Chasing Secrets
By: Gennifer Choldenko
Rating: 5 of 5
“Chasing Secrets” is the story of a thirteen year old girl, Lizzie Kennedy, who is the daughter of a doctor. She lives in San Francisco in 1900 and lives with her father and older brother in the smaller of two houses owned by her well-to-do aunt and uncle. Her mother has passed away and her aunt now has a huge say in what she does, where she goes to school, and how she behaves. As her aunt and uncle are quite well known in society, Lizzie is being prepared for life as a social wife and mother. What she truly wants is to become a doctor like her father.
There is a rumor that plague has claimed lives in the Chinatown district of the city. The Kennedy family believes that their beloved servant, Jing, was in that part of the city when a quarantine is raised. They are trying to find him and get him released. While there is definitely a quarantine going on, there is a great debate over what illness is actually at fault.
The story is well told and is informative. It exposes some of the prejudices of the time (against race, gender, social status and the like) while staying true to a mystery story told for middle school and up. As an adult, I really enjoyed the story and would be happy to read more stories in the series. I liked the characters, the plot, and the author’s creative way of weaving actual history into the story.
The book does have some violence and sadness, so I would not give it to too young a child – I like it for teens and up. I would also be prepared to discuss some of the issues with the younger end of the spectrum of readers. All in all, an excellent read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
“Chasing Secrets” is the story of a thirteen year old girl, Lizzie Kennedy, who is the daughter of a doctor. She lives in San Francisco in 1900 and lives with her father and older brother in the smaller of two houses owned by her well-to-do aunt and uncle. Her mother has passed away and her aunt now has a huge say in what she does, where she goes to school, and how she behaves. As her aunt and uncle are quite well known in society, Lizzie is being prepared for life as a social wife and mother. What she truly wants is to become a doctor like her father.