Patricia MacLachlan books always make me tear up and this one was no exception. It lacks a bit of the emotional depth of some of her previous titles, but the masterful writing is still there.

This was an amazingly sweet book about a family coming to terms with a big secret. But, holy cow, were the three kids in the book ridiculously wise and calm! That preternatural wisdom gave this brief story a fable-like quality. Unrealistic, maybe, but sweet and gentle.

This is a short and sweet story about adoption and genetics. I enjoyed the story and it would be a great read for any adolescent who has experience with, or an interest in adoption and families. This was a short, well-written book with realistic young characters. It did not make a big impact or impression on me, but I think it could have that affect on other readers.

I read a few reviews for A Secret Shared prior to writing my own, and that’s left me wondering if we read the same book. Author Patricia MacLachlan is known for her middle-grade books (Sarah, Plain and Tall; Skylark; Wonderous Rex). Her books tend to be quiet and short, often less than 100 pages.

A Secret Shared is a bit longer (160 pages), yet reviewers have said there’s not enough depth. And I think that’s where they get it wrong. The magic of so many middle-grade books happens when the authors leave breathing space. They don’t get lost in the details. And that’s what MacLachlan does.

Yes, A Secret Shared is quiet. Yes, it’s fairly simple. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s better suited for ages 7-10, but that doesn’t make it bad.

The other major complaint I saw was about MacLachlan’s treatment of adoption and how things should be. That’s like saying there’s only one good way to be a family. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and this book is an exploration of one family’s approach. And it’s a heartfelt one at that.

A Secret Shared will not appeal to everyone. There’s not a lot of action. There’s no fantasy. But it is an excellent look at family and celebrating truth, even when it’s hard.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of both the ebook and audiobook versions of A Secret Shared.

When I saw that this was an adoption-themed book I requested it right away. Ultimately, I ended up being disgusted by it. First of all, this book is set in current times (DNA testing) so why was it a secret that the youngest child in a family was adopted? Unless the kids are all the same age (they weren't), how did they not notice a baby showing up one day without their mother being pregnant? What really, really ticked me off was when the adoptive father told his adopted daughter, "I am your true father." As an adoptive parent, I can assure you that the bullshit in this book is thick. If you want to give kids a terribly inaccurate view of adoption, this is the book. If you want a more realistic and adoption-positive story, look elsewhere.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

When two older siblings find out that their younger sister is adopted, they are shocked. This is a good story about them accepting that and figuring out not all secrets are bad. Perfect length for a middle elementary school student.

Grades 2+

Short and sweet. MacLachlan takes spare prose and bits of poetry and says profound things about secrets. The art of keeping a secret is difficult. Knowing when to share and with whom can be an almost impossible task. When that sneaky secret gets out to the wrong person, then what they do adds to the level of difficulty. Nora and Ben are twins. They discover a secret about their little sister Birdy. Who can help them decide what to do? This book puts a modern twist on the subject of adoption with DNA testing spilling the beans. Their mother is a former poet who now writes a weekly column for the local newspaper. I loved her pithy contributions and the fan mail. I know I am in the minority on this one, but I believe it is a 5-star read. Looking forward to seeing more reviews and find out if anyone agrees with me.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Characters: None of whom are fully developed, we just start to get to know them a little.
Mom - poet, columnist
Dad - artist, professor
Ben and Nora - twins, 4th grade(?), yet they speak and act like middle school/young teens
Birdy - younger sister, Kindergarten or 1st, goes between age appropriate and wise beyond her years
An assortment of minor characters, who start to develop and then fade.
Plot:
While doing a DNA test for her column, the children discover a secret, which throws them into a spiral.

First Mom's columns, they really aren't columns. They are a few sparse sentences with responses from readers.
Dad, I like. Until suddenly, because of the situation, he first tells the youngest he's her true dad and then allows her to call him by his first name. Yet the other 2 never call him by his name, just Dad. I do like some of the wisdom that is seen through his words of art..
Ms. Skylark, the 3rd grade teacher, who we know is so important to Ben and Nora, only has a passing role. Yet she asks the most important question in the entire book - "Is it important?"

I LOVE Patricia MacLachlan's books, until now. I was blessed to meet her at her final public appearance and she has a beautiful soul But this book... I found so lacking. I wanted so much more. I really wanted to get to know the characters, I wanted to see their home and their town, but I never could visualize them. It almost feels like she got started, but then lost momentum and gave the publisher the notes for each chapter.
I don't see my 4th through 6th graders picking this book, and honestly, I don't see me recommending it to them.

This book is a gentle, simple story of family keeping the secret of adoption of the younger sibling. The story has feelings but falls flat on any drama or conflict (what little there is, is resolved at the end). The Twins, Ben and Nora, read the results of a DNA test that the younger sister, Birdy, stuck into the envelope meant for Mother. The twins hurt that it was kept a secret, confront their parents that the truth should be told. Birdy is ecstatic that she now has two mothers and embraces them both. Shortness of story doesn't allow for much character development or story line. Wouldn't know who I would recommend it for.

Children are often aware of the presence of family secrets, even when they don't know what those secrets are or what they mean. The gentle family story, A Secret Shared, revolves around a family with multiple secrets.

I wanted to like this book, but it was *too* quiet and gentle for me. None of it felt realistic in the least. The children's ages were ambiguous, the parents' relationships with each other and with their children felt saccharine-sweet, and the mother's newspaper column felt like a throwback to the 1950s. I found myself searching for a main plot-line among each character's development over the span of the book, but it felt too disjointed.

I have been a fan of Patricia MacLachlan's books in the past and I won't stop. But this won't be a book I recommend. It might work, perhaps, as a read-aloud for early elementary aged kids.

A sweet and simple book about adoption and the importance of telling the truth. This book is perfect for a lower to middle grade classroom - the story itself is not overly complex, the characters are likeable and quirky, and the book is fairly short. There's no real drama in the book, and even the conflict - Birdie's adoption - is resolved with little fanfare.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I’ve been reading a lot of rom coms lately which are always full of hilarious and crazy characters and events, and I love them! But sometimes it’s nice to read a more calm book. A Secret Shared has a lot happening in it, but it has the same feeling of being wrapped in a cozy blanket. It’s comforting and a bit nostalgic especially with its older writing style, but it was also sooo wonderful!
When Birdy sees her mother spit in a tube and sends her off, she does the same thing. But when her results come back, it shakes her whole family to its core. This is told from the perspective of Birdy's sister, Nora, and it's a super sweet tale of realizing blood is not necessary to make a family.
This is the same author who wrote Sarah Plain and Tall, and she continues the same writing style in this book. It's almost lyrical, and since their mother is a poet, you get to see some poems as well. I thought the style really highlights the family you learn to love. I love how the parents and how they actually seemed to love each other and their children. . I loved seeing this solid family interact where the parents make mistakes, but they still love each other and their children. The siblings as well were super sweet together, and it all just showed how family is not always blood.
The pacing of this story was fantastic, and it was adorable watching this family figure out what to do with this revelation. One quote I thought was very touching from the book is when one of the teachers asks Nora and Ben, her twin brother, whether it matters if Birdy is adopted. While truths might have needed to come out, in the end, it didn’t really matter whether or not she was adopted. She was their sister even if she wasn’t their blood.
I loved this book! It was short and sweet, and a refreshing change from the normal kids books. It is more old fashioned than normal, but it could help open kids up to different writing styles. I would definitely recommend it to children of any age!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I posted my review on Goodreads, Bookbub, and Barnes and Nobles. I will post on my blog and Amazon closer to release date.

This novel had an incredible message. I understood the message the author was trying to convey, but, unfortunately, the story itself fell flat for me. I do plan to read other novels from this author in the future!

In this audiobook by Patricia MacLachlan, when a family sends away their DNA samples, the older children learn the secret that their younger sister is not related to them. I was not a big fan of this book for several reason. To start with, the premise that the mother was sending away everyone's spit for DNA analysis so she could write an article was very tenuous at best. Also, although not stated in the book, the younger sister looks 4 years old on the cover but acts like 8 going on 80 in the book. The whole family was so saccharine sweet and unrealistic to me. Finally, nothing really happens in the book. There is no action. For these reasons I gave it a 3, but it could honestly be 2.5.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio, and HarperKids for the gifted book!

This is a slow and reflective, family centric middle grade novel. It all starts when the mom of the family takes a DNA test and Birdy, the baby of the family, spits in a tube too. When the results come back, it seems that Birdy is not biologically related to the rest of the family. This secret causes Nora and Ben (the twins and older siblings) to evaluate what matters and what this means for their family. Something about the way this story was told held me back from really connecting. I felt like it was done and I was still missing being fully invested in the story.

"The question is this: Does it matter?"

A profound, yet simple question that is a great lesson to readers of all ages. A beautiful story about what it really means to be a family, how sometimes a well-intentioned secret can turn into a painful lie, and simply loving the people in your life no matter how they came to be a part of it.

I have loved Patricia's books since I was a young girl, and I still keep copies of them to this day. This is another well-written book with deep topics written with love.

I really enjoyed A Secret Shared by Patricia MacLachlan. It is about two siblings that find out their little sister is not related to them. They discover this through a home DNA test. Through their discovery for the truth, they decided that their sister would always be their sister. It didn't matter that her DNA was different.

This is a sweet short story about the meaning of family and how we can be family even when we aren't born into it. This is also a story about secrets and about how sometimes keeping them isn't the best, but sometimes the best things can come out of learning the truth.
Another lovely story by Patricia MacLachlan!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

One day Nora and her twin brother Ben see mom spit in a tube, and she tells them she wants to find out her DNA. Unbeknownst to them their little sister Birdie also spit in another tube. When the results come back and Nora and Ben see the results of Birdie’s DNA, it is not what they expected to see. What secret have their parents been keeping from them all? When Nora and Ben seek advice from their teacher, she asks “Does it matter?” Sweet story.

First sentence: I watch my mother spit into a plastic tube. A pot of fresh flowers sits on her desk. Every week she walks to the cemetery to put flowers on the grave of her best friend from childhood. “Flowers and spit?!” I say to her with a grin. “Funny combination! Why the tube?”

Premise/plot: Nora and Ben (twins) find out a family secret (about their sibling, Birdy). Should they share the secret? Is it their place to tell?

My thoughts: I typically love Patricia MacLachlan. I do. I had very high hopes for her newest book. I think that is where it gets tricky as a reader. Expectations set too high lead to disappointment in varying degrees. Expectations set too low and you might put off reading a book for weeks, months, years. Still, I typically *try* to keep expectations low. Primarily because then you can be surprised and really get the most out of a book. But it's hard to do with a favorite author. As you might have guessed I was slightly disappointed by this one.

It is a quiet, slow-paced family novel. The plot--if it moves at all--moves very slowly. I do typically love, love, love character driven novels. So the fact that it's a slow, somewhat more mindful book shouldn't have put me off--in theory at least.

I think what did put me off was the number of times I had to suspend my disbelief and how the plot hinges on some somewhat implausible things happening time and time again. Particularly surrounding the DNA test. As an adult I wanted more details in places. (But at the same time I think unpacking those details would have been tedious for the actual target audience to read.) But the general idea is oh you spit a little in a tube, put it an envelope, and a few days later, poof, you get a piece of paper back.

Would these little things add up if I was reading this as a child? I'm not sure. I'm not.

One thing I did like was how the mother's column often asked questions for her readers. And MacLachlan, of course, shares some of those responses. One column was about love or falling in love? And this was one of the responses. I loved it.
I met my husband in the backseat of the car driving us to preschool. We held hands between our car seats. We have never stopped.—Rose

Patricia MacLachlan is still a solid writer. This one just isn't my favorite of her books.