Queen of Secrets

How far will Essie Green go to distance herself from her cousin, Micah? Essie isnt the type of girl you notice. She wouldnt typically be part of the in-crowd. However, as a sophomore, she made the cheerleading squad, those years of dance classes having paid off. That sets her apart from everyone else.

Her cousin Micah, who moved to New York when they were both three, has returned to Pershing, Michigan and made the football team. They hadnt seen or spoken to each other in the intervening years. They could possibly be friends except for one thing, Micah was religious. He wore his yarmulke every day and missed football practice on the Jewish Holidays. The result was that he was looked down upon, was the butt of jokes and more.

Essie was so nervous that her new cheerleading/football friends would dislike her if they knew her relationship Micah that she hasnt told them. Micah hasnt spilled her secret. However, things get out of hand when Micah misses a winning field goal kick and another player, Harrison, gets hurt in the next play. He blames Micah. If the kick was good the game would have been over and Harrison wouldnt have gotten hurt. Harrison plans retribution.

Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff ably explores many things. It explores Essies self confidence or lack thereof in admitting she and Micah are cousins. It explores peer pressure when her cheerleading friends want her to ditch her old friends. It explores the boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, when quarterback Austin, a purported player, asks her out. It explores family as it delves into the fact that Essies parents were killed in an auto accident when she was three and she is living with her grandparents. And it explores conviction when it compares Micahs and Essies beliefs.

I really enjoyed Queen of Secrets. Essie is a real person and every teen will identify with her emotions and feelings. The situations are real. Meyerhoffs characters are true and youll like them or be wary of them as you would be in real life. The writing is good. The story moves swiftly. And the ending is satisfying. Yes, this story has been told before, but Meyerhoff puts a new spin on it. The result is a good book. I recommend it.