The Secrets We Keep

January 23, 2017
Four months ago, sophomore Clem went to a field party where she believes she was the last person to see Kit, an autistic classmate who was found drowned in the quarry the next day. Clem’s best friend Ellie dragged Clem to the bash, so Ellie could hook up with her crush, Mac. Clem didn’t reveal any information about the night to the police, and only Ellie knows Clem let Kit wander off alone; she uses this secret to manipulate Clem into covering for her when she sneaks around with hot-headed Mac. Now, Kit’s mother is seeking closure and pressuring students to step forward with any information about her son’s death. Clem feels very alone until Jake, a friend turned crush, opens up about his own connections to Kit and the party, leading to further revelations. Loughead (Rise of the Zombie Scarecrows) is less successful in passages that compare Clem’s guilt to that of Macbeth, or that get preachy regarding digital addiction. Clem’s lingering guilt makes her a compelling narrator but most of the other characters are not given much depth. Ages 12–up.

December 1, 2016
Secrets and lies and guilt and shame choke this mild thriller.Autistic teen Kit is found dead after disappearing from an end-of-school celebration. Narrator Clem was the last to see Kit alive and blames herself for his death--they were members of a Circle of Friends, a middle school group whose mission was to support Kit. Instead of keeping an eye on Kit in the noisy dark of the party, she was staring at her crush. Clem's not the only one hiding something. Her best friend, Ellie, is acting suspicious, and Clem's childhood pal Jake has a secret, too: he brought Kit to the party and blames himself for the outcome of that fateful night. Together, Clem and Jake set out to locate anyone else who saw Kit during his last moments in order to exonerate themselves. Unfortunately, it just doesn't hold together. One-dimensional parents, the whimsical treatment of autism (Kit's mother refers to him as "inspiring," and Clem wants Kit to be the theme of the theater class revue), the ease with which Clem forgives blackmailer Ellie for her trespasses, and Ellie's excuse-making for her volatile boyfriend mar what could have been an intriguing read. Race is not mentioned, implying that the characters are white. Too many flaws to make it worthy of precious reading time. (Mystery. 12-16)

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December 1, 2016
Grades 7-10 Ever since Kit died, Clem has blamed herself for being the last person to see him alive and for not possibly preventing a horrible accident. Guilt-stricken, she allows her former best friend Ellie to blackmail her, in order to keep her secret safe. When Kit's high-profile lawyer mother pleads with students to come forward with information, since she suspects there may have been foul play involved, Clem teams up with Jake, a classmate who also feels responsibility in Kit's death. As they work together, they begin to learn that everyone seems to be keeping secrets; can they sort the truth from the lies and find out what really happened the night Kit died? One weakness with the plot is an almost didactic message about the need to unplug from electronics. Yes, Clem not being allowed to use her cell phone allows her to escape the wrath of Ellie, but occasionally the message becomes repetitive and a bit heavy-handed. Still, Loughead's mystery is a short and fast-paced one, and the accessible language makes it particularly well suited to reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)