The Family Secret (The Eddie Brewster Adventures)

By Judith A. Schuster and Judith A. Schuster

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1424144183
• ISBN13: 9781424144181
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Publishamerica Inc
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

SFC 5 star review

This historical novel by Judy Schuster was such a page-turner, that I just couldn't put it down. Judy's accurate and stark depiction of life during the war years in the U.S. was stunning. The story is told through the eyes of Eddie Brewster, and takes place in Wisconsin in 1943. The first line of the book caught my immediate attention, and I found myself totally engrossed in this heart-wrenching story. Eddie and Ellie's "parents" announce to the nine year old twins that they really aren't their parents after all, just their foster parents. The county insists that the heartbroken couple give up the twins to be fostered by another family of the county's choosing because they are too ill to care for the children anymore. Eddie and Ellie are reeling from the shock of becoming "throw away kids". They are hurt, angry, and confused. Imagine being nine years old and finding out that you will be losing the only mother and father you've ever known and now belong to no one? What a terrible feeling! Eddie grabs hold of one of his personal belongings - Johnny Boy, a ragged toy wooden soldier - and hides Johnny in his pocket, determined to hold on to this memento from the happy part of his childhood. The twins are picked up by a social worker, who drives them from Hudson to Roberts, Wisconsin, to the Schmidt farm. The Schmidts are to become their new foster family. Mrs. Schmidt seems nice, as does son Albert and daughter, Audrey. Three-year old Marie is a charmer. Eddie and Ellie soon find out, however, that Mr. Schmidt is an autocratic dictator who insists that children must have chores; and nothing in life occurs before chores or can interfere with chores. Having never lived on a farm before, Mr. Schmidt has to show Eddie how to do everything. He is forever losing patience with Eddie and the verbal abuse continues. Nothing Eddie does is right. While out in the fields with the Schmidt son, Albert, Eddie accidentally slices his hand right to the bone because he didn't know how to use the scythe properly. He gets no sympathy from Mr. Schmidt, who thinks Eddie cuts himself on purpose to get out of chores. So he gets the job of getting and cleaning the eggs. In a fit of anger over the entire incident, Otto Schmidt seizes Johnny Boy and throws him into the wood stove. Eddie is devastated. The twins soon discover that Mr. Schmidt treats his wife and children just as badly, so they are desperate to run away from this life they now find themselves in. Mrs. Schmidt makes every effort she can with her limited strength to try and make the children's lives meaningful and as loving as she can do under her autocratic husband. Her caring makes life with the Schmidts almost tolerable at some points, but oftentimes, there was nothing she could do to make life less abusive. A new situation arises that gets them out of their current predicament. Mrs. Schmidt suddenly falls ill and has to be hospitalized. Upon her return home, it's apparent that she's too