Seven for a Secret: A Novel

By Mary C. Sheppard

Book Overview

In Newfoundland's Cook's Cove, summers are short but sweet. Fifteen-year-old Melinda is looking forward to two idyllic months of garden parties and socials with her cousins Rebecca and Kate.Rebecca's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0888994370
• ISBN13: 9780888994370
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 5.8"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

A highly recommended, "reader friendly" novel

Set in a small village on the coast of Newfoundland, Seven For A Secret by Mary C. Sheppard is a highly recommended, "reader friendly" novel of Rebecca and Kate, two fifteen-year-old girls and their confrontation with opposing directional pulls. Invited to develop their artistic talent and explore the world beyond their village borders, Rebecca and Kate are forbidden to go by an uncompromising family member. Also available in paperback..., Seven For A Secret is strong tale of personal will in the making one's own destiny.

I liked the ending of Seven For A Secret

Actually, unlike the reader from Nova Scotia, I really liked the whole book - including the ending. I didn't live in rural Newfoundland in -when was it, the sixties or seventies?-, but it sure rings true to me that lots of girls in that time and place would get pregnant before finishing high school.To me, that was part of the point. That the choices people make are in large part dictated by their environment........... that when you're young your social circle is accidental, but as you get older you increasingly spend time with people who share your goals and values.......... and that the only people who don't end up following the crowd are those who are both single-minded and lucky. That said, this isn't a message novel. The author seemed to really like and sympathize with all her characters. And so when I read it, I cared about them all too. And the book was subtle enough that you knew everybody in it would have to make some tough decisions. There are no easy answers, the book said, and I agree.I thought the book was insightful about girls' lives. It was a great read too - I read it straight through in about 3 hours and enjoyed every page.

Seven For A Secret

I really enjoyed most of this book. Melinda, Kate and Rebecca are perfect examples of what good friends and good characters should be.The part I didn't enjoy was the ending in this book. In the end Melinda gets married and is pregnant (before finishing school), basically ruining any chance she had of becoming something she wanted to do, like become a nurse. The ending was upsetting for me.