Secrets Not Meant To Be Kept [Hardcover]

Gloria Miklowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1987

Her three-year-old sister's changing behavior unleashes many long-surpressed disturbing memories from Adrienne's own days at a highly respected local preschool.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up Teenager Adrienne Meyer doesn't understand why she can't be more demonstrative toward her boyfriend, Ryan; doesn't understand her strange, uncomfortable response to the director of the Treehouse Preschool that she attended 12 years ago and that her sister, Becky, now attends. As Adri's friends explore their own sexuality, Adri, with Ryan's help, seeks the truth about the preschool. When Adri records her ``playtime'' with Becky, the truth comes out. Becky and other children are being sexually abused by the preschool staff, the same abuses that Adri has blocked and that countless other children have experienced over the school's 19 years. Events are not fully resolved by novel's end, but Adri concludes by saying, ``I think it will be all right now. Or in time anyway. . . .'' Characterization is minimal, with the characters serving merely as vehicles for the message. Adri's therapeutic play with her sister is almost too sophisticated, too professional for a person that age, as is the fact that she is the only one to pursue the problem. That Adri's parents are unwilling to see the seemingly obvious indications of child abuse at the preschool is not unbelievable, although the fact that it has gone unnoticed by many parents for at least a decade may be stretching it. The resolution is speedy and simplistic, either making the topic more palatable or impugning the novel's credibility. It is unclear who would be interested in or benefit from reading this bookabused children? their siblings? budding psychologists? This novel warns of the potential dangers of trusted adults from outside the home, but it's much more message than story. Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 138 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (January 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385294913
• ISBN-13: 978-0385294911
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,384,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive story about abuse in a day care center., July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: SECRETS/MEANT/KEPT (Laurel-Leaf Contemporary Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm 29 and still read young adult fiction - when it can keep my interest. This book explores child abuse at a day care center and how two sisters deal with the issue. They must decide what to do about their discoveries in relation to their friends and parents. I enjoy Miklowitz's writing because she makes you want to find out more and doesn't just blurt out all the salient plot points right away. She also deals with this sensitive subject matter in a way that is not too blunt, but also not so vague as to leave you wondering what she's talking about. Very timely for the '90s. A very good read, although not right up there with my favorite books.