Book #189: The Secret Three by Mildred Myrick

 


The Secret Three

By Mildred Myrick

 Released: January 1st, 1963

My 55th book for 2026 was Mildred Myrick’s The Secret Three.  

This was one of my favorite books growing up.  

Mark goes to stay with Billy at the beach.  They find a message inside a bottle from a boy named Tom on the island.  They respond to him and agree to form a club called The Secret Three who meet on Tuesdays.  They attend the first meeting, and they enjoy the company of one another.

I got this book from the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Library in Waynesboro, PA.  It had to have been 1993/1994.  I remember getting my very own copy of it for Christmas that year.  I read it nearly every year up until Middle School.  It always had a special place in my heart.  Sadly, when I was going through my old stuff in California, PA, I stumbled across my original copy of this book, but it had severe mold damage.

I was super interested in the numbers code the boys devised to send each other messages.  I’ve always had a weird thing about numbers and letters.  I think my former boss put it best: “I’m not saying you’re autistic, I’m just saying...there are tests available…”

I also liked the idea of them living and staying at the beach.  As a kid, we went to the beach once a year.  As an adult, I live close enough that I could drive there for the day and come home at night.  

This was a nice return to childhood.  I loved and cherished this book.

MATOBI!!!

Here is what I learned:

—————

  • To J.H.M., who has sent many messages.
  • Billy lives at the beach.
  • Billy has to wait an hour after eating before swimming.
  • Billy scavengers the beach.
  • They find a bottle with a piece of paper inside.
  • The first note is written backwards.
  • Tom lives on the island.
  • He sent the message in the bottle.
  • The club’s name is The Secret Three.
  • Billy’s father is an artist.
  • Tom’s father is the new lighthouse keeper.
  • The lighthouse is on the island.
  • High Tide was 5:00a.
  • The next high tide is half past 5.
  • The boys develop a secret code assigning each letter its numerical value in ascending order.
  • High Tide is 6:00a.
  • The fisherman owns a boat called Kingfisher”.
  • Tom cracked the code.
  • The Secret Three set to meet for the first time on Tuesday.
  • Billy and Mark devise a secret handshake.
  • The boys ride the Kingfisher to Tom’s island.
  • Tom is new to the island.
  • Tom’s father smokes a pipe.
  • A lighthouse has a foghorn.
  • “Matobi” is the password.
  • Matobi sounds like an Indian word.
  • Sea Turtles lay their eggs in the sand at night.
  • Warm sand hatches their eggs.
  • Mark writes a message in the sand at sunrise.

—————

Overall, one of my all-time favorite children's books.  Must-Read for all adventurous young children in my opinion.

Highest Recommendation.

On to Book #190: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher.

-----

Need to catch up?  See previous blog post: The Last Battle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book #147: Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective on Friday the 13th Part 2 by R.G. Henning

Image
    Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective  of Friday the 13th Part 2 R.G. Henning   Released: January 5th, 2023 My 13th book (I see a theme here...) for 2026 was R.G. Henning's "Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective of Friday the 13th Part 2".   This is a book I've looked forward to reading for quite some time.  I picked it up a few years back, but due to moves, and storage, and lots of other factors, I haven't had the chance to fully explore it until now. Friday the 13th is often seen as a cheap 1980's slasher film series that capitalizes on blood, gore, and violence.  If you take a deeper look into it, you'll find that there's much more to the series than most people know.  Friday the 13th primarily focuses on killers seeking revenge for the death of loved ones.  In the first Friday the 13th, we learn that a young boy named Jason has drowned, and that his mother has gone on a killing spree to avenge him.  In Part 2, we learn that Jas...
Read more

Book #95: Clue #12: The Haunted Gargoyle by A.E. Parker

Image
  Clue #12: The Haunted Gargoyle A.E. Parker   Released: March 1st, 1996 My 25th book for 2025 was A.E. Parker's “Clue #12: The Haunted Gargoyle”.   General Summary: Here's something I'll bet you didn't know, there were a series of books written back in the mid-1990's about the Parker Brother's game Clue.  I grew up loving the Clue books.  They were set up in a similar manner to Encyclopedia Brown.  You would have an introduction where Mr. Boddy would introduce himself and welcome you to the mansion.  With the exception of the first book, he would typically explain how he survived death in the previous book.  He would then go on to introduce each of the 6 guests (including his maid).  Usually this would segway into the first chapter by a loud crashing noise, or some other startling interruption.  Readers are treated to 10-13 mysteries per book, and each chapter was a different story.  At the end of each chapter, you were given ...
Read more

Book #123: Star Trek VIII: First Contact by J.M. Dillard

Image
  Star Trek VIII: First Contact J.M. Dillard   Released: December 1st, 1996 My 53rd book for 2025 was J.M. Dillard’s "Star Trek VIII: First Contact”.   10 more books to go until I hit my 2025 goal of 63 books read.  I’ve been pounding away at them hellbent on achieving this goal.  As of right now, I am set to hit it well ahead of schedule, and might have some bonus books to close out the year.  We’ll see.  Maybe even some older unpublished entries redone in this format.  Stay Tuned. Anyways…where was I…Ah, First Contact.  Such a great story.  The first TNG movie to be solely with their crew.  Tie-ins from the series, memorable performances, well-written. I found this one at Powell’s in Portland, OR.  I was thrilled to learn that Star Trek had novelizations of the movies, and First Contact was a big find for me.  Even if it did take me 8 years to read it. Funny enough, this is the film I lost my innocence to.  First Co...
Read more