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Shelly Sanders
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Rachel's Secret (The Rachel Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Shelly Sanders (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Rachel is a Jew living in Kishinev, Russia. At fourteen, she has dreams of being a writer. But everything is put on hold when a young Christian man is murdered and Rachel is forced to keep the murderer’s identity a secret. Tensions mount and Rachel watches as lies and anti-Jewish propaganda leap off the pages of the local newspaper, inciting Christians to riot against the Jews. Violence breaks out on Easter Sunday, 1903, and when it finally ends, Rachel finds that the person she loves most is dead and that her home has been destroyed. Her main support comes surprisingly from a young Christian named Sergei. With everything against them, the two young people find comfort in their growing bond, one of the few signs of goodness and hope in a time of chaos and violence.
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  1. Reading age
    12 - 17 years
  2. Print length
    170 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    8 and up
  5. Publisher
    Second Story Press
  6. Publication date
    April 16, 2012
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1926920375
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An excellent discussion starter for exploring the history of anti-Semitism, Rachel’s Secret is recommended for readers ages 10 and up and will appeal to fans of similar novels such as Puppet by Eva Wiseman and The Night of the Burning by Linda Press Wulf. ― Jewish Book World

Rachel's Secret tells an important story of an historical event that seems to be overlooked in children's fiction. ― Resource Links

The well-written story gives readers a good portrayal of what life was like for Jews in pre-Revolutionary Russia. … The author’s vividly-drawn characters bring the historical period to life while personalizing the story. The reader is kept in suspense about what Rachel will do with her terrible secret. … (It) can spark an excellent discussion about how prejudice happens and how it can be used to distort true facts. ― AJL Reviews, Association of Jewish Libraries

Rachel’s Secret, a young reader’s novel by Shelly Sanders, tackles the pre-1903 period in Kishinev, and offers a dramatic and detailed depiction of the pogrom and its aftermath.... [Sanders] is deft at framing her narrative through the experiences of teenage boys and girls. ― Canadian Literature

Sanders has created a terrific heroine in Rachel. She is feisty and independent, as well as warm and loving. Although Rachel's dreams of being a writer in a bigger world set her apart from her sister and friends, Sanders has grounded her in realistic dialogue and authentic relationships. ― CM Magazine

This is an excellent candidate for a classroom study in social studies or language arts as well as individual reading for pleasure...The weaving of the personal with the historic is skillful and thought-provoking. This one is a must for a library serving youth. Hopefully, more books will follow from this author. ― VOYA Magazine

Rachel's Secret is a strong and recommended pick for historical fiction collections. ― The Midwest Book Review

I found this a very compelling story that was perhaps only a “young adult novel” with respect to the ages of its characters. Sanders writes beautifully and presents the moral dilemmas and struggles of teenagers with compassion and dignity. Rachel is indeed a heroine, but her story is not formulaic or easy. At the same time, I had no hesitation in passing this book along to my 10-year-old daughter and would recommend it widely. ― TheRecord.com

Sanders weaves a tale of catastrophe stemming from unbridled hatred, spreading of untruths, and lack of commitment to public safety on the part of officials...In an artful way throughout this absorbing, chilling tale, characters wonder what can stop the tragedy of hatred from overcoming community, a question that will prompt readers to wonder the same. ― Booklist

Critical for its underexplored subject. ― Kirkus Reviews

Rachel's Secret would be an excellent addition to a middle school or junior high school study of racism. And although good storytelling is its most important feature, it is also a textbook example of the eight stages of genocide. For example, Sanders integrates the headlines from the newspapers of the day to illustrate the cunning effect of propaganda on people unwilling to ask more questions. Sanders should be commended for her ability to provide the shocking facts of this story while keeping her young adult audience in mind. ― CM Magazine

This powerful and educational story, geared toward teenage readers, continues Second Story Press’ strong tradition of publishing books with strong female characters for teenagers and young adults. ― The Canadian Jewish News

This is a very powerful story...memorable in many details days after reading it. It's hard to imagine the suffering and terror felt by the Jewish people of Russia during the 1903 pogrom in Kishniev; but Shelly Sanders makes me feel as if I were standing on the streets, heart pounding and aware of the horror felt by all those persecuted. A family story from her grandmother, a survivor, is rife with the gripping reality of conditions at the time. ― Sal's Fiction Addiction Blog

Author Shelly Sanders shrewdly uses the character to give young readers someone to identify with while reading about horrifying events, an approach that renders the information much more accessible. ― Quill & Quire

What I found the most remarkable about Rachel’s Secret is that this book is based on real-life events. Truth be told, I was a little shaken after reading this. [...] A must-read for any historical fiction fan or those who love mysteries, Rachel’s Secret is just for you. -- Giselle San Miguel ― Book Nerd Canada blog

From the Inside Flap

European history, pogroms, Jewish-Christian relations

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GO994XU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Second Story Press (April 16, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 16, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 170 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Shelly Sanders

Shelly Sanders

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When I was eighteen, I discovered that my grandmother had been Jewish, but had given up her faith after escaping a Russian pogrom. I wanted to ask Nana about her experiences, but she'd died five years earlier.

I was sad that this information was withheld from me; I'd always envied religious people, and felt as if I'd missed out on something. When I became a mother, years later, the need to learn more about my grandmother flourished.

From Nana's sister, I found out that their family left Russia when fires were set in their village. They fled to Shanghai. After high school, Nana worked for a couple of years, and learned English. Then, she went alone by ship to California, worked as a nanny and completed a science degree in 1930 from the University of California, at Berkley.

My grandmother gave up her Judaism when she met my grandfather. They settled in Montreal where Jews were not welcome.

I wondered if Nana ever regretted her decision, was impressed by the forward-thinking woman she'd been, and had to know more about what life would have been like in pre-revolutionary Russia.

Rachel's Secret came out of this compulsion to understand my grandmother, to get inside her head. I named and created the main character after Nana, a smart, willful woman determined to escape the limitations thrust on Jewish women.

Because I wasn't raised Jewish. I wanted to see both sides: how did pogroms look to a non-Jew? As a journalist, I'm fanatic about accuracy, and carefully researched the period and culture.

Now, I wish I could tell Nana that her difficult journey to Canada inspired me to write my first book, that her struggle with religion has given me a healthy dose of skepticism, and that her determination to get a degree in a foreign country and language has instilled in me a perseverance which keeps me going, even on my darkest days.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Sarah L. Gruwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic and moving start to this trilogy
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A promising start to this trilogy, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. YA novels are sometimes a toss-up; they can be shockingly awesome or heaping piles of stinky stuff. It all depends on which part of the YA audience the author is targeting, I think, and how much effort goes into telling a truly great story. This one falls on the awesome side.

    First off, I was surprised by how much the author DIDN’T shy away from the tragedy, drama, suspense, and horror that revolve around the early 20th century pogroms in Russia. Events are shown in all their horrific and bloody boldness; giving the reader an immediate portrayal of these sad historical events.

    I found this go-for-broke portrayal refreshing as its stuff that the younger generations really need to be exposed to, in my opinion. But if you want to protect your kids longer, maybe screen this one first.

    I admired the amount of real historical research that was incorporated into the storyline, too. Real people and real event sequences found themselves woven into Rachel’s story with seamless effort. The times and effort the author put into getting her facts right shows.

    Our leads, Rachel and Sergei, made me invested in the story even more. Very human and understandably young, the story in these horrific surroundings seems more immediate due to them. Rachel is trying to find an identity for herself outside of her society’s expectations, dreaming dreams bigger than her circumstances. Sergei is rebelling against the expectations of his father as well, standing up for his dreams of a different life as well as his own inner moral code that differs significantly from his fathers. How these two deal with the trauma and tragedy of the Kishinev pogrom pulled at the heartstrings and made me live the events with them.

    This was a winner of a YA historical novel. The author took her time in her research and portrayal, giving homage to the original material at the same time making it her own for her story. Brutality wasn’t shied away from, giving the book extra weight. Our lead characters made the story very immediate and close to my heart, their young eyes providing fresh horror and depth to the intolerance of anti-Semitism. This is the first in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to follow Rachel and Sergei as they travel the world and follow their dreams.
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  • Deb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Debut Novel! First Book In a Trilogy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is the first book in Shelly Sanders' trilogy that tells of the experiences of a young girl in Russia during the late 1800's early 1900's. Although the characters are fictional, the many of the events that occurred during that time period actually occurred including the Russian pogroms and the discrimination against Jewish people.

    The characters in the story are likable, and the book is appropriate for children in grades 6 through adult.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Morris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and Emotional
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
    I don’t even know where to start in describing the importance and emotional impact of “Rachel’s Secret.”

    The most important aspect, to me, is that it fills a crucial gap in the historical fiction genre available to middle readers. Set in pre-revolutionary Russia, it explores the divide between Christians and Jews. Many unfamiliar words and sayings are introduced and explained in a way which feels natural to the flow of the story. The history is not limited to the Jews and life for all people in Russia at the time is portrayed in an accurate, yet easily understood, manner. Details of the horrors of pogroms are not sugar-coated, which shows a respect for the reader that I am sure they will recognize as well as appreciate.

    The plot itself revolves around a murder which the protagonist, Rachel, witnesses and is forced to keep a secret due to all of the discrimination and corruption found in Russia at the time. It’s a catalyst that adds some suspense and keeps the reader engaged, while also presenting an opening into the complex world in which they live. I can’t applaud the author enough for making the book so educational without being dry.

    I highly recommend “Rachel’s Secret” to all of those who are responsible for acquiring books for middle and high school library collections or classrooms. Those who home school will find it a good opening to Eastern European history. It’s a wonderful resource that will appeal to reluctant readers and advanced readers alike.

    This review is based upon a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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