A Summer Secret

Written by Kathleen Fuller

Narrated by Lauren Berst

In the Mysteries of Middlefield series, readers will be immersed into exciting mysteries and authentic Amish culture.

With a twin brother and five younger brothers, Mary Beth Mullet’s house is in constant chaos. Her parents don’t seem to mind the noise, but she needs a break from all the pestering and babysitting.

It’s the summer before eighth grade, and Mary Beth plans to escape to her secret place as much as possible. The old barn in the neighboring field is dangerous, and her parents have forbidden her to go there, but she escapes to it as often as she can.

Mary Beth soon discovers she is not alone in the barn. Someone is living there; someone who needs help. Can Mary Beth help the stranger without losing her secret place? And what if the barn is as dangerous as her parents say it is?

Readers will identify with Mary Beth’s struggles for peace and independence and be engrossed in the excitement and danger of A Summer Secret.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tommy Nelson
• Release date: Feb 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781404118201

Kathleen Fuller

With over two million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the USA TODAY bestselling author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: @kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: @WriterKathleenFuller; Twitter: @TheKatJam.

Reviews for A Summer Secret

[drebbles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With three brothers always in her way, thirteen year old Mary Beth longs for a place where she can be by herself for awhile and write in her journal. She finds such a place in an abandoned barn and relishes her time there but not for long. She has reason to suspect that someone else is staying in the barn. When Mary Beth and her brother Johnny find out who is staying in the barn, they have some major decisions to make.Kathleen Fuller, author of two adult books set in the Amish Community (A Man of His Word (Hearts of Middlefield Series, Book 1) and An Honest Love (Hearts of Middlefield Series, Book 2)) has started a new series aimed at young adults and "A Summer Secret" is the delightful first book in the series. The book reminded me vaguely of the first book in the Trixie Belden series that I loved as a kid (The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden #1)) and if this series is as good as the early books in the Trixie Belden series readers are in for a real treat. Readers with younger (or older) siblings will empathize with Mary Beth wanting a place to call her own where she can be by herself, write in her journal and draw. While the book is set in the Amish Community where religion and simple living play a major part, Mary Beth and her siblings are normal children, only perhaps with more chores. The book teaches readers about the Amish faith without preaching about it. Sawyer (I love that name!) provides a good contrast to the Amish life - in some ways he represents the reader as he ask questions about things like the way the Amish dress. While the book is labeled a mystery, Mary Beth and Johnny solve it pretty quickly - the book is really about keeping secrets and figuring out when and how to do the right thing for all involved.While "A Summer Secret" is aimed at young adult readers, older readers who read the first two books in Fuller's "Hearts of Middlefield" series may want to read it since it is directly connected to that series, especially An Honest Love (Hearts of Middlefield Series, Book 2) - if you want to know what happened to certain characters in that book you'll definitely want to read "A Summer Secret"."A Summer Secret" is a nicely done young adult novel set in the Amish community.

[suedleatherman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A Summer Secret is a story about at 13-year-old Amish girl, Mary Beth Mullet, and her family who live in the Amish community of Middlefield, Ohio. Mary Beth is going thru the typical tribulations of a thirteen year old who often resents her parents' discipline and is totally annoyed by her three brothers. She finds an old abandoned barn in the neighboring fields and decides to use it as her place of retreat where she can read and write in her journal even though her father has told the children that the old barn is off limits. Mary Beth soon discovers that her twin brother, Johnny, knows where her secret hideaway is and threatens to tattle on her unless she allows him to use the barn as a hideaway too. From the very beginning Mary Beth and Johnny seem to get into all kinds of trouble because they disobey their parents. Soon the two children suspect that someone else is using the abandoned barn and discover the "outsider" or "Yankee," Sawyer Thompson. Sawyer has run away from a foster home because his foster parents beat him. The two Mullet children befriend Sawyer and try to help him. Serious events begin to happen that challenge these three children to question their behavior and make important decisions in their lives. I had looked forward to reading this book with the idea that it would be a young adult mystery! There really was no mystery and I do not think that a young adult would get past the first couple of chapters before setting it down. It's wordy. The author over describes the characters and the surroundings. Fuller uses a smattering of German words thrown in among a modern dialogue, which seems more contrived than realistic. It's preachy. "Follow the Golden Rules" screams at the reader. I was very disappointed. I believe that the only readers who would enjoy this book are parents that are trying to shelter their teens from the real world with real challenges and real consequences. Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.