I was not a fan of this whatsoever. The premise was exciting to me, but a quarter in and I was pretty much done... I noticed this was short so I kept going. There is no character development. I know their names and that's about the extent of it. It was really hard to establish even a general age of the children because sometimes they would say things wise beyond their years and other times they said things that threw you off your guess. The parental relationship with the children was strange. The conversations throughout the book felt unnatural. The book was resolved around 70% in, leaving the final 30% dull and slow, but that's not to say the first portion was fast-paced by any means.

This was such a short and sweet book. I loved the lessons surrounding the truth and family and the idea that family is not just blood. I think that's such a great storyline and a topic we need more books about. I would definitely recommend it to some of my younger readers.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Great middle grade book! putting on my want to buy list for sure, loved it!

For a big issue, this is a fairly short and simple story as we have come to expect from MacLachlan. The big secret is telegraphed pretty transparently throughout the rest of the book so there isn't much surprise. And for such a big secret the emotions aren't very intense. The kids are a bit too idealized as well.

I thought this story was a wonderful way to introduce middle grade readers to one of the different family dynamics that exists (in this case an adopted sibling). It was easy to read and paced well for the age range as well! It think the story shows that sibling bonds are stronger than blood and that some secrets are kept in the interest of preventing heartbreak.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, the narrator, and the publisher for allowing me to review the audiobook!

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book! This book was a super cute book about a loving family and I really enjoyed it!

Sarah, Plain and Tall. It has been decades since I had seen that movie but it made a huge impact on me. To see Patricia MacLachlan's name as the author of this book easily drew my attention. I got this ARC as a digitized audiobook for review and found it to be a delightful read.

Birdy sees her mother spitting in a tube. Her mother explains why she did it. This raises Birdy's curiosity and so she sneaks and does it. This gives opportunity to let Birdy learn that she is adopted. She has always felt loved by her parents and by her siblings Nora and Ben. However, as a child who already kept secrets, how will she keep this one?

There are many, many blended families, families brought together by adoption. There are mixes of birth children and adopted children. This book would be a wonderful read to teach children why adoption is so valuable. So necessary. It would also be a good tool to prove that love transcends any lines. That secrets are not always necessary. That truth might make things easier.

If Nora and Ben learn Birdy's secret will this keep the family close or will this fracture them?

Many thanks to Katherine Tegen Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This is a lovely story of family, secrets, and adoption. I think elementary students will enjoy this one, especially those who have read some of her other books.

This is a short and sweet story about adoption and genetics. I enjoyed the story and it would be a great read for any adolescent who has experience with, or an interest in adoption and families. This was a short, well-written book with realistic young characters. It did not make a big impact or impression on me, but I think it could have that affect on other readers.

Who doesn't love Sarah, Plain and Tall? I was excited to read a new book by Patricia Maclachlan. This was a nice modern take on genetic testing. I appreciated the genetic and poetic aspects of this short and sweet book. I will order this for my middle school. It's a very short and sweet story about adoption, and when is a good time to tell a child they are adopted? How long do you keep it a secret or tell siblings?

Thank you so much to @Netgalley @Harperaudio and @PatriciaMacLachlan for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of both the ebook and audiobook versions of A Secret Shared.

When I saw that this was an adoption-themed book I requested it right away. Ultimately, I ended up being disgusted by it. First of all, this book is set in current times (DNA testing) so why was it a secret that the youngest child in a family was adopted? Unless the kids are all the same age (they weren't), how did they not notice a baby showing up one day without their mother being pregnant? What really, really ticked me off was when the adoptive father told his adopted daughter, "I am your true father." As an adoptive parent, I can assure you that the bullshit in this book is thick. If you want to give kids a terribly inaccurate view of adoption, this is the book. If you want a more realistic and adoption-positive story, look elsewhere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an audio ARC.

This is such a cute little short story about adoption, perfect for middle graders.
I absolutely loved all the characters, as well as the story line.

The following points were made and I just love it:
- The truth is always the best option.
- Sometimes adults are wrong when a child is right.
- Family is not always about blood.
- Everyone has secrets.
- You are never too old to find a new talent.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook arc!

This was a reflective story of a family that learns about their DNA results after taking a DNA test.
The older siblings Nora and Ben (twins), learn that their young sister is not biologically related to them. They learn what it means to be connected as a family.

I found the overall message to be positive and sweet, however, the narration of the audiobook made it difficult for the characters to sound authentic and real.

Nora and Ben learn from a DNA test that their sister Birdy is adopted. Immediately- naturally- they wonder why their parents kept it a secret. They start to pay more attention to their parents in order to figure out the truth of the story.

If I was an elementary librarian, I’d definitely buy this book. At the middle school level, this feels a bit too simplistic. The message is clear and could be a good title for teachers looking to teach theme.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook advanced copy of this title.

3.5 stars

Maclachlan's stories always seem so simple but blended in with the slower pace of this story are valid feelings and fears, genuine love and care in relationships, and characters that feel so real.

Some of the scenes in the story required me to shut down my adult brain and suspend my disbelief. I think, for the age group this book is written for, children probably won't have this issue regarding some of the simplicity of certain events.

While not my all-time fave book from MacLachlan, I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to recommend it to my library friends.

A Secret Shared is a sweet family story about adoption and what it really means to be family, suitable for younger to middle grades. Nora and Ben are twins who accidentally discover that their little sister is adopted. Birdy likes to keep secrets, and when their mother was sending off a DNA kit for discovering your ancestry, she also spit in a vial and sent if off without anybody knowing. When it comes back showing totally different origins than the rest of the family, the twins are baffled and start to investigate and uncover their parents’ secrets and find out how Birdy came to be part of their family.

I’m sure there is a market for this kind of book, because why else would so many MG novels follow this asinine trying-for-a-Newberry formula? Soooo boring and cloying. This read like an early reader. Most of the sentences in the book were three to four words. Thank goodness it was short. (Although I wish I would’ve stopped when I first had the impulse.) I received this robot-audio copy from NetGalley for review. (This review was shared on Goodreads)

This middle grade book explores family secrets and their impact.

For the target audience, I felt this was a good entrance into the idea that parents hide things from their children, and that when things aren't shared openly it can lead to kids feeling distrustful of their support system and uncertain of how to navigate that. There were a lot of complicated feelings that would have been nice to see explored further.

A short read that resolves itself unrealistically easily, but at the heart of it, it encourages families to share the truth even when it's hard, which is a good practice to learn.

***Thank you to Harper Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

This was such a short but sweet read. From what I can tell, it's about how two siblings find out that their third sibling is adopted and how they grapple with finding it out as a surprise. I think it's a great story for all the step-half- and adopted siblings there are out there.

I appreciate the shorter middle grade stories, those that meet the needs of 3rd/4th grade, but I just couldn’t find myself thoroughly enjoying this story. As someone who is adopted it was definitely an odd way of introducing it, but it did have great family connection portrayed. For my struggling readers needing a shorter realistic fiction story, this would serve those needs. Especially if they’re a Patricia reader.