My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "A cold rain is falling..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Burke, Coast Guard, Star Points (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Maddie Beck, 13, lives with her mother in a Long Island boardinghouse while her lieutenant-commander father is stationed in the Pacific. Her mother rapidly fits in to their new community, but Maddie finds it difficult to make friends, until classmate (and crush) Johnny Vecchio learns that her father is in the Navy. After the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Maddie and Johnny organize a student group to sell war bonds, gather scrap metal, collect newspapers and used books, and make first-aid kits for the Red Cross. One restless night, Maddie takes a walk on the beach and encounters someone with a heavy accent and another threatening character. This night leads to more mysterious events that finally prompt her to call the FBI, which leads to the arrest of four Nazi agents. Then the Becks get a telegram that Maddie's father has been injured, and they prepare to move to San Francisco where he is to be hospitalized. Osborne has done an excellent job of capturing the feelings and anxieties of the time coupled with the concerns and uncertainties of young people. An excellent companion novel to Carolyn Reeder's Foster's War (Scholastic, 1998; o.p.).
Debbie Feulner, Northwest Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-9. Set in 1941, this title in the Dear America series features Madeline Beck, an eighth-grader adjusting to a new life in Long Island, New York. She longs for acceptance among her schoolmates and misses her father, a soldier stationed on the West Coast. Starting a club to aid the war effort helps, bringing personal pride, friendships, even romance into her life. Things become complicated, however, when she accidentally witnesses a suspicious beach rendezvous. As with many others in this series, the diary format mixes fact and fiction in a way that may confuse some readers, and the historical note at the back of the book skims the complex issues of the war. But the period details are fascinating--from references to songs and fashions to newspaper headlines and quotes from Roosevelt--and lively, complex Madeline deals with timeless teen dilemmas as she learns the importance of appreciating differences. A fast, engaging read that offers a glimpse into wartime America, especially the war's impact on teens. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439555124
• ISBN-13: 978-0439555128
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #674,538 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #42 in

  Books > Children's Books > Series > Historical > Dear America

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars During WW2, Madeline Beck fights her own war at home., July 1, 2000

By	Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

After her father goes to fight on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific in the fall of 1941, thirteen-year-old Madeline Beck and her mother move to a boardinghouse in Long Island. At first Madeline is lonely because the popular kids snub her. But Johnny, a boy in her class, befriends her - and eventually becomes more than just a friend. The two of them start a club for kids who want to help the war effort, but Madeline quits when she learns her father was wounded in battle - she's just to depressed to do much of anything. In her despair, she breaks the rules and wanders onto the beach one dark night, where she discovers some mysterious going-ons, and she is determined to investigate. The story is told through Madeline's diary entries from September 1941 to July 1942. Although this is not the best book from the Dear America series, it is excellant, and I highly reccomend it to fans.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Secret War is wonderful!!, October 23, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

My Secret War is about a girl named Madeline but known as Maddie from friends. Madeline is a young girl who befriends a Clara, a Jewish and German immigrant, Theo, Clara's lover, and Johnny, her boyfriend or just pals. Maddie's father went to World War 2 to battle against the Germans (Nazis), and the Japanese. Maddie joins this club with Johnny and investigates shocking things about the Japanese and the Nazis and tries to help America win World War 2. But when her father had been wounded Maddie's life turned up-side-down so she quit the club and being lonely in her dark,lonesome room, thinking. And she later just moves on with her life. I highly recommend you to read this book. Mrs. Osborne has done a wonderful job on this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Secret War, September 5, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

It's horrible, it's humongous, i'ts World War 2! This story of Madeline Beck shows what it's like to have your father in the war. Constant anxiety. Constant pain. This girl lives in a boarding house on the sea, and by living here, she realizes what a family is. She meets Clara, A 19 year-old who was a Jewish refugee and her mother, Mrs. Rosenthal. There is Theo, who has a limp leg and seems to take a liking in Clara.There is also Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Hawkins.This story is about pain, life, and a little about romance. The theme of t his book is to never stop trying, even if you have something horrible going on in your life.