I feel worried
for Zach’s sake. His concern about the cost of something as minor as takeout is
a reminder of his situation. He has nothing. No clothes to speak of. No money.
No education. How in the world can he possibly make it in the English world?
Genre: Realistic/Amish fiction
Target Audience: Girls 13-19
Subjects: Amish lifestyle, Friendships,
Dating relationships, Future/Career Decisions
Summary: Spring break should be amazing…
or horrifying. It depends on how her pen pal of six years takes the news that
his pen pal isn’t a boy, but rather, a girl. Back in fifth grade, pen pals were
assigned – an Amish school with an English school. The trouble is that the
Amish teacher, believing photographs to be sinful, removed all the pictures.
And Micah’s name is one normally used for boys, not girls. So for six years
they’ve been writing. They’ve gone through tough times together, encouraged and
supported each other. And now it’s time for Micah to reveal her secret. But
Zach has been keeping a secret too. His secret is that he has lost his desire
to be Amish. He has a thirst for knowledge, particularly mechanics and
veterinary care. It’s easier to keep secrets when your only interaction with
one another is letters, but the time for meeting has finally come and all
secrets are about to be revealed.
Notes: Trading Secrets is another of
Melody Carlson’s youth fiction books exploring what would happen if an Amish
and an Englisher entered each other’s worlds. The first half of this book shows
an English girl entering the world of an Amish boy. The second half shows the
Amish boy entering the world of the English girl. As usual, a large focus is
put on the culture differences, focusing on the beauty of the simplicity and
living close to the land that the Amish have and the beauty of the freedom to
be who God made you to be that the English have. The spiritual focus is on the
characters choosing to turn to God in prayer when they become totally unsure of
what else to do.
Spiritual Content
Recommendation Scale: 2.5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi
Psalm 90:8 –You have set our
iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
Thank you to Revell for
providing me with a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest
opinion. .
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