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Urban Underground #12
Dark Secrets
Cesar Chavez HS Series; At school it looks like Naomi and Clay are just a happy couple. But there's a darkness in him. He doesn't treat Naomi right. He's jealous and spiteful. So why does Naomi put up with a guy like Clay? Dark secrets, every family has them, but some are darker than others.
Written for young adults, the Urban Underground series confronts issues that are of great importance to teens, such as friendship, loyalty, drugs, gangs, abuse, urban blight, bullies, and self-esteem to name a few. More than entertainment, these books can be a powerful learning and coping tool when a struggling reader connects with credible characters and a compelling storyline. The highly readable style and mature topics will appeal to young adult readers of both sexes and encourage them to finish each novel.
Written for young adults, the Urban Underground series confronts issues that are of great importance to teens, such as friendship, loyalty, drugs, gangs, abuse, urban blight, bullies, and self-esteem to name a few. More than entertainment, these books can be a powerful learning and coping tool when a struggling reader connects with credible characters and a compelling storyline. The highly readable style and mature topics will appeal to young adult readers of both sexes and encourage them to finish each novel. Paperback books look and feel like a trade edition and are complete in just under 200 pages
Written for young adults, the Urban Underground series confronts issues that are of great importance to teens, such as friendship, loyalty, drugs, gangs, abuse, urban blight, bullies, and self-esteem to name a few. More than entertainment, these books can be a powerful learning and coping tool when a struggling reader connects with credible characters and a compelling storyline. The highly readable style and mature topics will appeal to young adult readers of both sexes and encourage them to finish each novel.
Written for young adults, the Urban Underground series confronts issues that are of great importance to teens, such as friendship, loyalty, drugs, gangs, abuse, urban blight, bullies, and self-esteem to name a few. More than entertainment, these books can be a powerful learning and coping tool when a struggling reader connects with credible characters and a compelling storyline. The highly readable style and mature topics will appeal to young adult readers of both sexes and encourage them to finish each novel. Paperback books look and feel like a trade edition and are complete in just under 200 pages
- GenresRealistic Fiction
183 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2010
15 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Anne E. Schraff
294 books407 followersAnne Elaine Schraff grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University at Northridge and taught high school for ten years.
Anne paid her way through college by writing short stories for magazines. Since college she has written hundreds of stories and over eighty books including historical fiction, biographies, science books, and her favorite, fictional books for young people. She is published as both Anne Schraff and Anne E. Schraff.
Her background, which she describes as "multicultural, lower middle-class neighborhood, including African Americans, Mexican Americans, Arab Americans, and Filipino Americans," is her greatest inspiration when writing.
Anne paid her way through college by writing short stories for magazines. Since college she has written hundreds of stories and over eighty books including historical fiction, biographies, science books, and her favorite, fictional books for young people. She is published as both Anne Schraff and Anne E. Schraff.
Her background, which she describes as "multicultural, lower middle-class neighborhood, including African Americans, Mexican Americans, Arab Americans, and Filipino Americans," is her greatest inspiration when writing.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 10, 2018
This book is really good too. I like because it is a real story that made you think about model real problems in our world.
October 3, 2014
i think these books would be nice to read because i read your books at home these books are great i want to read alll of it
February 1, 2018
Anne Schraff the author of this book "Dark Secrets" this book is very interesting because it has events that happen in real life. I rate this book 5 stars because some people could relate to this book. This book changed the way I thought of this world. Ernesto is the main character and he goes to the highschool.
His best friend Naomi is dating a guy named Clay, but something isn't right with him. He always mkaes fun of Naomi, but she still stays with him. And one day he snapped at Naomi you have to read to find out what happened! The theme of this book is the dark secrets that families hide, they might seem like the perfect family but things happen behind the door. My favorite part of the book was when Ernesto kept standing up for Naomi when Clay would be mean to her. If you enjoy reading dark or horror stuff then you will love this book, you actually feel the emotions of the characters. And it is so interesting.
His best friend Naomi is dating a guy named Clay, but something isn't right with him. He always mkaes fun of Naomi, but she still stays with him. And one day he snapped at Naomi you have to read to find out what happened! The theme of this book is the dark secrets that families hide, they might seem like the perfect family but things happen behind the door. My favorite part of the book was when Ernesto kept standing up for Naomi when Clay would be mean to her. If you enjoy reading dark or horror stuff then you will love this book, you actually feel the emotions of the characters. And it is so interesting.
November 4, 2017
I liked this YA novel as it explored domestic violence and behavior that teens should discuss openly. Great effort!
June 16, 2018
A contemporary topics read, addressing many teenage issues. Primarily a book about a girl in an abusive relationship it also concerns drunk driving, bullying and just surviving high school.
October 3, 2019
Real life events that kids and adults deal with. Great book that teaches a lesson to strive to have a better life.
November 6, 2013
Schraff wrote her book, Dark Secrets, as more than entertainment for young adults. Hoping to come across individuals who face similar issues as her characters, Dark Secrets is designed to teach and help teens deal with their situations. It teaches us that we aren’t alone. Someone always has a secret darker than yours. Dark Secrets will forever leave a lasting value on those who really connect. In your mind you can picture the scenes replaying once you’re involved in one of these scenarios head on.
Dark Secrets is incredibly well written. The author develops a readable style with mature topics for both males and females to understand. Anne Schraff gives great advice when she begins the storyline with the interaction of two fathers’ from noticeably different backgrounds. For example, the main character’s father exhibits great relationship values as he states, “You oughtn’t be calling your wife names, especially not in front of the boy there. That’s his mother man. So she made a mistake and let the dog out. Okay. But you need to respect her. She’s your wife. You don’t throw words like ‘stupid’ and ‘moron’ around” (Schraff 9). Schraff has a simple way of getting little hints across to those she want to affect with her writing. Small values like respect can go a long way for a person who grew up in a non-respectable household.
As a person who never likes to read, Dark Secrets is very captivating. Every emotion is felt during this emotional rollercoaster of a book. As the main character, Ernesto, and his crush, Naomi, had a conversation on the way to hospital, it got interesting. Naomi’s cheerleading teammate got into a terrible accident as she explains, “A car came along and hit Tessie. Claudia wasn’t struck, but Tessie was thrown about ten feet. Her right leg was broken, and she was in a coma for about two days” (Schraff 22). As a cheerleader, this creates a soft spot. You begin to worry what will happen next. Is she okay? Will her team be there for her? Anne Schraff knows that somehow the reader will be touched by at least one of her scenes because these are actual connections to high schoolers.
The greatest strength of the book, Dark Secrets, is that it’s told to interest young adults who face similar things in life or for pure entertainment. You always try to predict what will happen next because you think you know it, but the author will prove you wrong. As Naomi and Ernesto try to figure out who hit Tessie, we automatically think its Naomi’s brother as she points out, “Sometimes I think he drives the car when he shouldn’t” (Schraff 36). It sounds right from the exact description of his car, but it’s not him. Tricking the reader’s mind creates a great plot twist that everyone loves. The greatest weakness of this book is that it is written in simple terms. There aren’t any complicated words that a high schooler should be reading.
This book will be highly recommended to my friends. I know which friends would connect to this book and be attached. You have to attract an audience that isn’t close minded about many of these mature topics. Relationships, drugs, and self-esteem are big problems faced today and anyone going through this should read Dark Secrets. You never know what can change for a person when they connect to a good book.
Dark Secrets is incredibly well written. The author develops a readable style with mature topics for both males and females to understand. Anne Schraff gives great advice when she begins the storyline with the interaction of two fathers’ from noticeably different backgrounds. For example, the main character’s father exhibits great relationship values as he states, “You oughtn’t be calling your wife names, especially not in front of the boy there. That’s his mother man. So she made a mistake and let the dog out. Okay. But you need to respect her. She’s your wife. You don’t throw words like ‘stupid’ and ‘moron’ around” (Schraff 9). Schraff has a simple way of getting little hints across to those she want to affect with her writing. Small values like respect can go a long way for a person who grew up in a non-respectable household.
As a person who never likes to read, Dark Secrets is very captivating. Every emotion is felt during this emotional rollercoaster of a book. As the main character, Ernesto, and his crush, Naomi, had a conversation on the way to hospital, it got interesting. Naomi’s cheerleading teammate got into a terrible accident as she explains, “A car came along and hit Tessie. Claudia wasn’t struck, but Tessie was thrown about ten feet. Her right leg was broken, and she was in a coma for about two days” (Schraff 22). As a cheerleader, this creates a soft spot. You begin to worry what will happen next. Is she okay? Will her team be there for her? Anne Schraff knows that somehow the reader will be touched by at least one of her scenes because these are actual connections to high schoolers.
The greatest strength of the book, Dark Secrets, is that it’s told to interest young adults who face similar things in life or for pure entertainment. You always try to predict what will happen next because you think you know it, but the author will prove you wrong. As Naomi and Ernesto try to figure out who hit Tessie, we automatically think its Naomi’s brother as she points out, “Sometimes I think he drives the car when he shouldn’t” (Schraff 36). It sounds right from the exact description of his car, but it’s not him. Tricking the reader’s mind creates a great plot twist that everyone loves. The greatest weakness of this book is that it is written in simple terms. There aren’t any complicated words that a high schooler should be reading.
This book will be highly recommended to my friends. I know which friends would connect to this book and be attached. You have to attract an audience that isn’t close minded about many of these mature topics. Relationships, drugs, and self-esteem are big problems faced today and anyone going through this should read Dark Secrets. You never know what can change for a person when they connect to a good book.
March 23, 2017
Personal response
The book dark secrets was a good book because in this book deals with some of the thing that people deal with every day. The book explains that were done in this book is in sports .In the book there was a lot of drama that i didn't really care for but otherwise it was a great book.
Plot
The plot for this book was that they were trying to figure out who hit Tessie with a car. She was hit in a drive by by her friend. The book is about a kid named Fernando and he's trying to figure out what's happening with Tessie. By the end of the book they find out that her best friend was the one who hit her with a car. The friend who hit her with the car tells her that she thought she hit a dog. She didn't relies it was her best friend. Tessie forgives her for hitting her with the car. Her family pays for Tessie's injuries.
The caretakers are Fernando who is 17 and a cross country runner. Tessie who is 16 and is a cheerleader. I would recommend this to middle school er and t teens who can relate.
The book dark secrets was a good book because in this book deals with some of the thing that people deal with every day. The book explains that were done in this book is in sports .In the book there was a lot of drama that i didn't really care for but otherwise it was a great book.
Plot
The plot for this book was that they were trying to figure out who hit Tessie with a car. She was hit in a drive by by her friend. The book is about a kid named Fernando and he's trying to figure out what's happening with Tessie. By the end of the book they find out that her best friend was the one who hit her with a car. The friend who hit her with the car tells her that she thought she hit a dog. She didn't relies it was her best friend. Tessie forgives her for hitting her with the car. Her family pays for Tessie's injuries.
The caretakers are Fernando who is 17 and a cross country runner. Tessie who is 16 and is a cheerleader. I would recommend this to middle school er and t teens who can relate.
October 25, 2016
The book is Dark Secrets by Anne Schraff.This book is about Ernesto a 16 year old. His best friend Naomi go to same school as Ernesto Chavez high school. Naomi had a car accident with her friend.The person who hit their car ran away. Nobody knew who was it even the police. When Ernesto knew about the car accident and that Naomi didn't se who it was Ernesto want to know really bad because he cares about Naomi. The only thing that Naomi saw it was a red Honda.Ernesto went to the schools parking lot to see who have a red Honda. He saw one that was painted but not very well you can see the hit .
I would recommend this book for people who like investigating books.This book make you want to read more to know who was the criminal and proves your reading skills
I would recommend this book for people who like investigating books.This book make you want to read more to know who was the criminal and proves your reading skills
May 31, 2011
Ernie is interested in this girl Naomi, but she has a boyfriend, one of the most popular boys in school. However, Ernie cannot stay away from Naomi because he is worried about her--both her boyfriend and her father are physically abusing Naomi.
This is light read book where Ernie deals with the challenges of living in an urban environment and deal with the community and the conflicts between generations. Ernie, thankfully, does the right thing in the end.
This is light read book where Ernie deals with the challenges of living in an urban environment and deal with the community and the conflicts between generations. Ernie, thankfully, does the right thing in the end.
July 25, 2013
This is a book with many dark secrets. Many as the real world itself. Ernesto has feelings for Naomi and does not understand why she keeps up with her abusive boyfriend, Clay. When one day it goes too far and he puts his hands on her. While Tessie is in the hospital for a hit and run and Ernesto is suspicious it was Fernando who did it.
July 27, 2011
Good story. Not too sure teenagers talk like this but most of it was plausible. Of course everything turned out well even though some characters had a harder road to travel than others. A lot of good life lessons contained in 201 pages.
May 16, 2011
Part of the Urban Underground series which is much like Bluford High. A good choice for reluctant readers or those teens who like this genre.
November 11, 2014
wish there was a novel.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews