Book Review: Miriam's Secret

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

In 1930 nine-year-old Miriam travels by train from Brooklyn to her grandparents' farm in upstate New York. Her grandparents are kind, generous people, but they aren't exactly ideal playmates for a lonely girl. 

When Miriam is not doing homework in the kitchen with Bubby or helping prepare meals for the migrant workers that Zayde hires to help out on the farm, she plays with the barn kittens born just before she arrived. 

Those kittens are her only friends, until the day Miriam discovers a young girl hiding in the barn. Cissy and her brother, Joe, who's one of Zayde's farm hands, are on the run from an abusive uncle back in Mississippi.

Miriam and Cissy hit it off immediately. But their friendship is tested when Miriam is forced to choose between keeping a promise and doing the right thing.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

"Sometimes, seeing things through other people's eyes helps you to understand things in a new way.”

This book intrigued me and completely captivated me. I was surprised that I could enjoy a middle-grade novel so much. 

In this novel, we follow little Miriam. She is a Jewish girl who is currently with her grandparents. Due to her parents going to Europe to bring her family to America. Shea is a young Jewish girl from Brooklyn. The first chapters tell the story of the farm and the main characters. When Miriam makes a new friend named Cecilia or Cissy, who is hiding in the barn. They quickly become fast friends and their friendship blossoms and grows quickly. Their friendship is complex and interesting with the girls not always seeing eye to eye. 

I loved that her grandparents were always taking him various farm hands and other staff. This allowed little Miriam to learn about various people, their experiences, their beliefs and really taught her about the world. She even shares the stories in letters to her friends back home.

This is a historical fiction book set up in the Great Depression when WWII is starting. It isn’t a major emphasis of the story but it is interesting to read. This book follows the history closely but the story of tolerance is timeless and relevant to all time periods. 

This novel has a great message about tolerance, exchange of culture, the importance of friendship, hope, and finding the truth. The message of friendship regardless of religion is such an important one for children to hear. These topics of diversity will be lessons that stick with your child for years to come. 


Disclaimer: I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.