Seven for a Secret - Softcover

Sheppard, Mary C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0888994389 ISBN 13: 9780888994387

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2001

Synopsis

Sheppard, Mary C.

About this title

Review

Mary C. Sheppard's Seven for a Secret is a Newfoundland family saga for young adults--complete with Newfie dialect ("Lord jumpin' dyin'"), tragedy at sea, and plenty of skeletons in the closet. Set in the outport community of Cook's Cove in the summer of 1960, this first novel tells the story of three cousins whose friendship is put to the test by the visit of a mysterious stranger. Sheppard's loquacious narrator, Melinda, is a smart, curvaceous 15-year-old who can't wait even another year to marry her fisherman boyfriend. Her cousin Rebecca is a goody two-shoes with movie-star looks and a passion for drawing, while Kate, her intellectual city cousin, is, according to Melinda, as "innocent as a herring heading towards a net."

When these three "maids" start to determine their own destinies, no family secret is safe for long. Witty, irreverent, and often tender, Seven for a Secret offers a compelling glimpse into outport life in an era when the Sears catalogue represented the height of fashion and getting married at 16 was de rigueur for most girls. Carrying the novel is the voice of Melinda--by turns raunchy, frivolous, compassionate, and mature. Although the inconsistent use of local speech patterns makes her voice seem somewhat contrived, Melinda is a sympathetic character whose choices may surprise and intrigue teenage readers. --Lisa Alward

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-A small coastal village in Newfoundland is the setting for this story of three cousins. It is 1960, but it seems infinitely earlier in this isolated place that still lacks electricity. Melinda, Rebecca, and Kate are separated by only seven months in age. The summer proves to be pivotal for each of them; they begin to make decisions about their futures as they near their last year of high school. When a road connecting Cook's Cove to the outside world is begun, it also marks the end of an era in the village. Life is at once harsh and joyful. Fishing and working in the fish plant are the main occupations. Many families have lost their men to the sea. One form of entertainment is socializing, church activities, and parties; gossip is another; and romances, too-early pregnancies, and even failure to have your laundry on the line by 9:00 a.m. are fair topics for consideration. Early in the summer a stranger arrives at a garden party and observes Rebecca's talent for drawing. His subsequent invitation to her to come to Boston for an art course becomes the catalyst for the changes that take place. This descriptive story details the love and sense of community that make life in the village less difficult. However, it may need a booktalk to get readers past the dialect.

Sylvia V. Meisner, Greensboro Montessori School, NC

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0888994389
• ISBN 13: 9780888994387
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 189