Hide And Secret

Anna Mae couldn’t believe it. If this was her grandmother’s diary, it also might be her grandmother’s money and her grandmother’s tree house. But how? What did it all mean? There was one way to find out. She could read the diary. The idea gnawed at her, a thousand squirmy things in her stomach trying to get out. Grossmammi always said that “curiosity killed the cat.” And for the first time in her life, Ann Mae understood how curiosity could drive a person to do something she knew was better left lone.

Book: Hide And Secret by Kathleen Fuller, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2011

Genre: Amish

Target Audience: Girls 11-4

Subjects: Amish lifestyle, Secrets from the past, God’s will, friendship, relationship with siblings

Summary: It all began with an innocent game of hide-and-seek and the discovery of an old tree house in the woods. But when Anna Mae finds a diary that belonged to her grandmother and begins to realize it, she questions even more than before why she must conform to the person her grandmother wishes to make her into. She longs to be free to remain a tomboy. At the same time, Jeremiah is wrestling with his dad’s attempts to make him into something he’s not. He longs to follow the leading God has placed on his life without being viewed as abandoning his faith. As both wrestle with their family members plans for their lives, stolen money and discovery of a friendship broken for decades causes their friendship with one another to suffer as well. Can healing ever come? Will relationships be restored and things made right again?

Notes: This is the third in a series about young Amish girls solving mysteries. Each book is about different characters, the connection being the setting, not the characters. In this book one character wrestles with leaving the Amish lifestyle and the damage that could do to his relationships with his family. There is much discussion about knowing God’s will and whether one can still follow God if they leave the Amish lifestyle. The other issue is about relationships and how much forgiveness and grace should be offered to a friend (or sibling) who has hurt you.

Recommendation Scale: 3.5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 143:10 – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.