Bookworm for Kids: Secrets in Translation by Margo Sorenson

Today's read hit the shelves in 2018, but I haven't had a chance to dive into the tale, yet. It swirls around Italy and the life there as a girl does her best to find herself and her roots during a longer visit. It's got quite a few great reviews and promises heart, emotions, and even romance. But I just thought Italy and romance sounded like an ideal summer mix.

Let's see how good this one really is.

SECRETS IN TRANSLATION

by Margo Sorenson

Fitzroy Books

YA Romance

244 pages

In this celebration of Italian life and culture, seventeen-year-old Alessandra returns for the summer to Italy, where she grew up. Pressured by her parents into babysitting a rebellious twelve year old—ruining holiday plans with newfound American friends—Alessandra resigns herself to a tedious summer in Positano.

Her babysitting gig, however, turns out to be anything but boring! Not only does Alessandra fall for the handsome son of the Bertolucci family, renowned for their limoncello production, but when a body mysteriously turns up on the beach, the influence of organized crime in Positano becomes frighteningly real. As Alessandra is drawn further into an elaborate conspiracy, she must risk everything to protect herself, her family, and those she loves, and in the process finds herself—and her Italian heart.

GOODREADS / AMAZON / PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

The beauty of Italy comes to life, while a young woman struggles to find her place but ends up facing a danger she never would have expected to find.

Alessandra (Alex) returns to Italy for the summer after moving to the US. She's not thrilled, especially when she's put in charge of a twelve-year-old girl, who is anything but simple and keeps her on her toes. But while trying to deal with the difficult pre-teen, she meets a very interesting guy. Just when the vacation appears it might be looking up, a dead body turns up on the beach and the organized crime running the place hits with harsh reality. Suddenly, Alex is facing an entirely new level of problems, and the stakes couldn't be higher since it involves the lives of not only her family but even her own.

There's so much to enjoy in this novel, and it makes sure to twist everything in the right way at the right time to keep the reader in the pages the entire way through. While the beginning takes on a more teen-drama start with Alex having to deal with an unwanted baby-sitting task and ruining her hopes, it melds into more than the usual romance like some novels for this age group tend to do. Instead, mystery and thrilling moments come in. The tension doesn't start right away as the reader is first drawn into the setting. Italy, the culture, and the life show their beauty and enjoyable sides. It will have the reader wishing they could be there, too. But just as these aspects begin to work their magic, little drips of tension begin to filter in. It grows little by little until the action and mystery take control. It's well-paced, carries heart, and makes even my 'action-fan' side smile.

As for the romance, this wasn't as sugar-sweet as I feared it might be. Instead, it holds the dreamy beginnings but adds just enough twist to make it interesting and slide right in with the quicker pacing as the read continues. It's hard to guess what will happen even on this front.

This is an enjoyable read, which offers Italian goodness while giving so much more and promises readers anything but a boring read.

And here she is...

Author of over thirty traditionally-published books for young readers, Margo Sorenson spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, devouring books and Italian food and still speaks (or tries!) four-and-a-half languages. A national award-winning former middle and high school teacher, Margo has also won national recognition and awards for her books, including a New York Times choice as “One of the Best Children’s Books About Books,” ALA Quick Pick Nominations, SCBWI Recommended Reading List selections, recommendations from Multicultural Review, and was named a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in YA Fiction. After having lived in Hawaii and Minnesota, Margo and her husband live in Southern California, where she tries not to over-pun her friends and family.