The Trouble with Secrets
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
A Jewish girl preparing for her upcoming bat mitzvah tries to keep a secret—along with one of her sister’s—in this beautiful coming-of-age contemporary novel that explores change, grief, and the complexities of sibling relationships.
Twelve-year-old Becky has great expectations placed upon her. Not only does she need to be as perfect as her older brother and sister, but her upcoming bat mitzvah needs to be perfect, too. She is the rabbi’s daughter, after all. The trouble is, Becky’s intentions often lead her astray. At least when she plays the flute, she feels like the best version of herself. Until playing the flute causes Becky to do something not so perfect: keep a secret from her parents.
Then Becky discovers that Sara, her "perfect" sister, has an even bigger secret. One that could turn the family upside down. The sisters couldn’t be more ready to keep each other’s secret safe…until the excitement turns to guilt, and Becky is forced to make an impossible choice.
When secrets are shared and choices are made, doing the right thing can feel so wrong. And Becky will learn that actions, no matter how well intended, always have consequences.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fallout from a tragedy opens this affectionate novel, which traces a close-knit Maryland family's tensions via alternating "Now" and "Before" sections. Readers grow close to each character as Jewish 12-year-old Becky narrates her experiences as the child of a rabbi who, closely watched by congregants, "always had to follow the rules." But when the young flautist's father forbids her from auditioning for the Junior All-County Honors Band so she can focus on preparing for her bat mitzvah, she follows her heart instead of the rules, and finds herself keeping secrets—both her own and 17-year-old sister Sara's—from their parents. Milliner (Super Jake & the King of Chaos) shows well-intentioned Becky, with Sara's help, figuring out when "maybe, sometimes, rules need to be broken," as well as juggling various pressures and her fondness for her family against her attempts to follow her own dreams. Offering warmth alongside a detailed account of Jewish traditions, a family trying its best in difficult situations, and a sensitive depiction of grief and its solaces, it's a rich and complex book for readers navigating new independence. Main characters read as white; a secondary character is of Indian heritage. Ages 8–12.
