Secrets, Lies, and My Sister Kate

by Belinda Hollyer

When her beloved older sister begins to act strangely and then disappears, twelve-year-old Mini tries to find her, uncovering family secrets along the way.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Family, Adoption, Teen

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2007

About the author

Belinda Hollyer grew up in New Zealand, in a little town on the north shore of Auckland harbour, called Takapuna. She is a children’s author and an ex-teacher, teacher-librarian, book editor and publisher.

Reviews

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this was a very interesting plot. I really like mystery books, so this was a good book for me. It is about this girl and her sister Kate. Kate starts being very suspicious, and acting very different from her usual self. At the end of the book she finally tells what has been going on with her. I gave it four stars and not five because it wasn't really my favorite book, but I would still recommend this book

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini and her sister Kate have bad names (which I won't disclose here) and so they use their nicknames. They have always been really close, they even have a secret travel game that they play since Mini is such an Ace at geography. One day though, Kate starts acting strange, she comes home late, she cries a lot. Mini has no idea what's going on with her sister. Her parents ask Mini if she and Kate have any secrets, trying to figure out what is going on, although they kind of already know. One day Kate disappears and the police are called and everything. Mini doesn't know what to do, so she talks to this kid Satch(not his real name) and it turns out that he's a great listener. Kate gets home but not long after she disappears again and this time no one knows where she's gone, or do they? Before Kate left she put a pebble in Mini's bed, now it's up to Mini to piece things together and bring Kate home before Mini has to have her thirteenth birthday without her.

I enjoyed this story, it seemed very realistic, especially with Mini being a geography nerd and at the age where she not that ashamed of it yet and can still enjoy it fully. There are lots of geography facts in the beginning half of the book, and I wish they could have worked more into the last half. I like how simple Mini can be because she's only twelve and doesn't really know everything that's going on or has gone on. There's not a whole lot I can say about this book except that I enjoyed it and was dying to know Mini's name by the end. I suggest you read it. It's only 135 pages so it's a quick and delightful read.

[Anna Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot:

The plot was nice, though in my opinion, kind of overdone, and unoriginal in ways. While it showed the bond between the two sisters, it did it in a very uncreative, and sometimes boring way. For example, the big "family secret" that the summary says "paralyzes her parents with regret" wasn't as big as I was expecting it to be - in fact, I figured it out myself in the beginning chapters. If there was just one thing that made the plot better, I wish the family secret was bigger, and not something that you figure out in the beginning chapters.

Characters

The characters were written wonderfully. The author did a great job with showing the differences between Mini and Kate, and that's a good thing. Even the minor characters, such as Mini and Kate's parents were written good, and in a way that's nice and easy for you to understand them and get to know them.

Wow Factor:

I was pretty wowed with this book. The only real bad thing I have to say about it is that I wish the family secret had been bigger, and more surprising. Four hearts.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. even though it doesnt make a huge difference,(well it kinda does) kate and mini have a travel game they play and it leads on to something in the story.

here is the little info thing on the flap:

mini adordes her older sister, kate. although they look nothing like each other they are best friends-or so mini thinks until kate suddenly begins to change. she dresses in all black, picks bitter fiights with her parents, and even gets a tattoo. mini knows somethings bothering her sistr, but kate wont talk to her like she used to.
then one day, kate disappears without a trace. in her determination to find kate, mini unveils a huge and shocking family secret.

it was a good book and the author does a really good job of putting everything together and leading up to the huge secret and mini trying to find kate.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give this three and a half stars, I would. I really enjoyed the realistic portrayal of family life (parents fight, and this isn't a major plot point), the friendships, and the family relationships. Like I said in my review of When You Reach Me, I read both books at the same time, and I kept getting the narrative voices confused, but this definitely came out on top for me. I wish they'd tweaked the cover a bit (the butterflies on the back and image on the front are way stronger than the text only version I've seen elsewhere, but if they used the text style from that cover on this image, I think the effect would be better), and yes, you can see the twist from a mile away, but overall this is a strong realistic story with good characters, discussing important issues.

[Kate Shanks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a book intended for middle grade students. 12-year-old Mini has always looked up to her older sister, Kate. The two sisters would share secrets, play made-up games, and laugh. But now Kate has begun acting strangely and is pulling away from the family. She even gets a butterfly tattoo on her upper shoulder without her parents' permission. Mini knows something is wrong, but she just can't figure out what it could be. Suddenly Kate disappears and Mini is determined to find her. I'm sure my female students would enjoy this book and the reading level is fairy easy. It just was too simplistic of a story for my taste.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short read with a little bit of mystery. The narrator is a 12 yr old girl with a love for geography. She's an interesting character and I wish the book delved deeper into who she was outside of her relationship with her sister. A fun, light read.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

ended up skimming. Nothing was there to keep my interest. We have heard the storyline before - and nothing new was added. (older sibling finds out she is adopted and that her birth mother has died - parents kept it from her until she finds a letter)

[*girlie* · Rating 4 out of 5]

idk

[Esther]

so far it seems like a good book that shows the struggle for a normal family... that's parents fight a lot... i really don't know much yet, im only on like the tenth chapter

[Rachel Poon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite good really! I won't tell you what's gonna happen later on in the story, I want YOU to find out yourself ;)

[Alice Au Yeung · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quite good.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of my favorite books!! You need to read this book!!

[Rebecca Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle school appropriate. A very engaging main character and a realistic portrayal of relationships between sisters and parents. The game the girls play is one I want to play too!