I Spy the Illuminati Eye: What's the Big Secret?

by Sheila Keenan

Enlighten yourself with this fun guide to the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing secret society.

This irreverent, illustrated guide takes a look with an all-seeing, skeptical eye at the history and mystery of the cultural phenomenon that's got middle-school kids flashing finger triangles and scrutinizing dollar bills for signs of the Illuminati. It's the first pop culture companion to the shadowy group behind everything from the French Revolution to Jay-Z's fabulous rise. How did an eighteenth-century philosophical society infiltrate governments, banks, the media, the military, Hollywood, and hip-hop? . . . Or did they?

Kids everywhere want to know who's in, who's not, and what all those signs, symbols, and secret rituals are really about.

Is it all really real? Find out in this fun guide to all things illuminati.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2018

About the author

Sheila Keenan is an established author of fiction and nonfiction for young people. Her books include the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Dogs of War, the picture book As the Crow Flies, I Spy The Illuminati Eye, and O, Say Can You See? America’s Symbols, Landmarks and Inspiring Words, among other selected titles. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Spy the Illuminati Eye is a mixed bag for me to review. On the surface I think it’s a fun little way to start a discussion about fabricated news, critical thinking, research, and history; but if I dig a little deeper I think this book has a few issues that I think might make it a hard sell to parents.

Let’s start with what it is and what works well. I Spy is a short little book filled with information about the Illuminati, Free Masons, the Age of Enlightenment, and the conspiracy theories that have spawned from those groups/ideas. We get to learn about the actual secret societies that popped up in history, as well as if they still exist in any provable context like the Free Masons. It also delves into what makes people believe conspiracy theories and how to pick them apart. As a kid, I was super into secret societies, to this day I have maintained a desire to infiltrate the Free Masons. I mean it’s a joke now, but as a kid, I loved the idea of secret societies in general. I didn’t really believe they were orchestrated the world or any nonsense like that, it was more than they had secret codes and meanings and I was super into that. So this would have been right up my alley, because not only does it contain that info but it teaches you how to make invisible ink and shows examples of the codes used.

Where I think this book will be a hard sell lies first in the cover. Nowhere on this cover does it say anything about its true nature of critically analyzing these theories with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. It basically looks like a pro-conspiracy theory book, which most parents are probably going to be a little hesitant to give their impressionable kid. The other thing that gets little wiggly, is the tone of the book. As a super sarcastic adult, I get every instance of sarcasm and witticism in here; but there were instances that make me wonder if a kid would get it. Undoubtedly most of the sarcasm and jokes are pretty obvious but it does skirt that line a few times.

Overall, I think this one has the capacity to be super fun and a really good one to use as a jumping off point to discussions about critically analyzing information given to you. It would be a great one to buddy read with your child, or pre-read, and then do little activities like making invisible ink or code-breaking games alongside. I just desperately wish the cover had anything to let people know that it’s not a manual on being a conspiracy nut.

– I received this book from the publisher. I received no compensation, and all opinions are my own.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve all heard about the Illumianti, but just what is this secret society? I Spy The Illumianti Eye: What’s the Big Secret? takes readers on a fascinating and witty journey down the rabbit hole to explore all things Illuminati, secret societies, and conspiracies. Y’all, I had such a blast reading this tiny, yet totally captivating and effective book. Keenan does an excellent job of explaining the history of and mystery surrounding the Illuminati, effectively separating fact from fiction, in accessible and easily understood ways. Readers will enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humor, genuinely interesting information, and engaging questions, discussion, and pictures.

[Mina ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book is full of information and history but when we come to the second part... It's just bullshit and crazy theories.

[Reagan Townley · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book! nothing more, nothing less.

[Alina Karapandzich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good, short overview of all things Illuminati and all the conspiracy theories surrounding them. I like too that throughout the book, the author makes it pretty clear how absurd all this crap is, and she makes some pretty entertaining/funny comments and jokes about the Illuminati and those who are obsessed with these crazy conspiracy theories.

[Kris Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both my grandfathers were Freemasons: one was head of his lodge in Jamaica before migrating the entire family to America and the other was a civil rights activist that’s celebrated till this day. This book is a stain on the kind of work their communities did within their Freemason lodges. Grant it, they died with secrets that I would never be privy to unless I was in it. However, this book is hardly worth the read outside of its historical take or spin. Today, now than ever, do we need enlightened and intelligent people even if within secret societies. Many could argue many organized institutions like the NAACP (which my grandfather was also part of) or HRC or other groups have a type of secret society to them. I, for one, wish I was given the opportunity to continue in my grandfather’s footsteps and join like I did with the NAACP. This book is at best “entertaining” maybe to those who grew up in the 90s with this being a major talking point, but then you realize that not all who are part of an organization will all be created equal or share the same values. Our government could be seen as a secret society or was before Trump step foot in it again. Not all secrets and rituals are made to be public especially with it preventing people from destroying the world in which enlightened individuals discuss and share information. My only gripe is my inability to join. If only there was a queer version.

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Spy the Illuminati Eye by Sheila Keenan explains some conspiracy theories and their history from the "all-seeing eye" through the enlightenment to modern times. She explains in simple and sometimes humorous tones the history that formed some of the mysteries of our culture. From secret societies to the dollar bill, this book shares fresh and direct information in a very creative way. Her information in incredibly "illuminating"!



Opinion:
I enjoyed reading I Spy the Illuminati Eye. Some of my questions about the hows and whys of some of today's conspiracy theories make a lot more sense now. Thank you, Sheila, for compiling that information and delivering it in a simple and direct style. Sheila's writing is packed with information, yet it is easy to read and difficult to put down. The graphics of this novel help keep the tone light despite the topic. Overall, I would recommend it for students ages 12 and older and for curious adults. It is definitely worth reading! I was "enlightened"!


Reviewed by a LitPick student book reviewer, age 50

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
Keenan explains the history and contemporary knowledge (and theories) about the secret Order of the Illuminati. Being a secret and exclusive Order, Keenan openly acknowledges that some information may be faulty—but that doesn’t make the secrets any less fun to speculate about.
The information was interesting to read and to get my thoughts rolling, even if I don’t believe most of the contemporary theories proposed. My favorite part is that Keenan makes the secret order information applicable by giving readers ideas about forming their own secret groups!
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great format, filled with some fun facts, and offers a nice healthy dose of humor. I enjoyed this little trip into the world of the Illuminati, the Freemasons, and all of their suspicious ties to revolutions, conspiracies, and pop culture icons. It's quick to read, so I'm eager to share it with middle-schoolers this spring.

[Jane Cera · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ides is cute, but will the YA reader get it? I like that it covers the real background of the Illuminati, and it seems to poke fun at the wannabes today who claim to be Illuminati. Yet, the audience is YA, so let’s hope they get it.

[Ben Blake · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very sugar coated version of what the illuminati are. They make it sound like a fun group to join if someone is unaware of the complete picture of the group. Being aimed at kids its alittle alarming.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was hella cheesy but there's some good get-to-the-point information ( including the illuminati, freemasons, buildabergs, which were all gentlemens clubs in written history) that is not clouded in conspiracy theories

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spied this on the shelves of my library's new juvenile nonfiction! Kept me entertained throughout, would recommend to younger kids.

[Lisa Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't love it. THe secret organizations did a good job of keeping things secret - there were are lot of theories, but not enough fact.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kids' book written for adults. While it has a lot of good information, I think it's a little too sarcastic for its intended audience.

[Diego · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book that informed me about the Illuminati. But I feel that it can tell me more detail on some stuff.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sparky fun. I did not know there were so many groups. It would be a good book for grownups to read with their kids, and then research more information.

[Sonyar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun assortment of history and speculation, beautifully designed

[AquaMoon]

First of all...LOL!!! 🙄🤣

But oh man! I would have eaten this crap up when I was a tween back in the early 1990s. My then-bff and I were really into trippy stuff like this. We were actually convinced some serious shenanigans were going on in her small town...and that WE were the only ones who could uncover it. To be fair: We watched a lot of bad horror films and read everything Christopher Pike wrote. Mix in crazy kid imaginations and there you go.

Flash forward 10 or so years when I briefly worked for a local paper. I was once given the task to interview a very elderly gent who played piano and did magic tricks. I intended to talk to him about his act, but he informed me his real reason for contacting "the press" was to dish the dirt on what happened to him. He claimed to have been "taken" to entertain at a party in a remote and secret location where he was privy to a meeting of the minds of...(drum roll)...the Illuminati, which apparently included several famous people and politicians. He said that while there he learned the truth about all the usual well-known conspiracies and then described what I'm pretty sure was the plot of an X-Files episode. He was deadly serious that this all had actually happened to him. The dude was full-on bonkers, and, thinking back, may have been in the early stages of dementia. But needless to say I didn't take him seriously. Just nodded and smiled and got the hell away as soon as I could. And I didn't end up publishing any of the wacky stuff he told me. Just stuck to the facts about his entertainment act (because he talked a little about that too). After all, we weren't the National Enquirer.

(And btw, I have heard crazier stuff working for that paper. Like this guy who kept calling and ranting about having seen a monster in a local lake. This became kind of a running joke among the editorial staff.)

But this book was a fun little browse and gave me a good chuckle. It had lots of color and pictures and hinted that Miley Cyrus may be a lizard person. I think the teens in our area will like this book.