Allie and Henry love living in their apartment building, but now that their mom Sam works from home, they are not allowed to make noise and do very much during the day. They gather cans to trade in for money to use to buy their mother headphones, but that doesn't solve the problem. The building superviser, Mr. Jeff, doesn't like messes, so when the kids are snooping around, they are suprised to find a small, dirty room in the basement that isn't being used. It's the old coal bin, and the kids think it would make a great office for their mom. The problem? The landlord would want money for it, and there aren't enough cans for Allie and Henry to afford the rent every month. They manage to come to an agreement; a new family is moving in and wants two parking spaces, and since Sam doesn't have a car, the kids trade the parking space for the office space. With Mr. Jeff's help, they clean and decorate the room so that their mother has a new place to work. This was a cute book for elementary school students, and I love how Allie and Henry identified a problem and found a way to work it out. This would be a great choice for readers who enjoyed LaCoer and Albert's The Apartment House on Poppy Hill or Reynold's Stuntboy, but seems a little young for my middle school readers.

I just reviewed The Secret Office by Sara Cassidy. #TheSecretOffice #NetGalley

Lovely first chapter style book for young readers. Read this with my son at bedtime. He liked that the twins were looking out for their mum although he was co fused when the narrative changed to calling her Sam. A mini story about reflection and discovery with references to how the modern world changed after the pandemic for a new normal of home working and with references to climate impact.

*Thank you to Orca Book Publishers for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!*

The Secret Office
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ .5 (2.5/5) or 4.85/10 overall

Characters - 5
The characters were likeable enough but they didn't have much depth. Part of that is certainly due to the length of the book, since it is difficult to develop and explore complex personalities in such a short book, but I still found them quite flat and unenjoyable.

Atmosphere - 5
The atmosphere was mediocre. There was enough description to maybe understand what the scenes looked like, and the pictures certainly helped with that, but there was just something lacking that made it hard to invest in the setting of the story.

Writing - 4
I didn't enjoy the writing style. There was something about the wording that just threw me off. Also, for some reason, the book is written in present tense, but in my opinion almost all the sentences become more digestible in past tense, which struck me as odd.

Plot - 5
The plot of this book was decent. It felt like it was trying to do too much and not enough at the same time. Many different characters and bits of the storyline were thrown in as what felt like an attempt to help readers become immersed in the story, but to me it felt much more chaotic and it made the plot more confusing and harder to follow.

Intrigue - 6
There was a fair bit of intrigue to this story. Even though this book felt quite bland, I still found myself invested enough to want to know what happened in the end.

Logic - 5
There was some logic in this book. I could understand most of the characters' motivations, but some of their interactions felt a tad unrealistic and simple.

Enjoyment - 4
Suffice to say, I didn't enjoy this book a lot. I think the best part was seeing how much the kids cared for their mom and otherwise there wasn't much to redeem it. Also, the end felt quite abrupt. :/

Loved everything about this. This is the new reality for so many people—single parents who are forced to do whatever they can to just make ends meet. It was so lovely seeing the kids try to make things easier for mom, but my heart broke that having a job is no longer enough for a home with space for a family. It’s a shame kids have to take on this burden but it’s so clear they love their mom. I also appreciate the mentions of climate change! Other reviewers (and people in general) say that they didn’t appreciate it and want some space away from that but that’s silly to me. Especially in a children’s novel. It’s these kids that will be the first to deal with the climate challenges you’ve made. Let them find ways to work through that.

Review to come in August on blog/Goodreads/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

This looked like a very cute book, and it was!!

The main plot is the kids trying to make that secret room they found the office for their mom. She has a good job now (apparently she didn't before), but that means that she is home ALL THE TIME. And when you only have 1 bedroom, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, and a bathroom, you can imagine that the kids go crazy. Because mom works until 5-6 and in the weekends as well. The kids just want some of their space back. I just loved seeing them think of fun solutions to solve the problem, and the best solution was them finding that storage/coal room and turning it into an office. Thinking outside of the box, thinking of solutions so they can use it, and making it cosy. It was really sweet and I was awwing the whole time I read this. A lot of kids would have giving up when they hear a no, but they stuck to the plan and got people on their side.

Next to that we read about the house's history, about an older lady who has been here for a long time and how she needs help with some things, a dog who is way too eager and our boy MC who has to learn to say no. Though in that regard, I do feel that the owner herself should also do something, and that comes from someone who has a dog, who is now 1 year and 3 months, and who is quite enthusiastic. We are training her to not jump up. She is quite enthusiastic, wants to be friends with everyone, and slowly she is learning. If we see people are uncomfortable or find her too busy (we can only do so much haha) we hold her closer or keep her away from them. But I guess some owners just don't want to. *sighs* Back to the book. I also loved learning about Mr Jeff's past and about a certain lady he fancies. We find out who June Harriet is and how important she is. I really liked Mr. Jeff, yes, he was strict but I didn't mind that, I loved that he took such a good care of the building and tried to help out people wherever he could, tried to see if he could do anything for the kids.

And the illustrations were just so fun and cute!

I did have to remind me all the time that Sam was mom. I so used to children's book just saying mom/mother and not use the names of the parents.

And while it wasn't a lot there, I am still tired of the small bits about the climate. Geez, I get that it is important, but it is EVERWHERE, I just want a free space away from it for a while. Please.

All in all, this was a cute, positive, family-filled story that I would recommend.

This was a very heartwarming story. I like how they have a good heart. I like that helping their mom also helped out other people in their building, while having fun! It means that kindness and courage is contagious, and you never really know how it can positively affect the people that surrounds you.

Thank you NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute, very uplifting read! Twins Allie and Henry embark on the sweet adventure of finding an office space for their mother to get her out of the living room. This book handled topics of money and tight space with a graceful hand, letting the children's will to support their mother and perseverance shine through rather than sinking this story in unhappiness.

How interesting that so many things became standard after the pandemic. To those with parents working from home it can be very upsetting to restrict our own activities, fun, freedom in our own houses becayse of zoom meetings and work. I love that the children do what they can to help their mother and to find a good solution for all of them. Easy to read, short and great for reluctant readers. Vety relatable.
Thank you publisher and netgalley for this earc.

The Secret Office is a great book for kids! It tells the story of twins who want to help their mother who works from home. This book is funny and touching. The twins love for their mom was adorable and the plot made you want to keep reading to see how they would help her. I really enjoyed this book!

YouTube review to come: 04/10/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat