Blog Tour- I Know Your Secret, Daphne Benedis-Grab

I KNOW YOUR SECRET
by Daphne Benedis-Grab

Scholastic Press
On sale December 7, 2021
Ages 8 to 12; Grades 3 to 7

About the Book

One of Us is Lying meets Pretty Little Liars for middle-grade readers.

The email arrives Sunday night: Do exactly what I say, when I say it, or I will reveal your secret.

On Monday morning, seventh graders Owen, Gemma, Ally, and Todd, who have nothing in common and barely know each other, must work together and follow the instructions of an anonymous blackmailer. None of them want to go along with the blackmailer’s instructions, but each of them have a secret they must protect at all costs.

Set during a single day of school, the students race against the clock to complete a disquieting set of tasks, with fast-paced chapters detailing each moment of the day interspersed with a later interview-style recording made by the quartet.

I Know Your Secret is an exploration of why we conceal the truth, how far we’ll go to keep it hidden, and the power of being honest.

Book Links

Goodreads
Amazon
Bookshop
B&N
Indigo
Google Books

About the Author

Daphne is the author of middle-grade books including Clementine for Christmas, and The Angel Tree, and young adult books including The Girl in the Wall. Her short stories have appeared in American Girl Magazine. She earned an MFA at The New School and a School Media Library Specialist degree from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science. She lives in New York City with her husband, kids, and cat who has been known to keep her computer warm while she is away from her desk.

Author Links

Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

My Thoughts

Four seventh-graders receive a text: I Know Your Secret. Forced to comply with the blackmailer to keep those secrets under wraps, they must work together to appease the blackmailer. Even if it means they do some pretty questionable things over the course of the day.

While I read a lot of YA, I don’t tend to read middle grade, so this was a different read for me. It was a nice change of pace. I liked how the author recognized Covid had happened but had moved past it in the storyline. I liked how each of the secrets was unique to the person and felt dire to them in the way things can in middle school. The story unfolded in a fun way, with each task getting more questionable. The kids had nothing in common at the start, but the shared tasks brought them together. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read.