The 1940's: Secrets

Century Kids #5

by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler

Illustrated with black-and-white period photos & prints In book five of this exciting series that follows the lives of several interlocking families and their friends through the twentieth century, we renew our acquaintance with Esther Aldrich and her family who, in book four, escaped from Nazi Germany. Esther's parents, upon arriving in the United States, take positions teaching at the University of Chicago, but suddenly young Esther's life is full of secrets as her family quietly moves to Los Alamos, New Mexico.

160 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, a married couple who have written numerous books together, were drawn to this story of great writers inspiring each other collaboratively. Their most recent novel, In Darkness, Death, won a 2005 Edgar Award. They live in New York City.

Series:
* Samurai Detective
* Century Kids
* Her Story
* Images Across The Ages
* American Family Album

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series follows several interlinked families through the decades of the 20th century. The books are a quick read and are very entertaining. Each book features the history of that decade and is told from the viewpoint of the children living it. Of course this book talks about World War II. Esther, who is the daughter of the main Aldrich theater family, lives with her parents in Los Alamos that doesn't show up on maps. Her parents are scientists and they are working on a very secret project, which of course the reader realizes is the atomic bomb. Meanwhile, Ben and his family are Japanese-Americans who are hiding out in Maine with the main Aldrich family to avoid being sent to the camps for people of Japanese origin. The third girl in this story is Gabriella whose parents are friends with the Aldriches. She starts a pen pal exchange for the soldiers through a radio program.

The stories are well written and hold a reader's interest.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-6 178 pgs


19444-1945 various. Follows the daily lives of 3 kids: Gabriella living in Chicago, Ben living in a small town in Maine, and Esther in New Mexico. Each character provides a view of a different part of the homefront. Gabriella begins a pen pal project matching up servicemen to people on the homefront and talks about it on a radio talk show. Ben is forced to move with his family to move from California to the East Coast to avoid being sent to an internment camp. In Maine, he helps participate in looking for submarines, night blackouts, and air raid drills. Esther moves with her scientist parents to New Mexico where her parents are working on something top secret.

I think this story would appeal to someone who enjoyed reading the American Girl stories. The story provides a lot of information about American children's experiences in US.