous secret. At first, he reasons that he cannot in good conscience continue the story for the sake of the reader’s safety; however, he acknowledges that stopping the story halfway through will anger the reader. The narrator mentions that he is very susceptible to bribes, especially chocolate. The narrator ends up bribing himself: He has a piece of very expensive chocolate that he is saving for a special occasion, and he reasons that if he allows himself to eat this chocolate, that will count as his bribe and he will continue the story. Ultimately, the narrator chooses the chocolate, thereby accepting the “bribe.”
Chapters 15-17 Analysis
Benjamin Blake’s kidnapping is another significant event that drives the rising action forward; it also propels Cass and Max-Ernest’s journey into the secondary world. Cass has now committed to finding Benjamin Blake, which drives her to make an appointment at the Midnight Sun and enter the belly of the beast; Max-Ernest, although it seems he’s called it quits for now, is sure to follow.
At this point in the story, the consequences of the protagonists’ actions are beginning to emerge. Cass and Max-Ernest’s relationship fractures, as they both lean more heavily into their own worldviews, which at this point are becoming maladaptive. Cass’s focus on independence as a way to protect herself (particularly given that she is feeling guilt at this point about Benjamin Blake’s kidnapping) causes her to break off the partnership with Max-Ernest, and Max-Ernest’s focus on logic prevents him from seeing Cass’s perspective on the situation with Benjamin. The scene where Cass and Max-Ernest part ways parallels the final argument between Luciano and Pietro, which ultimately led to their separation after the Golden Lady abducted Luciano. This suggests that potential danger could befall Cass and Max-Ernest if they remain separated.
Chapter 17 pauses the narrative for another insert from the narrator, in which he says that he does not want to continue for the reader’s sake. The reader is pulled out of the story and reminded of their own role as reader. The narrator, however, is “arguing” with the reader, and the chapter proceeds as though he’s having a conversation with them, in which the reader successfully entices him to take a bribe. This gives the reader a feeling of agency, reinforcing their positioning as a character and participant in the story. The pause also denotes an important shift in the narrative: The main characters are about to head into the antagonists’ territory, meaning the action will be concentrated in a secondary location that is completely removed from the ordinary world and firmly grounded in the Secret world. While there was initially some overlap between the two, the protagonists are now fully descending into the Secret world. Pulling the reader out here signals that the narrative’s climax is quickly approaching.
