Sara's Secret

At first Sara doesn't want anyone at her new school to know about her younger brother Justin who has cerebral palsy.

Grade 3-5?Sara tells how she overcomes her misgivings and introduces Justin, her younger brother who has cerebral palsy, to her classmates. The conflict between her love for her sibling and her fear of rejection is aptly portrayed. However, all of the adults are oblivious to her feelings and offer no support or guidance, which makes her final decision to come forward with her "secret" unrealistic. The book is written in a didactic manner and lacks the plot details and characterization necessary to make it a good story. Readers are told everything and are not given any opportunities to imagine or discover details. Haas's full-and half-page illustrations are weak, as well. Done in watercolors with heavy use of red and orange, they do not provide any clues to the missing plot elements and fail to show Sara's features consistently. Similarly, the pictures of Justin do not accurately depict his cerebral palsy. While this title could be used to initiate a discussion on disabilities, it's not a first choice.?Dawn Ibey, Vancouver Public Library, BC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2^-4. Sara's secret is her brother Justin, who was born with cerebral palsy and is mentally retarded. Experience has taught her that kids who know about her brother are sometimes cruel, and she's determined not to let Justin become a joke or to be teased about him in her new school. But keeping her secret isn't easy: she loves Justin, even though he drools and can't talk or walk, and she knows he loves her back in his own way. It takes a teacher's decision to begin a classroom discussion of disabilities to make her face up to her feelings. The agenda is obvious here, but Wanous skillfully manages to get beyond mere message to the heart of Sara's guilt and embarrassment. Sara and Justin are more than stiff cardboard characters, and their humanity poignantly validates the feelings of children who have disabled siblings. Haas' fluid, striking watercolors convey Sara's emotions with an intensity that is well matched to the text: though not usually full page, they're still large enough and bright enough to be used with small-group discussions. Longer than most picture books, this is perfect for reading aloud. Stephanie Zvirin