Miriam’s Secret
Published: October 17, 2017
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Genres: Fiction Ages 8-12
Named to Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year 2018 edition
Shortlisted for 2018 Hackmatack Award
Named to Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens 2018 edition
Miriam’s Secret is inspired by stories that Debby’s mother and aunts told her about what it was like growing up on a farm in rural upstate New York between World War I and World War II, when theirs was the only Jewish family in the area. The novel begins when 11-year-old Miriam travels from her home in Brooklyn to stay with her grandparents on their farm while her parents travel to eastern Europe to bring relatives to America. No families or children live nearby; it’s just Miriam, her grandparents, and the hired men, all of whom are hoboes who jump off trains that pass alongside the farm. Miriam’s only friends are the kittens born in the barn just before she arrives — but she can’t stop thinking that there is someone in the barn, a human someone, someone watching her…
Reviews:
Ruth Latta, CM Magazine, wrote:
Miriam’s Secret is an inspiring story populated by characters with a positive outlook on life. … [A] gentle novel which furthers goodwill and understanding.
Kirkus wrote:
A warmhearted holiday tale successfully portrays an underrepresented corner of American Judaism.
Gwenyth Henning, School Library Connection, wrote:
Although this book takes the reader back in time to the days of Lindberg’s flying machine, the theme is timeless: we are more similar than we are different. … Filled to the brim with literary devices like foreshadowing, imagery, and similes, this title will be a welcome addition to any elementary school teacher’s language arts block.
Monique Polak, award-winning author of What World Is Left, wrote:
A wonderful, tantalizing and tender tale about how, despite our differences, we all long for the same things: friendship, connection and a sense of purpose.
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, award-winning author of Making Bombs for Hitler, wrote:
An endearing story about the power of acceptance.
Leanne Lieberman, author of The Most Dangerous Thing, wrote:
In this heart-warming novel about a secret friendship, Debby Waldman tells a story bound up in America’s history of depression-era hobos. As Miriam grapples with keeping her friend’s secret or doing the right thing, Waldman adeptly brings history alive, painting an engaging portrait of minorities in a small town and showing that cultural differences can bring people together.
