Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Comic-book shenanigans, big issues in zany sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
SECRET ORIGINS are big in the third installment of the Story Thieves series. Who is the terrible, shadowy arch-villain the Dark -- and how did he get this way? The mysterious Nobody, popping in and out of storylines -- same questions. Who -- and where and why -- is Bethany's long-lost father? Also, what does he have to do with superhero Captain Twilight? Once again, it's a crazy mash-up of "real" and "fictional" worlds as regular kid Owen (who still hopes to get superpowers on his 13th birthday) and world-hopping friend Bethany, along with some of their pals from earlier books, face many perils in the worlds of assorted comic books. Dodging killer robots, cosmic doom, and cranky authors, they're all about seeking a happy father-daughter reunion. But is that what the timeline has in store?
Is It Any Good?
Fans will be captivated by the latest adventures and shifting universes of Bethany and Owen, wonder what's become of absent characters, and look forward to wherever this zany series goes next. Author James Riley runs out of cliffs to hang plot threads from in this non-conclusion of the wacky Story Thieves "trilogy," which proves to be just a prequel to many more installments to come. Between the references to the first two books and frequent mentions of the forthcoming Story Thieves: Pick a Plot, Secret Origins sometimes feels like a madcap infomercial.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about when the shadows take over the characters in Secret Origins. They suddenly get very angry for no real reason. Have you ever felt like that? What did you do? How did it turn out?
What are your favorite comic books and superheroes? Why do you like them?
If someone in your life had a secret identity as a superhero, who would it be? What powers would they have?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Chris Eliopoulos
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes , Adventures , Book Characters , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Aladdin
- Publication date : January 17, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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