REVIEWS: PARIS SECRETS
JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL, BY JESSICA SENDER
January 17, 2022
Jake McGreevy and Ben Myers are best friends and have been on many adventures together. In this third book of the Jake McGreevy series, the two friends are headed to Paris. They have qualified to compete in an elite Le Cordon Bleu televised baking competition, but that’s not the only reason they’re traveling to Paris. They’re also trying to figure out who the person is in an old family photograph that Jake received from his mother, and they want to understand the meaning of a strange and cryptic sentence written on the back of the photograph.
As they start to figure out the identity of the person in the picture and what the sentence means, they are led on an adventure throughout Paris — including places they’re not technically supposed to be. Will they find whatever the clue on the back of the photograph is supposed to lead them to, or will it be lost to history forever?
Written in accessible and relatable language, this book will appeal to readers who have already enjoyed Jake and Ben’s previous adventures, as well as a new audience. The chapters alternate between the boys’ time searching for clues to the mystery in Paris and competing at Le Cordon Bleu — an excellent technique for balancing the events and the action. The relationship between Jake and Ben is realistic and endearing and helps draw readers into the story. While it is not necessary to read the earlier titles in the Jake McGreevy series (Celtic Run and Chicago Bound), some of the action in this book alludes to events in those books, so some readers may want to read the series in order.
This story is also an excellent introduction to some of the more advanced concepts of World War II and the Holocaust and will be suitable for readers who have a basic understanding of world events which occurred during that time period.
Jessica Sender is an academic librarian at Michigan State University. She has worked in public and academic libraries, and in her free time enjoys running, biking, reality TV, and exploring Michigan.
KIRKUS REVIEWS
In this YA novel, best friends collaborate in a Parisian baking contest while they track down the story behind a family photograph.
Book 1 of this series saw Jake McGreevy going on a treasure hunt in Ireland. In the sequel, Jake teamed up with friends to investigate his mother’s death and a missing masterpiece. Now, it’s spring break 2013, and Jake and his best friend, Ben Meyers, both 15, are flying to Paris to participate in an international televised baking contest for teenagers at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. They also hope to research an old photo likely taken in Paris that belonged to Jake’s mother. The search leads them to Esther Shneyer, a sister of Jake’s late grandmother. Esther tells them the family was separated during the Holocaust. Esther’s mother, Dahlia, sent her three girls to safety while she remained behind to hide the treasured possessions of families that had fled or been deported. The photo includes a clue to the hiding place, so the boys hope to discover the heirlooms’ whereabouts in between competitions. They gain some allies, including Esther’s granddaughter Sophie Lévy and Heather Baker, a fellow contestant, but face opposition from suspicious gendarmes. Will the boys’ ingenuity—as bakers or detectives—pay off? In his third series installment, Vogel offers several strong hooks. The story’s tragic historical background is dramatic and includes tales of inspiring heroism while also shedding new light on Jake’s complicated family, a throughline in the series. “I thought I was just Irish, and now I might be French and Jewish, too,” he muses. Suspenseful action scenes take readers through the sights of Paris while the baking contest is lighthearted fun, with mouthwatering descriptions of treats and some slapstick (Jake always manages to spill something on Heather).
An entertaining adventure that blends several tantalizing ingredients.
THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS, JENNIFER HARTMAN
"The light bathed row after row of ghostly shapes, pieces of furniture covered with sheets and standing like an ancient army that was ready to come to life."
This is a tale of mystery, secrets, family, and pastries. The story takes place in Paris, France, where Jake and Ben have been selected to represent the United States in a baking contest at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. While in Paris on spring break, the two shift between the baking contest and trying to figure out the mystery of Jake's family. Armed with only a tattered photo taken from the window of an apartment building in the city, Jake sets out to discover the secrets of his mother's past. What he finds trails even further back to his great-grandmother and a book that may point the way to hidden heirlooms.
However, to discover them, Jake, Ben, and the friends they meet along the way must make twisted turns through parks, catacombs, national archives, a grotto, the Opera House, and even the police station without getting caught. Will the people they meet help or hinder their quest to find answers? What will be the outcome of the baking contest? And who is the guy on the red moped that seems to be following them?
These answers and more can be found in the pages of this young adult novel written with exquisite detail by Vogel. Each scene is described so vividly readers will feel like they have stepped out of the pages and directly into Paris's streets. Mouths will undoubtedly water from the depiction of the dishes created during the baking contest. And, the storyline keeps one guessing page after page. Throughout the book, there is a good mix of inspired history and French language, adding authenticity to the story.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES, NEWS AND REVIEWS, ILKA GORDON, BEACHWOOD, OHIO, SEPT-OCT 2021
Paris Secrets is the third book in the Jake McGreevy series. Jake and his best friend, Ben Meyers, fly to Paris to enter a teen baking contest sponsored by Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Jake has also found a family photo, taken in Paris in 1940, among his late mother’s belongings and is determined to find out what this picture meant to his mother and why she kept it. Jake and Ben find a woman they call Bubbe, who has the identical photograph. Surprisingly, Bubbe is Jake’s grandmother, Miriam’s, sister. Jake and Ben listen raptly as Bubbe tells the boys how during the Holocaust she was separated from her sisters and was sent to safety by her mother Dahlia who was working for the Resistance. On the back of each photograph Dahlia had written, “Our favorite place has a great treasure.” The boys, along with new friends they have made in Paris, search for the treasure. Holocaust history and the tragic losses of Jake’s family are background for the book, but the Holocaust information is not graphic and is not too explicit for a middle school student to handle. The Holocaust information is tempered by Jake’s clumsy, slapstick antics during the baking contest. Paris Secrets is an exciting page turner and an entertaining, enjoyable book to read. The characters are varied and complex. After many twists, turns and red herrings, the mystery comes to a surprise conclusion. The short author’s note and a section titled “Separating Fact From Fiction.” presents more information about the Holocaust.
READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, SUSAN SEWELL
Participating in a baking contest in Paris, two boys become entwined in a mystery dating back to World War II in the exciting middle-grade adventure novel, Paris Secrets (A Jake McGreevy Novel) by Sean Vogel. Jake McGreevy and his best friend, Ben Meyers, are spending spring break in Paris. Bringing an old family photograph taken in Paris, Jake wants to locate the place it was taken. Searching for the neighborhood where the picture was taken, Jake is thrilled when they find the building and stumble upon Sophie, a cousin his age, and Esther, his late grandmother's long-lost sister. While getting acquainted, they discover that Esther possesses an identical photograph with the same enigmatic message written on the back. His great-grandmother Dahlia played a significant role in an underground movement during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Believing the message may hold a clue to the location of valuable and cherished items, Esther thinks she knows where to look and accompanies Jake, Sophie, and Ben to the site. Unfortunately, the area is under construction, and when they try to enter, the police threaten them with arrest. Despite the policemen's efforts to hinder their investigation and a stalker tailing them, Jake, Ben, Sophie and several new friends are determined to uncover the secret behind the message written on the back of the photograph. Can they do it before Jake and Ben have to leave?
Filled with fascinating historical facts relating to the Nazi occupation of Paris, Paris Secrets (A Jake McGreevy Novel) by Sean Vogel is a captivating middle-grade adventure novel. Consisting of delightful characters and intriguing situations, it is a stimulating and suspenseful book ideal for engaging children ages nine years old on up. Not only is the story enjoyable, but it also has educational value. Some of the horrific events that occurred during World War II are presented in an impactful yet non-threatening manner, teaching history in an exciting and fascinating way. Brimming with suspense, it is an ingenious and thrilling story that will delight everyone who enjoys history steeped in intrigue and mystery.
READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, JENNIFER IBIAM
Paris Secrets by Sean Vogel is an adventure novel appropriate for teens and young adults. Teenagers Jake and Ben won a slot in a cooking competition at the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Winning the competition would be a dream come true for Ben, but there’s more. Jake had a mission to do some digging into his ancestry in France. His grandmother, who had died in a fire, left behind a picture that he traced to France with his knowledge of architecture. As with his other adventures, Jake is about to unpack 80 years’ worth of history beginning with just one clue, which will lead him to discover things he never thought possible. The boys, together with their friends, will combine a fun cooking competition and a dangerous investigation.
Paris Secrets by Sean Vogel is another book in the Jake McGreevy series and is very interesting. It explored themes like bravery, grit, sacrifice, love, compromise, integrity, and resilience, among others. It was also very educative, shedding light on the 1940s Nazi occupation of France. I loved the blend of a casual cooking competition and the serious matter of war–-an effortless mix of fact and fiction. The plot was wholesome and unique and the character development was exceptional. I loved Jake and Ben’s relationship. Heather also left a good impression on me by pursuing her goals even before support came. Dahlia, among others, will always have my respect. Also, there’s a ton of educative information at the end of the book which I enjoyed! Sean has written something fantastic, and I loved it!
READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, DONNA PARREY
Paris Secrets whisks the reader along on Jake and Ben’s overseas adventure – a trip that combines participating in a televised baking competition, tracking down a photo’s origins, and solving a mystery that goes back decades. This is the third book in author Sean Vogel’s Jake McGreevy series, but the story stands well on its own. It’s a quick read, with 32 chapters packed into 160+ pages -- fast-paced action that will appeal to teens. And it’s a smart novel because it introduces readers to German-occupied Paris in the early ‘40s along the way. The Prologue sets the scene with an identification forger in 1942. At the end of the book, Vogel includes a fascinating array of references in a section called Separating Fact from Fiction.
When a book can serve as an adventure novel and a history lesson rolled into one, you know you’re getting value for your reading time. Paris Secrets is just such a find. With a rich cast of characters, a dazzling international setting, and a plotline that propels readers forward, Sean Vogel’s book is a delight that will have readers scurrying to find the first two books in the series. The relationship between Jake and best bud Ben is fun, but each new character added to their team brings a personality that makes the group one you don’t want to leave behind. This crackerjack duo manages to balance the stress of the baking contest and the escalating danger of their investigations – without losing their ability to come up with their trademark puns. The reader ends up entertained and educated.
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, D. DONOVAN
Paris Secrets, the third novel in the Jake McGreevy series, combines a pun-filled culinary adventure in Paris, France, with a historical family mystery from World War II. This is a fast-paced tale of intrigue that will appeal to middle grade readers ages 10 and up.
The stage is set by a prologue that opens in German-occupied Paris in 1942. A courageous woman, forced to make difficult decisions and employ survival tactics during the war, must part from her 11-year-old daughter, Esther. Two fellow underground members will escort her south to the Free Zone in France. The woman packs a family photo with a cryptic note written on the back into her daughter's belongings and jots down important information about Esther into an already jam-packed journal, next to the details about her two other daughters, who had been smuggled out of Paris earlier.
Fast forward 71 years. It's spring break in 2013, and fifteen-year-old Jake and his best friend Ben Meyers have just arrived in Paris to participate in a televised baking contest, run by the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. When not being judged on their baklava and brioche, they will be digging into Jake's late mother's family's past. A photo from the 1940s with a mysterious note, which once belonged to Jake's late grandmother, is their only clue, but it's enough to get them started.
With the photo as their guide, Jake and Ben begin their journey. After knocking on a few apartment doors, they meet Jake's cousin Sophie and her grandmother, Esther (Jake's great-aunt), who tells them about her mother's special mission in the 1940s and two journals. The four of them marvel at the identical photos. If the note on the back can be deciphered, it will lead them to answers about Jake's family history - and so much more.
Soon, Heather (a new friend from the baking contest) and Sophie's friend Claire (a Parisian Catacombs expert) join their quest. Along the way, contemporary dangers emerge: Whom can the teens trust? And who is that shadowy person following them on a moped?
Readers will find Paris Secrets an outstanding read that requires no prior familiarity with Jake McGreevy's first two adventures, and they will be riveted by this impactful story about friendship and valor, past and present.
NETGALLEY REVIEWS
HELEN FINCH, REVIEWER
5 STARS: Absolutely brilliant book. It had me hooked from the first page. A great story encompassing the past and present and how the resistance fighters in France were able to get Jewish children to safety and save people's possessions. A thoroughly enjoyable read about how friendship, trust and never giving up can bring rewards.
BOBBI M, REVIEWER
5 STARS: Loved this book! The characters and the story kept me reading until the end! I enjoyed the storyline and the characters throughout the book. Such a great read to get lost in. I highly recommend this book! Thank you for letting me review this book!
ILY R., MEDIA
5 STARS: Oh boy, I loved reading Paris Secrets. It has all of the ingredients - hidden tunnels, stakeouts, drones, and clandestine ops. It's a charming read with great well-crafted characters and a fun and easy storyline. This third book in the Jake McGreevy series. Can't wait to read more from this author!
NICKI O., REVIEWER
4 STARS: An international baking contest with 2 boys as the USA team is pretty cool. That they find family and make friends is interesting and fun. They are on a mission to locate lost family treasures. This is a fun story with interesting characters. I liked the story. It was a good book.