A series I enjoyed, with quite good characterisation, and the intriguing idea that a complex game acted out by children becomes 'real' and they then have to bluff it out and try to second guess what will happen as it doesn't always stick to the plot of their game. ( )

My nephew has discovered a love of reading during the pandemic. He went from reading at well below grade level to exceeding it in the past year, which is phenomenal. He has read many old favorites and contemporary books, particularly mysteries and outdoorsy novels - but he has begun asking for science fiction and fantasy - devouring Rick Riordan Presents titles and Artemis Fowl.

A-ha! I thought. GOT HIM. I sent him a big box of a dozen or so books, including The Secret Country trilogy, which I was pleased to see was still in print.

That just happened, so it will be awhile before I hear anything, if at all. I make it a point to not quiz him, anyone really, on gifts given. They are there if he wants them, if he puts them aside for other books, that's OK. I do ask him what he's reading at the moment and engage him that way. We still have hours of conversation left unpacking the ending of the Animorphs.

I digress. The moment I ordered the trilogy at the store and slipped Dean's trilogy into a box I couldn't help seeking out my own copy of 'The Secret Country' and giving it another go.

I still love it. Dean's writing is cozy and nostalgic and a little chaotic. The children's elaborate play-world opens up in front of them and their effrontery that it's not completely as they imagined it is so funny. It's also a little unnerving. My siblings and I had games similar to the Secret. Not so long-lasting, or as intricately spelled out, and certainly no references to Shakespeare, but we had a game that we would play over and over with our toys and there were specific lines and characters that we had memorized. Instead of Shakespeare we had notes taken mostly from television show-arcs, VHS tapes and a little bit from reading. Dean's children and their game made perfect sense to me when I first read this at 11 or 12 and still resonates with me now.

I won't say that the passage of time hasn't changed my enjoyment of the book. There are a lot of messy conversations, obscure references and new rules being made up seemingly on the fly that may confuse a modern young reader - it made me pause - but that is a part of the cozy atmosphere of the book. I didn't see a problem with the five characters, either, some are more lightly drawn, but they're all distinct enough. Their squabbling is the most natural aspect of the series. There is a heavy reality on the outskirts of this book and the children resist it. Something bigger than them is coming. The gentleness of the writing makes the harder lessons about growing up a little easier to bear.

This is solid fantasy. It has a place in my heart forever for all of its perceived messiness. If nothing else, read it for the Unicorns.

The Secret Country

Next: 'The Hidden Land' ( )

I'm sorry. I think I'm the only person on earth who didn't like this book, but I hated it. I only finished it, because I was reading it for a book challenge. Otherwise I would have given up way before I ever finished it.

I wasn't attached to any of the characters. It felt like a Narnia with kids who just bickered and sniped the entire time and never agreed on anything. Patrick was Edmund, but without the outright betrayal. Laura was obviously Lucy. Ted was noticeably Peter. Ruth and Ellen were the leftovers, and must therefore be Susan. Okay, those two and Susan weren't as obvious. But, yeah, it was pretty much an easy match up with the others.

Laura was over the top "Bella Swan" klutzy. Ruth was always shouting at people, or slapping them, or threatening to slap/kill/whatever them. Patrick was simply a smarmy smarty pants who didn't seem to get on with anyone else. And, Ted couldn't decide who he was or what he wanted.

I wanted to get attached to Randolf, or Fence, or Laura...someone, anyone. I didn't. It was simply painful and I read 3 other books during the process to break it into tinier, more manageable chunks of misery.

Everyone else I know who read this book loved it. If you're into this sort of thing, by all means; give it a try. I, however, hated it and cannot recommend it. ( )

I first read this book when I was in grade school and was instantly hooked, and incredibly disappointed to find out it was the first of a trilogy! I ended up losing the book in a move soon after and forgot the title and author for years. I even found a photo of my room from the end of sixth grade and recognized the spine on the bookshelf, but I didn't have CSI to help me zoom in and enhance so I couldn't make out the title.

I would eventually stumble upon it last year in a used book shop.

A funny thing is that despite the fact I've read this multiple times I have never read the other two books (they're on order now). 'The Secret Country' is one of the best uses of portal fantasy I've ever read and the humor is spot-on. Dean says her influences were E. Nesbit and Edward Eagar, but she had surpassed both of those authors in both readability and craft.

The Secret Trilogy:

Next: 'The Hidden Land' ( )

OMG so awesome. Two siblings and their three cousins fall through a hedge into a magical realm—one they used to pretend was real. Like a non-preachy version of Narnia, but with better characterization and a more intriguing framing device. In fact, each and every character is well-rounded and interesting—I go the feeling that any one of them could carry a story of their own. ( )