Phoebe Thomas, 2016 Level 1, First Place

Dear Pseudonymous Bosch,

“WARNING: DO NOT READ PAST THIS PAGE!”

Actually, this page is what drew me in to the Secret Series . . . about secrets… written by a secret author. Well, I have a secret to share with you: my mom went to college with you, so I know your real name. But don’t worry, unlike you, I can keep a secret.

One thing I’ve learned from your books is this: There is often more than meets the eye. In your books this refers to many different things, one of which is in Bad Magic when Clay feels that something is up at Earth Ranch, a camp for troubled kids, and finds that he is right when he passes the wall of trust and goes to the library and sees the ghost girl in the window of the abandoned library. After seeing this in the Secret Series, I have noticed this come up in other books as well, such as Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird who ends up saving Scout and Jem’s lives, the same kids who thought that he was a hermit, tried luring him out of his house, and played games that made fun of him. It also shows up in Wonder, where at first, August hides his face and is afraid of going to school, but then finds a good friend who sees what is inside of him, and not just what he looks like on the outside.

I’ve noticed that in real life, I find more examples of seeing beneath the surface through people, such as a kid in my karate studio that has autism. I used to be a little bit afraid of him, but now I see that he is an excellent teacher and mentor in karate, and he has helped me advance through the ranks towards black belt. Another lesson I’ve learned is that villains and bad guys can become better with a positive influence. In your books I am mostly talking about when Luciano or Dr. L turns good with the influence of his twin brother, Pietro, the leader of the Terces society, and tries to save the Terces society in his last few days. I say last few days because he dies after he stops taking the Midnight Sun’s medications to be immortal as a way to prove that he had truly changed. In real life, this shows up in politics, especially in the Middle East, where I am hopeful that diplomacy will prevail over war and military solutions.

So you see, your mysterious books have given me a lot to think about. I like them so much that I have given them to my closest friends for their birthdays, and suggested them to many more.

A not so secret fan of the Secret Series,

Phoebe Thomas