Sarah's Secret (ALLY O'CONNOR ADVENTURES) Paperback – Import, 1 January 2002

The second book in the series, the author has done an AMAZING job at tackling a very difficult subject of alcoholism and spousal/child abuse. I have to admit though that the story plot did surprise me after the exiting adventure the kids had in the first book, Tracks in the Sand. This book is completely different and it may not be for every family. Sarah, the "star" of this book, along with her Korean mother, are abused by Mr. Matthews. He is very authoritarian and when he has been drinking hits out at them causing them physical harm.Sarah is a newcomer at Ally, Nick, Molly and John's school. (We don't hear about Kelly, John's sister in this story at all.) Sarah is an extremely proficient gymnast but when the kids try to make friends with Sarah, they also tangle with Mr. Matthews. Wanting to help, at the beginning they probably do more harm than good. Once again, due to the very sensible advice from their parents, they learn not to question Sarah too much and show her that they just want to be friends. Of course they cannot understand why Sarah and her mother will not report their abuse to the police which is a common "problem".The story gets very hairy towards the end and our kids wouldn't let me put the book down until it was finished. Once again, some kids may not be able to handle the reality of this story whilst for others it may help them understand what other families go through. This is a Christian book and throughout, the kids are praying and having to learn to trust that God will sort it all out. Not an easy lesson to learn. I'm not sure this is a book I would let my kids read independently first but that is for each parent to judge, depending on the maturity of your child. Well written. Thanks, Liz

Very satisfied with my book and the service I received.