The Mysteries of Middlefield Series: Book 1
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010
ISBN: 976-1-4003-1593-2
Young Adult
268 pages
As I mentioned in my previous blog entry,Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com bloggers book review program. I was not required to write a positive review, and therefore, the review is 100% my honest opinion.
I quickly flipped the book to read it, and finished it within 2 hours. This is what the book is all about:
A Summer Secret was written about a young girl named Mary Beth who has a twin bother and five younger brothers. As most older sisters, she has her fair share of responsibilities, chores and babysitting.
It seems like a huge burden to carry but with finances a problem, everyone in Mary Beth’s family do their fair share of work. Mary Beth gets tired of the boys being disgusting and obnoxious, making messes, invading her private space and their constant irresponsibility.
Tired of all the nonsense, Mary Beth seeks to find a place of her own. A place for privacy where she can record in her journal and have some serenity. She decides to find a refuge in an old abandoned barn in a neighbouring field which her parents have declared off limits. But then again, she desperately needs a place to call her own. It will be her secret.
There is only one problem. She is not the only person who is claiming the barn as their own. Her secret has been discovered and now she may be in grave danger.
From a reader and an author’s point of view, I think the storyline does not progress fast enough for the reader to get excited with the book. I nearly put the book down after a few chapters, and the so-called mystery in the book, is not quite a mystery after all. It’s rather predictable for me, and I wouldn’t really suggest the book to young readers. It will make the targeted audience scream with dissatisfaction, as the book is rather preachy and too wordy. The characters are not quite dynamic, and it’s quite a bore.
I would definitely not recommend this book to young readers, but I think some parents would prefer their young teens to read this book as they’re trying to lock up their children from facing the harsh reality and the things that goes on in the outside world. This book makes me think of Rapunzel all locked up in the tower by the evil godmother. This book, somewhat justify the godmother’s action.
I would rate this book 2 out of 5.
Cleffairy: I don’t think it is right for parents to restrict their children’s privacy and lock their mind in the tower like Rapunzel. The children would rebel, that’s for sure.
Hey Cleff… so u got a free book!! how wonderful… Ok, let me try and see whether I can review one for them or not… thanks for sharing with us here… u r indeed very generous!
Yup, yup…. I got the free book. So excited, so finish it within 2 hours. And thank God we’re allowed both positive and negative review. LOL…
You not yet ask for ur book ah?
hey, that chick at the front page looks hot.
Whoops~ Barn on fire~
Yups.. she’s hot… kakakak!
Children tat do not rebel should see a doctor.
Exactly my sentiment.
they are different sort of people you should have realised that
hmmm so boring one geh till u rated 2 out 5? hmm
Very boring… too preachy for me. I’m not the innocent kind. So dun like the book.
Chunted…so they DO send the book xD
Yep… they did sent the book to me. 😀
wow…book also can get free!
Yep…. if you wan, you can join and get yours for free. 😀
wah lau eh …so fast u finished the story ah
It’s teenage fiction. Very fast finish la… usually 200 pages or so, I makan in 2 hours or less…
She had three younger brothers including her twin not so obviously you didn’t read it very well. It even says she has three brothers on the back. And how old are you maybe you just disliked the book because its for younger readers i myself found it very good and would have rated it 5/5. So you must have been to old to read it. And by the way they don’t lock there children up they just teach there children not to be disobediant which is the way children should be.
I come from the Jurrasic Park… so I am old. And as far as i’m concern, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. One man’s meat, is another’s poison. So I guess, this is your kind of meat.
I enjoyed the book A Summer Secret a lot! I think Kathleen did a good job writing the book, the only thing I didn’t like was if the mom ever had the baby. I am a baby lover and I wanted to know if Mary Beth got another brother or got a sister. I mean the point of the book was that she wanted peace and quiet and her brothers were always bugging her, so did she get another brother or a sweet, loving sister?! Over all I liked the book! : )
I purchased A SUMMER SECRET by Kathleen Fuller. I was really enjoying the book until I got to page 116and it went back to page 86. I thought maybe the pages were misnumbered, but they were identical to the previous pages I read with those numbers. Then it skipped to page 149. I got a book missing 33 pages of the story. What’s up with that?