Book 3

Book Review #3: “The Secret of Me”
The Secret of Me, written by Meg Kearney, is a novel in verse. The story chronicles a 14 year old girl named Lizzie who was adopted as an infant into family with a brother and a sister who are also adopted. Although Lizzie has a great family and a great group of friends she feels compelled to search for her biological mother. Through Lizzie’s poems we are taken on the roller coaster of emotions that she feels while trying to find her identity. Lizzie’s parents do not understand why Lizzie feels so compelled to search for her mother; they feel as though they are not good enough. Lizzie often feels as though she is broken or a “mistake before she was born,” she deals with it through writing poetry, they poetry that the reader enjoys. The author, Meg Kearney, is an “insider” on the issue and this book is based on her own adoption story. This is a great piece of adoption literature because it really gives the reader a sense of what a child feels once s/he is adopted. The Secret of Me gives a true realistic stance on adoption, one that balances all the typical joy with the turmoil one might feel from being adopted.