The Trouble with Secrets

Starred review from March 1, 2025
A Maryland seventh grader prepares to become a bat mitzvah while still worrying about typical middle school challenges. From the dramatic opening sequence, readers are deeply immersed in 12-year-old Becky's world, infused with food, friends, and family traditions. As part of a close-knit Jewish family, dark-haired, blue-eyed Becky, a talented flutist, navigates the pressures of observant life as a rabbi's daughter while comparing herself to her seemingly perfect siblings. From maintaining appearances, to making questionable decisions, to grappling with interfaith relationships, the depiction of loving relationships among Becky and her siblings, parents, friends, and extended family is central to the charm of the story. Becky's kind-natured good intentions come through in her actions, such as supporting a friend or choosing thoughtful presents for her brothers. But as she discovers the dangers of idealizing those around her and makes her own flawed choices, the tension rises. Employing a dual timeline, Milliner's sophomore novel juxtaposes poetic present-day vignettes with richly detailed chapters set in the past, together showing Becky's insights and growth. This heart-wrenching, emotional, compulsively readable work traces the evolution of secrets and lies. From minor omissions to catastrophic revelations, they strain relationships and test unshakable bonds, leading to tragedy but ultimately concluding with hope and a clearer path to self-awareness and understanding. A touching, intimate exploration of universal themes of trust, conformity, and the impact of family dynamics.(Fiction. 8-12)

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March 1, 2025
Grades 5-8 This heartfelt novel explores one seventh-grader's struggle to balance parental expectations with her personal aspirations, as well as finding her own approach to her faith. In the opening, Becky is preparing for a funeral and drowning in grief. The story then goes back in time to show how these events came to be, with funeral-day chapters interspersed. Becky feels pressure to be as perfect as her two older siblings, a stress that steadily increases as her bat mitzvah approaches. She has yet to finish her speech or her mitzvah project, and it doesn't help that, as the rabbi's daughter, Becky fears all eyes are on her. But Becky's true passion is playing flute. When her teacher invites her to audition for an all-county band, Becky is ecstatic--until her parents say no. Thus begins a life-changing series of secrets. When Becky learns her sister, Sara, is hiding a secret, too, she hopes their secrets will bond them. A slower pace and first-person narration allow readers an intimate, unfiltered look at tragedy and grief in one contemporary family.

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March 28, 2025

Gr 5-7-Rebecca "Becky" Myerson is a 12-year-old Jewish girl. Daughter of a rabbi and overshadowed by her perfect older brother and sister, Becky often feels lackluster. That is, until her teacher suggests she audition for the All-County Band. But her bat mitzvah preparation comes first, according to her parents, even when Becky tries to convince them otherwise. When convincing doesn't get very far, she takes matters into her own hands. Keeping secrets is hard, and soon enough, it's not only her secrets; older sister Sara has a secret, too, one that that may end up costing her life. This novel balances the past and present, with ominous echoes from "Now" coloring a mostly lighthearted "Before." Readers feel the whiplash of happiness and grief as they inch closer and closer to the "Now," and when it comes, grieve with Becky as she tries to cope, grow, and live in the face of loss. Though this plot twist is highly effective and powerful, younger readers looking for a typical middle grade fiction experience may get more than they bargained for. The novel's impactful and detailed Jewish representation makes this a story worth reading, and may act as a teaching tool for cultural education and a love letter to Jewish tradition. VERDICT A rich novel depicting the dangers of keeping secrets and the power of enduring love and promises after sudden loss.-Ashton Conley

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