• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

In all their permutations, these unforgettable stories explore one of the irresistible facets of human nature, the fact that everyone has a secret. Marthe Jocelyn has selected twelve stories
by several of the best authors in North America to explore the nature and the power of secrets. Sometimes secrets can be downright funny – how would you like to be the front person for your fake, clairvoyant mother? Secrets can also be scary – if you are pretending that your father is dead so you don’t have to introduce him to your teacher. And sometimes secrets can break your heart, and heal it – when they have to do with the ties that bind generations together.

Contributors include Susan Adach, Anne Carter, Gillian Chan, Nancy Hartry, Marthe Jocelyn, Julie Johnston, Dayal Kaur Khalsa, Loris Lesynski, Anne Gray Sarndal, Martha Slaughter, Teresa Toten, and Elizabeth Winthrop.

Marthe Jocelyn is the award-winning author and illustrator of over thirty-five books for babies, kids and teens. Her illustrated books have been shortlisted for both the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. In 2009 she was the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. One Red Button and One Piece of String are the result of her lifelong obsession with scraps, and her delight in surprising the reader with unexpected details. Originally from Toronto, Marthe settled in Stratford, Ontario, after a thirtyyear stretch in New York. For more information, visit www.marthejocelyn.com.

Marthe Jocelyn's profile page

Secrets: Stories selected by Marthe Jocelyn

The twelve stories in this collection invite readers to think about the myriad different secrets that people keep and why we keep them. Several of them focus on family secrets: a drunken father whom a girl pretends is dead; a story from an elderly great-aunt about the gift of the second sight; a mother and daughter who enact an ongoing deception of their neighbours. Other entries, such as “Uncle Cory’s Smile” and “Can You Keep a Secret?,” involve soul-searching and self-discovery. Most of them feel very personal and some are very poignant as they portray a significant realization that comes to the character, either about herself or others. Some remind us that there can be a fine line between a secret and a lie, and they all testify to the fact that there is often more beneath the surface than one might ever imagine.

This will be a very valuable book for classroom libraries since so many of its stories will undoubtedly raise questions and prompt interesting discussions and debates. The stories are not as obvious or straightforward as I had anticipated; they give readers much to think about. I was surprised that there weren’t more stories that dealt with “good” secrets (i.e. special or treasured secrets that are savoured). However, guilty secrets, shameful secrets, the secret parts of oneself that one chooses to keep hidden deep inside... all of these and more are examined here in this thoughtful compilation.

Secrets

Funny secrets, heartbreaking secrets, shocking secrets… A collection of 12 unforgettable stories about secrets, by several of North America’s best authors.