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. ( )

13 year old Mary Beth Mullet and her twin brother, Johnny, discover someone staying in the old barn. Mary Beth herself escapes to the barn when she needs time to alone. Solving the mystery of who and why leads to something unexpected and dangerous.

In Middlefield, Ohio Mart Beth Mullet was growing up in an old order Amish community the same but different as the one in Lancaster County, but wore a different dress code and called everyone that was not Amish Yankee instead of Englisher.

Mary Beth was thirteen and had a twin brother and two younger ones, so she was always trying to get away from them to be alone to write and sketch.

There was an old a banded barn on the next property and it was leaning and rotten and the parents told the children never to go into it. Mary Beth didn’t feel that way about it and had started going there to be alone. She had carried snacks and a blanket and also left her sketchbook under her blanket. She started noticing things moved or missing so she begins to think that maybe she didn’t have as much stash as she thought. Then she found a button on the floor of the barn and she knew that her family didn’t use buttons. One day her twin brother followed her down to the barn and then the mysteries begin.

They would tell their parents, as they knew there would be trouble for disobeying. Who was in the barn as no one was supposed to go there. She hated to have to share it with her brother Johnny but she knew he would tell Mami and Daed and they would be in trouble for sure.

In a thunder storm lighting hit the barn and it burned, but was they mysterious person still in there? Mary Beth and Johnny finally told Mami and Daed they were so afraid. But sometimes even if we do things that we were told not to do something good can come from it. God has a plan and if we follow him, everything will be in His will.

I was furnished a free copy of this book by Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program. In no way does this alter my opinion of this book. ( )

Contrary to the impression given in the book description, the mystery mentioned was actually no great mystery. It is easily and quickly solved early on in the book. There is a mystery which remains unsolved but it is not the one you expected. Still, I enjoyed Mary Beth and her twin brother, Johnny's attempts to identify the person who has encroached on their secret place. It was almost like taking a trip down memory lane to those first childhood detective stories I'd read before.

The real story of A Summer Secret is how Mary Beth and Johnny handle what happens after discovering Sawyer, the orphaned runaway they find hiding in the old barn. True to their upbringing, the twins try their best to help Sawyer without frightening him off but soon realize they may have bitten off more than they can chew. I found this part of the story engrossing; Sawyer's fears of being dragged back to the foster home and the twins dilemma on how to get help for Sawyer while keeping him hidden engaged both my sympathy and interest.

Best of all is the depiction of the main protagonist's character. Mary Beth is a very real 13-year old. She's responsible and wants more than anything to be thought of as dependable by her parents but she also isn't averse to disobeying them when she believes she can away with it. Of course, she does learn the importance of adhering to her parents' injunctions at the end of the story but she wouldn't be a believable person without these moments of defiance.

As a plus, I got a glimpse into the lives of the Amish. At first, there is a sense of incredulity. It was as if these people had been displaced by time. Once you get used to it however, it is just a different way to live.

The only negative for me was the resolution of Sawyer's problem at the end. I find it very hard to believe that things could be so easily solved. I love happy endings but I just find the answer to Sawyer's situation a bit hard to swallow.

Still, A Summer Secret is an enjoyable enough read. I wouldn't purposefully search out the next book in the series but I wouldn't reject it either if I came across the book.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I am not required to write a positive review; the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations. ( )

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. ( )