A Summer Secret

Title: A SUMMER SECRET
Author: Kathleen Fuller
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
May 2010
ISBN; 978-1-4003-1593-2
Genre: Inspirational/Amish/young adult

Thirteen year old Mary Beth is tired of boys. With three brothers, she’s tired of their pranks, smells, and irresponsibility. And she’s tired of babysitting and doing more than her share of chores. So when Mary Beth discovers an old abandoned barn, she spends her free time there—even though her dad says its dangerous and tells her to stay away. She just needs a place to call her own. A place free of chores and boys. The barn is her secret place.

Or is it? A page of her journal is bent. Her blanket is folded wrong. Someone is helping themselves to granola bars and juice boxes. And a muddy footprint and a button are discovered nearby. Who is hanging out there besides her? Mary Beth is determined to find out who, but solving this mystery could put her in grave danger…

A SUMMER SECRET is the first book in The Mysteries of Middlefield series for young adults by Ms. Fuller. I’m a fan of her Amish romances, so I was excited to see this book for my girls to read. They are already fans of Beverly Lewis’ collection of Amish young adult books for girls that came out years ago.

I didn’t think A SUMMER SECRET was up to the standards that her Amish romances are, and it kind of bored me listening to Mary Beth whine about chores and brothers—but I’m a mom with five kids of my own and I hear enough whining about both of the above every day around my house.

Mary Beth sounds like a typical teenager and her brothers sound like typical boys. Very realistically developed. This book is not up to Ms. Fuller's other books standards. $9.99. 270 pages.