- Short Description
- Description
- Author Bio
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After a classmate’s death at a party, Clementine Sanford can’t forgive herself, certain she could have done more to help. Now she has to worry about her “friend” Ellie exposing her, and the dead boy’s mother, a lawyer. But when she finds out there are darker questions about what happened, Clem knows it’s up to her to find the truth.
First she blamed herself. Now she doesn’t know who to trust.
When Kit disappeared at a party and was found drowned in the quarry the next day, Clem knew who to point the finger at: herself. She was the last person to see him alive, the last person who could have helped. If she had just kept a closer eye on him instead of her crush, Jake, maybe Kit would still be here. She knows she made a mistake, and wishes she could just forget about it — but Clem’s friend Ellie says she’ll expose Clem’s secret if she doesn’t play along with Ellie’s lies.
Jake seems to have his own difficult secrets, and when he and Clem start to talk, they make a plan to help themselves move on. But when an unexpected discovery at the quarry makes everyone question what they thought they knew, Clem and Jake decide it’s up to them to uncover the truth.
- Four teens, who were at an end-of-year party where a popular, autistic boy went missing and drowned, try to solve what happened
- Told from four points of view, with each character giving a different version of what happened
- A fast-paced mystery with a suspenseful reveal
- Author has written over 30 books for young people and was named to the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books 2009 and 2011 lists
- Treats subjects of autism, guilt, and authority from a noir-tinged YA perspective
Deb Loughead is the author of more than thirty books for children and young adults, ranging from poetry and plays to picture books and novels. She lives in Toronto.
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Shelf talkers
Book hashtag: #SecretsWeKeep
Author Website: debloughead.ca
Author Twitter: @northwoodtrails
The excitement in The Secrets We Keep starts on the first page and pulls you through to the last paragraph. Romance, loyalty, guilt, and suspense are all here, as is humour and a recurring ghost. Don’t start late in the evening unless you are prepared to lose a night’s sleep.
- Peter Edwards, author of The Biker's Brother, Business or Blood, and Unrepentant
A nice page-turning mystery, The Secrets We Keep neatly captures the angst and emotion of adolescence, while highlighting the increasing isolation of the digital age.
- NationalReadingCampaign.com
Loughead’s mystery is a short and fast-paced one, and the accessible language makes it particularly well suited to reluctant readers.
- Booklist
Deb Loughead has a good ear for teenage dialogue and an astute understanding of how peer pressure can manipulate kids into doing things they know are wrong.
- Quill & Quire
Has both the strong plot and character development to hook teen readers, but its strong message about connecting and disconnecting, both personally and digitally, makes the story one worth reading and heeding.
- Can Lit for Little Canadians
A welcome addition to library and classroom collections of Young Adult quick reads.
- Canadian Materials