Secret in St. Something

by Barbara Brooks Wallace

Tells of the turn-of-century hardships young boys faced living on the streets or working in factories as brothers Robin and his baby brother Danny flee their horrible home and mean stepfather to survive on their own in the basement of a church.

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Juvenile, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Fiction

149 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Award-winning American children's writer. Has received, among others, the NLAPW Children's Book Award and International Youth Library "Best of the Best" for 'Claudia' (2001), as well as the William Allen White Children's Book Award for 'Peppermints in the Parlor' (1983).

Wallace was born and spent her childhood in China, but then moved to the United States. San Francisco was often a port of entry for her family, who lived in a huge, white-pillared mansion on the side of a hill, later to become the Sugar Hill Hall mansion which served as the setting for some of her most popular books. She was a UCLA graduate.

Wallace won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards from the Mystery Writers of America for 'The Twin in the Tavern' (1994) and for 'Sparrows in the Scullery' (1998). 'Cousins in The Castle' (1997 and 'Ghosts in the Gallery' (2001) were also nominated for an Edgar Award.

Reviews

[Lesa Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good YA book about the lives of young children growing up on the streets of New York. Trying to survive. In this adventure young Robin has taken is new young infant brother and escaped the brutal life that his stepdad had inflicted upon him after his mother died in childbirth. He finds shelter in the basement of a church where four other young boys have escaped to. They too had been mistreated by their fathers. Together these boys take a turn helping with the infant. But something remarkable happens when Robin is forced to go back to his stepfathers home.

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Secret in St. Something is the book that might result if Charles Dickens was writing about the experience of children and families in the tenements of American cities in the Victorian era. It features a cast of characters with names such as Hawker Doak, Piggy, Mouse, Spider, and Duck. The protagonist, 11-year-old Robin, lives with his stepfather and collects rents among the tenements. When one of the tenants can’t pay, Robin is terrified by what his stepfather, the aforementioned Hawker Doak, will do. He’s been beaten before, and he’s been warned about what could happen if he turns up with less than what’s due. Propelled by this fear and the fear of what will happen to the family who couldn’t meet the rent bill, Robin decides to come up with the fifty cents owed himself. But every plan he tries ends up falling apart. Later that night, Robin’s baby brother, Danny, wakes up crying, sending Hawker into a rage. Robin comes into the room just as Hawker has his hand raised to strike the baby. Once again, fear spurs him on. Once Hawker is asleep, Robin gathers some belongings and runs away with Danny. Their flight sets in motion a series of events that carries a reader along at a nice clip to the end of the book. A bit of suspense, a bit of bathroom humor, mistaken identities and secrets …
Secret in St. Something is written in the mannered prose typical of Victorian novels. It also features dialogue in dialect meant to show the lack of education of some of the characters (boys use the “terlit,” or ask one another “what’s the pernt”). It’s also liberally sprinkled with exclamation points, and there are some dubious choices in phrasing (did anyone really say “Fire away” in the late 1800s to let someone know it was all right to ask questions?).
Still, the book provides a fine portrayal of tenement life and makes a nice supplement to a young person’s study of that chapter in American history.

[Morgan Duplechin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow! This book was awesome! I literally sat on the couch for an hour with my eyes glued to the book as I read. This book was packed full of action and mystery that will keep you wanting more. The main character is a very likeable character who works hard to take care of his baby brother. I also loved the boys in St. Something. They took Robin in without asking for anything and I loved how they had their code (no cheating, no gambling, and no stealing) and they stuck to their vows no matter how hard it got. I also loved the history in this book and I thought Mrs. Wallace did a wonderful job of setting the general mood of the times. This is a great book with plenty of action that anyone could get engrossed in. Happy reading! :)

[Cws]

JAR5-Wal

[Wolfy Urahara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books ive read, & Im constantly reading! ^w^

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!!!

[ashley elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 stars for the story & 1 for the nostalgia i so desperately needed. a charming story that inspired many of my own.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the rags to riches ending and death-bed confession pretty unrealistic. The time period when the story was supposed to be taking place was also pretty vague.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun little story, and some good writing. Nothing fantastic, but an enjoyable read.

[Gardenia]

This book was really amazing and it was filled with so much tenstion.