Gracie's Secret

by Lorelie Rozzano

Meet Grace. At nine years old she has a big secret. Grace knows first-hand that life can be difficult. Her parents aren't very happy. Their arguing is giving her a stomach ache. She spends a lot of time alone, worrying. Are her parents problems her fault? Had she done something wrong? Grace pretends everything is fine, but it's not. She feels helpless and has learned that making things up is easier than telling the truth. One big question haunts her every day. Will her family ever be happy again?

This book is perfect for a child with a difficult home life. Divorce, addiction, mental health issues and more can cause children to feel alone, anxious and afraid. Gracie's Secret addresses this by showing kids they aren't alone, and that they can feel better. With a workbook section for kids to understand their own issues and a message that talking to a safe person will help, Gracie's story can help kids cope.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2014

About the author

Lorelie Rozzano now works at Edgewood Treatment Centre in Nanaimo, BC and is dedicated to helping others with their lifelong struggle against addiction, Rozzano hopes her books become a vehicle to get people thinking and talking about addiction and examining the role it plays in their lives. Gracie's Secret is Lorelie's first book. A powerful little book, that helps kids find their feelings and voice. Currently available for free download at www.jaggedlittleedges.com.

Reviews

[Kathie Taylor]

Fast read. Great book!

[Diane Coto]

This is about children trying to cope with a dysfunctional family life. Gracie is nine years old. She experiences stomach pains. She’s painfully shy and withdrawn. At nine, she is already trying to provide a refuge for her little five year old brother, Cameron. The problem is her parents have been very argumentative for a long time. Gracie and her brother huddle in her bedroom upstairs trying to cope with what they are hearing. And the situation repeats itself several nights a week. As a child, she really doesn’t know what to do or how to cope. She holds it in. Her school life is suffering as she no longer takes part and her grades are falling. She doesn’t want her best friend, Abby, to visit her home anymore. When she is at Abby’s house, she notices how differently her parents are with each other.

Finally, her teacher, Ms. Taylor, had a talk with Gracie. It took time, but eventually Gracie opened up to Ms. Taylor. She introduced Gracie to a term, “safe people” as “… an adult you can trust. Someone you can confide in and who will help you. It can be your school counselor, your doctor, or a friend’s parents, or a grandparent.”

Clearly, this author is spot on — children in bad home lives need someone they can communicate with about their situation. Children need to know they are allowed to talk about it, they are not alone, and it is not their fault. In this particular story, there didn’t appear to be any physical abuse. However, there was little given about the parent’s relationship with the children. It seemed to be totally lacking as the parents are wrapped up in their own world. My primary concern is how children would obtain this book. I don’t see it as something a parent would think to give their children. I could only hope that social workers, teachers and other child care givers would have a few on hand to give or loan to children with a bad home life. I rated Gracie’s Secret at 3.5 out of 5.

[Just another reader]

A digital copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I found this children's fiction thoroughly amusing and enjoyable - so much so that it left me with my thoughts provoked at the end. The tale revolves around the nine-year-old precocious Gracie. Thrown in with problems too heavy for her age, she is psychologically much more mature than her peers. She has a lot of self-questioning moments when she is left wondering about the meaning and motives of many things. The main point that eats her head is the uncertainty of whether her family will be in peace and bliss ever again. Although with a child for the protagonist, the book discusses grown-up issues such as divorce, addiction and their psychological influence. The book also puts these issues in perspective by bringing to light the impact that such issues have on the children of the family. By showing the world how a child is left to feel insecure and fearful of everything, because of a troubled home life, the book leaves a strong message.

I would definitely recommend this book as a read for social awareness and understanding home issues.

My rating for this book: 4 stars