What do you think?
Rate this book
Secrets from Grandma's Attic #1
History Lost and Found - Secrets from Grandma's Attic
History Lost and Found is the first book in the Secrets of Grandma’s Attic fiction series. When Pearl Allen passes away the day after her 100th birthday, her granddaughter Tracy begins the difficult task of sorting through her beloved grandmother’s belongings. She finds a worn, marked-up King James Bible and a trove of journals and scrapbooks in her grandmother’s cedar chest. Within is a handwritten family tree with the name Ezekiel Collins listed as one of Pearl’s children. There has to be a mistake because how can she have an uncle she’s never heard of?
241 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
9 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 26, 2024
3 stars, personally
{ Trigger warning for those sensitive to adoption, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, & the babies being taken away from their mothers—sometimes without the mother having a choice. }
About this book:
“When Pearl Allen passes away the day after her 100th birthday, her granddaughter Tracy begins the difficult task of sorting through her beloved grandmother’s belongings. She finds a worn, marked-up King James Bible and a trove of journals and scrapbooks in her grandmother’s cedar chest. Within is a handwritten family tree with the name Ezekiel Collins listed as one of Pearl’s children. There has to be a mistake because how can she have an uncle she’s never heard of?”
Series: Book #1 in the “Secrets from Grandma’s Attic” series.
Spiritual Content- A bit of Bible reading; Church going (a few times for answers for the mystery); Talks about God & His love for us that’s shown in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of Bibles; Mentions of God, trusting Him, His love, & grace; Mentions of Bible reading & devotionals; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, a church choir, services, your group & pastors/rectors; Mentions of nuns from a convent running a home for unwed mothers; A few mentions of a Methodist church & a Lutheran church; A couple mentions of sharing the gospel; A mention of it always being a good time to worship God; A mention of a miracle; A mention of Christian books; A mention of a woman being a deacon at her church; A mention of a sin;
*Note: A teenager says that he didn’t want to hear about his great-grandmother’s Bible but rather about hear about soldiers when interviewing her for a report; A handful of mentions of luck & bad luck; A couple mentions of a rumored ghost haunting a place & another haunted place; A mention of a woman’s demons; A mention of a place being called evil (because of treatment received there).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘sucking up’; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Mentions of wars, the Pearl Harbor bombing, fighting, deaths, & grief (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the Spanish flu, “treatments” for it (such as drinking bleach or smelling gasoline) & deaths; Mentions of a baby ring (Georgia Tann) & kidnapping/stealing the children and falsifying records; Mentions of drugs being part of why two kids are in the foster care system, the kids suffering when they were with their birth mother because of her own demons, the kids ties to the birth mother never being severed because of blood, them being retraumatized every time after visiting her, & the possibility of the birth mother getting custody again; Mentions of fires & a family losing their house; Mentions of shipwrecks & colliding boats; Mentions of divorces & an unwanted separation; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of anger & tension towards others over differences in opinion on town laws; Mentions of elderly family members having memory problems (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, & someone implies another is crazy by moving her finger in a circle on the side of her head when talking about the elderly woman); A few mentions of the possibility of the death of a child with medical problems; A few mentions of car crashes & a death (involving an eight-teen wheeler); A couple mentions of jealousy (between sisters); A mention of the possibility of an infant dying at birth; A mention of a death from cancer; A mention of a man dying after a long fight with Alzheimer’s; A mention of a woman’s husband being diagnosed with leukemia; A mention of someone’s lip piercing; A mention of a missing person; A mention of a flood; A mention of nightmares; A mention of graffiti; A mention of alcohol; A mention of someone looking like another just punched a kitten;
*Note: *Major Spoilers* ; Many, many mentions of foster care, adoption, & biological parents (including mothers being forced to give-up their children, comments about adoption being rooted in the heartbreak of a mother sacrificing herself for her child, a comment about the children finding loving homes and the birth mothers “going on to have another chance at a more traditional life”, & Tracy finding records of a home for unwed mothers and wondering if the young woman wanted to relinquish their babies, wanted to raise them, or if they ever gotten over the loss, up to semi-detailed on her thought and wonderings about their feelings and emotions); Many mentions of institutions back in historical days where adults, children, and babies would be admitted for many different reasons (such as schizophrenia, mongolism, multiple personalities, laziness, epileptic fits, dropsy, tuberculosis, overtaxing of mental powers, hysteria, & babies with disabilities like craniosynostosis and Down syndrome), the babies or people being “sent away” to there by their family members (Tracy wonders if this is what happened to the person named in the Bible, but believes that her grandparents would have only put the baby there if they couldn’t care for him with a severe medical problem), a facility being described like it being like “every horror move you’ve ever seen”, & deaths of those there; Mentions of mothers who had depression or other mental health issues (one would be in the mental hospital for it); Mentions of adoptions being kept quiet in the 1940s & families pretending their adopted child is biologically theirs (legally and publicly); Mentions of creepy things & kids hunting for them (books, items, & a fake skeleton); A few mentions of the passing of a beloved sister who had Down syndrome (she was in her thirties); A few mentions of wondering if unwed mothers were able to “get over” giving up their children (including someone saying, “of course not. How could you get over something like that?”); A few mentions of adopted adults feeling like “something” is missing from their lives (their biological families); A few mentions of Wikipedia; A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of a brand name item (Nintendo Switch); A couple mentions of an author (Mark Twain); A couple mentions of TV shows & movies (Unsolved Mysteries & Nightmare on Elm Street); A mention of the possibility of disgracing a family and being disowned because of it; A mention of a fictional character (Spider-Man); A mention of Google maps; A mention of horror movies.
Sexual Content- Three cheek kiss (between Tracy and her husband); A bit of hand holding; Tracy wonders if the mystery name in the Bible could be a child from an out-of-wedlock pregnancy & when she first voices this thought, her cousin’s husband says that “it happens all the time, doesn’t it? Your grandparents were human, after all. They probably made all kinds of mistakes, just like the rest of us”; *Major Spoilers* ; In five letters-like parts added-in through the book, there’s hints to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and the girl’s parents not knowing (due to her mother’s illness and fear that her father “will kill” her; *Major Spoiler* ; Many mentions of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, girls being sent to a home for unwed mothers when they “got in trouble”, everyone making “mistakes” (particularly used in this context), a couple making some “bed decisions” and it driving them apart, & young women relinquishing their babies if unwed (which makes Tracy wonder if the women wanted to do that or wanted to raise their babies; She also notes that some of the nuns in charge of the unwed mothers’ home would treat the women that protested giving up their babies as if that pain was “if not [a] punishment, at least natural consequences for the actions that had landed them there in the first place” which makes Tracy upset about the men involved in the creation of the child not being a part of anything else); Mentions of affairs, cheating, & broken hearts; Mentions of dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & romances; A couple mentions of young women getting pregnant from “an act against their will”; A couple mentions of unwed mothers being looked upon as shameful and unfit for society; A mention of a boyfriend making a pass at his girlfriend’s sister; A mention of jealousy;
*Note: Mentions of childbirth, screams, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a man unable to have biological children due to an injury as a child (no details given).
-Tracy Doyle
P.O.V. of Tracy & a few letters added-in
232 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{ Trigger warning for those sensitive to adoption, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, & the babies being taken away from their mothers—sometimes without the mother having a choice. }
As adoption is near and dear to my heart, I found myself very interested in this book the more I read. I will say, thought, that like many Guidepost mysteries’ first books, I was a little lost with this one and all the characters and information I’m given right off the bat. There’s a lot of family trees and trying to figure out how the mystery name comes into play, but I think I kept up decent enough on everything. This book, by the ending, was kind of messy. Real life-like, I suppose, but messy. Readers that like family drama and secrets may like this one, but I found it very sad at times with the reality of the unwed mother home and young women being forced to give up their babies.
I’ll admit that I didn’t care for the message that an out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a “mistake” at the beginning. It’s regarded as “everyone makes mistakes” and no one is perfect, so we all need God’s saving grace, which is true, but I think back to the “Christy Miller” series when it talked about no child ever being an accident and that God knew that baby would be born—and what a miracle is it, that not even the angels can create a life. I read that as a pre-teen and it’s stuck with me all of these years.
Overall, I did find myself very interested in the mystery of this book and plan to at least read the next book in the series as I own it; past that, we’ll see if I’m interested enough to continue the series.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
{ Trigger warning for those sensitive to adoption, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, & the babies being taken away from their mothers—sometimes without the mother having a choice. }
About this book:
“When Pearl Allen passes away the day after her 100th birthday, her granddaughter Tracy begins the difficult task of sorting through her beloved grandmother’s belongings. She finds a worn, marked-up King James Bible and a trove of journals and scrapbooks in her grandmother’s cedar chest. Within is a handwritten family tree with the name Ezekiel Collins listed as one of Pearl’s children. There has to be a mistake because how can she have an uncle she’s never heard of?”
Series: Book #1 in the “Secrets from Grandma’s Attic” series.
Spiritual Content- A bit of Bible reading; Church going (a few times for answers for the mystery); Talks about God & His love for us that’s shown in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of Bibles; Mentions of God, trusting Him, His love, & grace; Mentions of Bible reading & devotionals; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, a church choir, services, your group & pastors/rectors; Mentions of nuns from a convent running a home for unwed mothers; A few mentions of a Methodist church & a Lutheran church; A couple mentions of sharing the gospel; A mention of it always being a good time to worship God; A mention of a miracle; A mention of Christian books; A mention of a woman being a deacon at her church; A mention of a sin;
*Note: A teenager says that he didn’t want to hear about his great-grandmother’s Bible but rather about hear about soldiers when interviewing her for a report; A handful of mentions of luck & bad luck; A couple mentions of a rumored ghost haunting a place & another haunted place; A mention of a woman’s demons; A mention of a place being called evil (because of treatment received there).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘sucking up’; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Mentions of wars, the Pearl Harbor bombing, fighting, deaths, & grief (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of the Spanish flu, “treatments” for it (such as drinking bleach or smelling gasoline) & deaths; Mentions of a baby ring (Georgia Tann) & kidnapping/stealing the children and falsifying records; Mentions of drugs being part of why two kids are in the foster care system, the kids suffering when they were with their birth mother because of her own demons, the kids ties to the birth mother never being severed because of blood, them being retraumatized every time after visiting her, & the possibility of the birth mother getting custody again; Mentions of fires & a family losing their house; Mentions of shipwrecks & colliding boats; Mentions of divorces & an unwanted separation; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of anger & tension towards others over differences in opinion on town laws; Mentions of elderly family members having memory problems (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, & someone implies another is crazy by moving her finger in a circle on the side of her head when talking about the elderly woman); A few mentions of the possibility of the death of a child with medical problems; A few mentions of car crashes & a death (involving an eight-teen wheeler); A couple mentions of jealousy (between sisters); A mention of the possibility of an infant dying at birth; A mention of a death from cancer; A mention of a man dying after a long fight with Alzheimer’s; A mention of a woman’s husband being diagnosed with leukemia; A mention of someone’s lip piercing; A mention of a missing person; A mention of a flood; A mention of nightmares; A mention of graffiti; A mention of alcohol; A mention of someone looking like another just punched a kitten;
*Note: *Major Spoilers* ; Many, many mentions of foster care, adoption, & biological parents (including mothers being forced to give-up their children, comments about adoption being rooted in the heartbreak of a mother sacrificing herself for her child, a comment about the children finding loving homes and the birth mothers “going on to have another chance at a more traditional life”, & Tracy finding records of a home for unwed mothers and wondering if the young woman wanted to relinquish their babies, wanted to raise them, or if they ever gotten over the loss, up to semi-detailed on her thought and wonderings about their feelings and emotions); Many mentions of institutions back in historical days where adults, children, and babies would be admitted for many different reasons (such as schizophrenia, mongolism, multiple personalities, laziness, epileptic fits, dropsy, tuberculosis, overtaxing of mental powers, hysteria, & babies with disabilities like craniosynostosis and Down syndrome), the babies or people being “sent away” to there by their family members (Tracy wonders if this is what happened to the person named in the Bible, but believes that her grandparents would have only put the baby there if they couldn’t care for him with a severe medical problem), a facility being described like it being like “every horror move you’ve ever seen”, & deaths of those there; Mentions of mothers who had depression or other mental health issues (one would be in the mental hospital for it); Mentions of adoptions being kept quiet in the 1940s & families pretending their adopted child is biologically theirs (legally and publicly); Mentions of creepy things & kids hunting for them (books, items, & a fake skeleton); A few mentions of the passing of a beloved sister who had Down syndrome (she was in her thirties); A few mentions of wondering if unwed mothers were able to “get over” giving up their children (including someone saying, “of course not. How could you get over something like that?”); A few mentions of adopted adults feeling like “something” is missing from their lives (their biological families); A few mentions of Wikipedia; A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of a brand name item (Nintendo Switch); A couple mentions of an author (Mark Twain); A couple mentions of TV shows & movies (Unsolved Mysteries & Nightmare on Elm Street); A mention of the possibility of disgracing a family and being disowned because of it; A mention of a fictional character (Spider-Man); A mention of Google maps; A mention of horror movies.
Sexual Content- Three cheek kiss (between Tracy and her husband); A bit of hand holding; Tracy wonders if the mystery name in the Bible could be a child from an out-of-wedlock pregnancy & when she first voices this thought, her cousin’s husband says that “it happens all the time, doesn’t it? Your grandparents were human, after all. They probably made all kinds of mistakes, just like the rest of us”; *Major Spoilers* ; In five letters-like parts added-in through the book, there’s hints to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and the girl’s parents not knowing (due to her mother’s illness and fear that her father “will kill” her; *Major Spoiler* ; Many mentions of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, girls being sent to a home for unwed mothers when they “got in trouble”, everyone making “mistakes” (particularly used in this context), a couple making some “bed decisions” and it driving them apart, & young women relinquishing their babies if unwed (which makes Tracy wonder if the women wanted to do that or wanted to raise their babies; She also notes that some of the nuns in charge of the unwed mothers’ home would treat the women that protested giving up their babies as if that pain was “if not [a] punishment, at least natural consequences for the actions that had landed them there in the first place” which makes Tracy upset about the men involved in the creation of the child not being a part of anything else); Mentions of affairs, cheating, & broken hearts; Mentions of dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & romances; A couple mentions of young women getting pregnant from “an act against their will”; A couple mentions of unwed mothers being looked upon as shameful and unfit for society; A mention of a boyfriend making a pass at his girlfriend’s sister; A mention of jealousy;
*Note: Mentions of childbirth, screams, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a man unable to have biological children due to an injury as a child (no details given).
-Tracy Doyle
P.O.V. of Tracy & a few letters added-in
232 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{ Trigger warning for those sensitive to adoption, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, & the babies being taken away from their mothers—sometimes without the mother having a choice. }
As adoption is near and dear to my heart, I found myself very interested in this book the more I read. I will say, thought, that like many Guidepost mysteries’ first books, I was a little lost with this one and all the characters and information I’m given right off the bat. There’s a lot of family trees and trying to figure out how the mystery name comes into play, but I think I kept up decent enough on everything. This book, by the ending, was kind of messy. Real life-like, I suppose, but messy. Readers that like family drama and secrets may like this one, but I found it very sad at times with the reality of the unwed mother home and young women being forced to give up their babies.
I’ll admit that I didn’t care for the message that an out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a “mistake” at the beginning. It’s regarded as “everyone makes mistakes” and no one is perfect, so we all need God’s saving grace, which is true, but I think back to the “Christy Miller” series when it talked about no child ever being an accident and that God knew that baby would be born—and what a miracle is it, that not even the angels can create a life. I read that as a pre-teen and it’s stuck with me all of these years.
Overall, I did find myself very interested in the mystery of this book and plan to at least read the next book in the series as I own it; past that, we’ll see if I’m interested enough to continue the series.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
November 29, 2022
This was my first Guideposts book and it was a great introduction.
In this first of a cozy mystery series, a Bible found in the attic has an unfamiliar name listed in the family tree. Reporter Tracy, the granddaughter of Pearl, is on the case to figure out who the person is and why he is listed in the family Bible. Engaging journey and good messages in the pages too.
I look forward to continuing the series! Gratitude to friend D'Ann for loaning me this novel.
In this first of a cozy mystery series, a Bible found in the attic has an unfamiliar name listed in the family tree. Reporter Tracy, the granddaughter of Pearl, is on the case to figure out who the person is and why he is listed in the family Bible. Engaging journey and good messages in the pages too.
I look forward to continuing the series! Gratitude to friend D'Ann for loaning me this novel.
January 13, 2024
I never thought I would read a Christian cozy mystery... It's far from my usual genres. I really enjoyed it and can't see any reason not to give it 5 stars! I really liked the bits of real history woven throughout the story. I will continue the series. 😊
February 25, 2024
A solid mystery that involved a generational secret and how one woman's entry into a family bible helped to unravel it and unite a family.
The author put together a delightful mystery (two words that rarely go together these days). There were no murders, robberies, or any of the usual suspects when it comes to a 'cozy'. I guess that is technically what this is, but it was much more fun to read than many of those. Not knocking the genre, just not my favorite.
The protagonist, Tracy Doyle, is dealing with the recent death of her grandmother Pearl while also taking care of two kids and holding down a part-time job that augments her husband's salary so they can renovate Pearl's home and keep it in the family. Pretty typical story, but Tracy is also a woman of faith and devotion supported by her husband and extended family.
While going through Pearl's attic, she finds the family bible that has four generations of the family inscribed on its pages. There is a name that Tracy had not seen before, and this is where the mystery begins. I won't go into detail, but it is a common story for many families and I think nearly everyone will connect with it.
Subplots include Tracy's sister Amy in the middle of adopting two children and the newspaper where Tracy works is in danger of shutting down. Once again, two stories that many readers are going to understand.
The main story gets satisfactorily resolved. I can't say happily, because the author dealt honestly with both sides of the issue. I still finished the book with a smile on my face, however. The subplots move forward, but are clearly going to be part of the next book or two in the series.
Recommended for fans of cozies, Christian fiction and mysteries in general.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
The author put together a delightful mystery (two words that rarely go together these days). There were no murders, robberies, or any of the usual suspects when it comes to a 'cozy'. I guess that is technically what this is, but it was much more fun to read than many of those. Not knocking the genre, just not my favorite.
The protagonist, Tracy Doyle, is dealing with the recent death of her grandmother Pearl while also taking care of two kids and holding down a part-time job that augments her husband's salary so they can renovate Pearl's home and keep it in the family. Pretty typical story, but Tracy is also a woman of faith and devotion supported by her husband and extended family.
While going through Pearl's attic, she finds the family bible that has four generations of the family inscribed on its pages. There is a name that Tracy had not seen before, and this is where the mystery begins. I won't go into detail, but it is a common story for many families and I think nearly everyone will connect with it.
Subplots include Tracy's sister Amy in the middle of adopting two children and the newspaper where Tracy works is in danger of shutting down. Once again, two stories that many readers are going to understand.
The main story gets satisfactorily resolved. I can't say happily, because the author dealt honestly with both sides of the issue. I still finished the book with a smile on my face, however. The subplots move forward, but are clearly going to be part of the next book or two in the series.
Recommended for fans of cozies, Christian fiction and mysteries in general.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
January 6, 2025
Sometimes homework can be fun!
I bought this book (and a big handful of others in this and a second series) to do research into writing for Guideposts.
What a joy. Mystery wrapped around family dynamics and small town living.
Adams gives a warm, enjoyable introduction to the Allen clan, all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Pearl Allen, the "grandma" of the series title.
Tracy, who inherited the house and has possession of the attic full of unexplored treasures and memories -- and mysteries to come! -- reads a name written into Grandma's Bible. This is a member of their family, but she doesn't know who he is.
Her search for answers follows a logical progression and reveals some painful details of our country's recent past, as well as gives some insight into the conundrums and joys and sorrows of adoption.
Can't wait to read more in the series, and continue exploring the town and the family and the attic.
I bought this book (and a big handful of others in this and a second series) to do research into writing for Guideposts.
What a joy. Mystery wrapped around family dynamics and small town living.
Adams gives a warm, enjoyable introduction to the Allen clan, all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Pearl Allen, the "grandma" of the series title.
Tracy, who inherited the house and has possession of the attic full of unexplored treasures and memories -- and mysteries to come! -- reads a name written into Grandma's Bible. This is a member of their family, but she doesn't know who he is.
Her search for answers follows a logical progression and reveals some painful details of our country's recent past, as well as gives some insight into the conundrums and joys and sorrows of adoption.
Can't wait to read more in the series, and continue exploring the town and the family and the attic.
January 18, 2024
A great story! It did get a little confusing while trying to keep up with all of the research into who the man was and why he was written in the family Bible. But, I think that is the point. Life is confusing and messy and when it gets buried in a lot of history it can be hard to dig up.
I enjoyed it!
I enjoyed it!
February 24, 2025
This was an engaging and quick read. I was drawn into the mystery from the beginning and look forward to the continued stories of more mysteries connected to Grandma Pearl. There are some side storylines that I hope are filled out more in future books because Amy and her story definitely has me drawn in.
August 20, 2022
This was a lovely story! I basically devoured it in a car ride from Springfield, Mo to St. Louis, Mo. The mystery was right up my mystery loving alley and the story was pretty much perfect. I am so excited for more in this series!
February 22, 2024
Loved the characters. The story was very interesting to someone like me, who is interested in genealogy. Lots of twists and turns, but the end was worth every one of them. Can't wait to read the next one!
August 18, 2022
A new series from Guidepost. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. A nice cozy mystery.
October 12, 2022
I think this was a very good story. Happy and mysterious
January 6, 2023
Nice cozy mystery with a happy ending
July 22, 2023
This is a nice, quick, easy read from Guideposts.
August 27, 2023
Really enjoyed this first book of a new series. Hoping I can get more!
December 19, 2024
Great story.
October 8, 2025
C. fiction; typical Guidepost
June 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait until I get the next one.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews