Secret of the Andes

by Emily E on 2011-09-15
This book is a bit painful to read, but does vividly portray Incan culture. It is mainly made up of long-winded descriptions and is very slow paced. I had a hard time keeping my advanced third grader engaged in the readings. I appreciated the book more once we started reading "Incans, Aztecs and Mayans", but I was very glad to finally finish this book.

by Rhonda J on 2011-06-15
I rated this book as 2, only because it does have some merits at an upper grade level. This book is completely inappropriate for the 3rd grade level. This book is a hard read, with very deep meaning, that a 3rd grader is not going to get. I, as an adult with a bachelor's degree, barely got it. The book is very dull, with almost no action. Pages and pages are spent describing the scenery, but without a context of a true storyline, the scenery description is pointless and unmemorable. It is not until the last chapter of the book, that the "secret" is revealed, and then the loose storyline kind of makes sense. At least to me, as an adult. My children did not get "it", the secret, the story, the endless descriptions of scenario, none of it. This is the kind of book that people feel they should like, because it seems like it is an intellectual book. Possibly it is, but it is a dry and boring book, with only a semblence of a storyline. I suspect it was stuck here in the 3rd grade core, solely because there was no room for it in the upper cores. Personally, I would not recommend this book for any grade lower than 7th (and that is pushing it, I think high school would be more appropriate for this book.

by Julie N on 2011-03-12
Completely dull. A chore. BUT, sometimes in school you have to trudge though and read it anyway because it's still teaching you about a specific place and time. So I'm glad we got something out of it. Not many books are written about that historical period...

by Diane N on 2011-01-20
Ugggh. I completely agree with Kristina, Lisa & Sandy about this book. It was a complete chore for our family to get through. The only redeeming quality, in our opinions, is the visual imagery presented regarding the setting & description of the Incan culture. Other than that, it was confusing and (I hate to say it) boring.

by MARY B on 2010-10-05
Review from 10 year old boy, "It was an okay book at first and then got better at the end. A few days after reading it and thinking about it, I liked it even better".

by MELINDA B on 2010-09-02
Oh, my! Such an unique book. We’ve read this twice as a family now and it’s been a real hit each time. Sweet, sweet story.

by LISA S on 2010-05-28
We skipped it the second time through core 3.

by DIANE G on 2009-06-09
by Holden G. on 2009-06-09, age 10 Secret of the Andes was my favorite book this year. Cusi finds his family and makes new friends and finds where he belongs. My favorite part was when his friend shows him the secret. The book made me feel happy, sad and excited. It is really good. I highly recommend it.

by KRISTINA G on 2008-12-15
I had a really hard time reading this book to my children. There were so many values that we not only didn't share, but vehemently opposed, that were presented in a positive light. We spent the entire book waiting for the "Secret" to be revealed, but felt that it was a huge letdown of monumentally boring proportions when it was. This was tedious, dry, and generally unappreciated in our house.

by Stephanie J on 2008-11-07
This is one of my favorite books because it is mystical and beautiful.Cusi, an Inca boy who's the star the book, sets off from his home in the Andes mountain range with his pet llama, Misti. Cusi enters his ancestors world of the old days and discovers more and more about himself. My favorite part is when Cusi and Chuto went to welcome the sun. This book has s lot of feeling. When mom read it to me I felt spirited, happy, mysterious, sad, free, excited, strange, and longing all at the same time. I highly recommend this book.