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Tell Me the Secrets
Stories reveal Biblical lessons on love, peace, growth, and the other major issues in life
63 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
5 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Max Lucado
1,201 books5,430 followersWith more than 150 million products in print and several NYT bestsellers, Max Lucado is America's bestselling inspirational author. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy. His most recent book published in August 2024 and is titled What Happens Next.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 28, 2011
This is a treasure. Buy this to read to your kids, grandkids and read again yourself to remind you of the really important things in life.
May 24, 2012
Potential, but overall, I think these stories are a bit trite/cheesy. (Esp the illustrations). I like "the point" of the stories, but they feel like "stories-with-a-point" ....
May 31, 2013
* 4.6 Stars*
Scorecard: (Out of 10)
* Quality of Writing - 8
* Pace - 8
* Plot development - 9
* Characters - 9
* Enjoyability -9
* Insightfulness - 10
* Ease of Reading - 10
* Photos/Illustrations - 10
Final Score: 73/80 = 91%
*WARNING: I will be discussing the stories in depth. I will try not to completely spoil the stories, but I want to give anyone who is looking at buying this for their children an idea of what is talked about so they know what age they might want to introduce some of the ideas to their children.
*The Gush*
I will admit, I’m not a huge fan of Max Lucado; nothing personal, just never seemed to click with me as he does with others. But I loved this short book the moment I picked it up. A decent part of it has to do with how much I’ve always liked Ron DiCianni’s work. Each short story is paired with a wonderful painting that works well with the core meaning of the story. I don’t know about other editions but this one is set up to appear like the Book of Secrets that Grandpa Josh pulls out when the kids come to him with problems or questions.
The characters are…very human in this story. A good thing because this is a book set to teach children and remind parents both the good and bad parts of being a human being as well as God’s plan for us. My favorite is Grandpa Josh, a ‘retired’ missionary who along with his wife has bought an old house that they are fixing up. He has seen much and gained wisdom both from others and mistakes he’s made. And now he’s imparting a bit of what he’s learned to three young kids God and a baseball has brought into his life. His wife, Melva, is a good character who is sadly underused. She really only appears in the first and last stories, but when she is there, she shines. I simply wish she’s been used in at least one of the other stories. The three children who Josh shares the secrets with and thereby shares them with us are good but don’t really stand out. While this might be a good choice so that the reader can easily see themselves in them, they are little more than caricature of almost stereotypical types of children. You have Landon, a geek who “wore glasses and carried a book” and “was short and skinny”; Eric, who “was tall and athletic” and “always wore a baseball hat and carried his glove”; and Shannon, the younger sister of Landon and whose parents we find out later are divorced. The fact that they are also Landon’s is never mentioned because that is not important; she serves to connect with children who’ve gone through the separation of parents while Landon serves to connect geeks and other who feel they are not athletic, etc. ‘Coincidentally’, I’ve always liked Landon best. While this connects the readers to the children quickly, it renders them basically two dimensional, even after they learn the ‘secrets’.
The Stories
The Shadow House: The introductory story. The three kids are playing baseball when they break a window in the local house called The Shadow House. They decide to face the consequences and meet Josh and Melva, who have them work around the lawn to pay off the damages they did. The book of secrets is also set up with Grandpa Josh saying he will unlock it when his young friends ask him the right questions. He will know when they do.
The Secret of Forgiveness: Shannon comes to Grandpa Josh after being teased by a classmate she’d helped over her parent’s divorce. She’s angry, understandably, but Josh has a story for her. The story is The Watermaster. A desert village is barely hanging on because of lack of water. A farmer was digging when he found a miracle for the town, a cavern full of water. He became the watermaster, bringing water for free for all the villagers, until he has a couple of dreams that made him believe the people were ungrateful and mean to their neighbors. After everyone in the village is judged to be ‘bad’, he takes his water and hordes it away from those that need it. A thought provoking story that is echoed by the artist’s comments concerning who is really hurt when we withhold forgiveness. Nine times out of ten, the other person doesn’t even know or care, and we end up only hurting ourselves more.
The Secret of Peace: This is a story about a talk between Eric and Josh along with some verses that pertain to the subject. Eric was ridiculed by his science teacher and laughed at by his classmates because he answered truthfully when his teacher asked who believed in creation. That idea alone is highly charged but that is not really the issue here but merely used to facilitate a talk concerning how our view of the world and universe around us is by our very nature limited compared to God. The Peace of God comes from the acknowledgement that he can see everything far beyond what we can and he is the one watching over us.
The Secret of Victory: Landon seeks Josh’s advice concerning a cousin who always seems to pressure him into doing things he doesn’t really want to do and he gets in trouble doing. Josh, who can’t go with him obviously, loans him the book of secrets and tells him to read The Song of the King. Three knights are given a quest by the prince that the first knight to journey through the dangerous forest of Hemlock and arrive at the king’s castle will be granted the hand of the princess. The Hopenots infest the forest and attack travelers who foolishly pass through their domain. The only way to find their way through the forest is to listen for the king’s tune played on a flute three times a day. This will lead them in the right direction. Only one other person knows the tune, and that is the prince giving them the quest. Each knight is allowed to choose one companion to go with them. One knight is strong, one is fast, and the last is smart. The problem is… the Hopenots imitate. So the knight that will complete the quest must be able to know the king’s song completely and follow it. False flutes might blow but he would be able to recognize the one, true song. Temptation might play a pretty tune, so we must truly know God’s song so we will follow it.
The Secret of Growth: One of the best short stories. The three children are all involved in this one, each with their own issue to work through. Josh gifts each of them with an item: Eric gets a knife, Shannon a horse’s bit, and Landon gets a lump of clay. Each are sent to someone who knows how to use the items and they see them shape or take shape in the hands of a master. This leads them to the solution to a riddle Josh shares with them: You’re glad I came when I’m gone, but you wish I’d leave when I’m there. It hurts when I help. I stretch when I strengthen. Who am I?. Growing up is always a painful process but that is how a baby becomes a child and a child becomes an adult.
The Secret of Love: It’s Eric again, this time because some of his team brought some magazines of naked women to the dugout. Josh shares with him the ‘true’ story of a gem merchant who wrote about the one gem he missed, true love. He went after the flashy, the outwardly beautiful, and the richly clothed even though he knew that the best gems are the ones with the inner glow. Love is not based on things that time will fade or cannot be sustained like movie type romantic love. True love is about work, is about the heart, and is about the inner beauty. In our current society, this is something our children desperately need to learn.
The Secret of Greatness: This is my personal favorite story. There have been times where I’ve need this story every day; I think everyone has had those times. Shannon comes home to find her dad extremely down because he did not get a promotion and his boss’s reason was that he was not good enough. Josh, who apparently knew something was up, had let her borrow the book of secrets. She sets out to read her father a story called The Wemmicks. (I believe Lucado has since published this as a picture book in its own right.) The Wemmicks are like small Punch and Judyesque wooden people carved by someone they called Eli. They go around all day putting gold stars and grey dot stickers on each other. Pretty, good, and talented Wemmicks get gold stars while scuffed and ‘untalented’ Wemmicks get grey dots. Some are covered in stars and others are covered in dots. One such is Punchinello, who is covered in them. Then he meets Lucia, a Wemmick who has no dots or stars. Others try to give them to her but they just fall off. When he asks how she does this, she sends him to Eli. Scared, he still gathers his courage and goes to the woodshop. Eli is delighted to see him and tells him he doesn’t care what the Wemmicks think, he made Punchinello and he thinks he’s special. Who are they to give stars or dots; they don’t know the true value of the Wemmicks they are judging. The more Punchinello believes Eli over the Wemmicks, the more the stickers will fall off.
I love this story and have definitely have days where I have to make sure dots and/or stars fall off.
The Secret of Life: The last story and one parents NEED to know about and decide when to share with their children. Grandpa Josh is old and one day the three children are pulled out of their classes and taken to the hospital to see him. Melva is there and takes them to see him before following his directions to take them to the Obstetrical ward. There they see babies who have made a journey from what they knew to a brand new world that must be scary and strange to them. She then reads them a note he wrote in the book of secrets concerning death as another journey into a world that is strange and unknown to us but that we should not be scared because God is there and knows what he’s doing. The story ends with Josh going home and the children remembering all he taught them. A touching story but one that should be handled right when read to children. It is also necessary because death touches everyone no matter the age they are.
These are wonderful stories that will facilitate a lot of good discussions with your children.
*The Rant*
Very little here because most of my problems with this book were touched on above with the flat characters and the last story being one parents should be prepared for.
*Conclusion*
This is a wonderful book to open discussions with your children about basic Christen truths. Even as an adult, then stories help remind of truths that are so easy to lose in this hectic world we live in.
Scorecard: (Out of 10)
* Quality of Writing - 8
* Pace - 8
* Plot development - 9
* Characters - 9
* Enjoyability -9
* Insightfulness - 10
* Ease of Reading - 10
* Photos/Illustrations - 10
Final Score: 73/80 = 91%
*WARNING: I will be discussing the stories in depth. I will try not to completely spoil the stories, but I want to give anyone who is looking at buying this for their children an idea of what is talked about so they know what age they might want to introduce some of the ideas to their children.
*The Gush*
I will admit, I’m not a huge fan of Max Lucado; nothing personal, just never seemed to click with me as he does with others. But I loved this short book the moment I picked it up. A decent part of it has to do with how much I’ve always liked Ron DiCianni’s work. Each short story is paired with a wonderful painting that works well with the core meaning of the story. I don’t know about other editions but this one is set up to appear like the Book of Secrets that Grandpa Josh pulls out when the kids come to him with problems or questions.
The characters are…very human in this story. A good thing because this is a book set to teach children and remind parents both the good and bad parts of being a human being as well as God’s plan for us. My favorite is Grandpa Josh, a ‘retired’ missionary who along with his wife has bought an old house that they are fixing up. He has seen much and gained wisdom both from others and mistakes he’s made. And now he’s imparting a bit of what he’s learned to three young kids God and a baseball has brought into his life. His wife, Melva, is a good character who is sadly underused. She really only appears in the first and last stories, but when she is there, she shines. I simply wish she’s been used in at least one of the other stories. The three children who Josh shares the secrets with and thereby shares them with us are good but don’t really stand out. While this might be a good choice so that the reader can easily see themselves in them, they are little more than caricature of almost stereotypical types of children. You have Landon, a geek who “wore glasses and carried a book” and “was short and skinny”; Eric, who “was tall and athletic” and “always wore a baseball hat and carried his glove”; and Shannon, the younger sister of Landon and whose parents we find out later are divorced. The fact that they are also Landon’s is never mentioned because that is not important; she serves to connect with children who’ve gone through the separation of parents while Landon serves to connect geeks and other who feel they are not athletic, etc. ‘Coincidentally’, I’ve always liked Landon best. While this connects the readers to the children quickly, it renders them basically two dimensional, even after they learn the ‘secrets’.
The Stories
The Shadow House: The introductory story. The three kids are playing baseball when they break a window in the local house called The Shadow House. They decide to face the consequences and meet Josh and Melva, who have them work around the lawn to pay off the damages they did. The book of secrets is also set up with Grandpa Josh saying he will unlock it when his young friends ask him the right questions. He will know when they do.
The Secret of Forgiveness: Shannon comes to Grandpa Josh after being teased by a classmate she’d helped over her parent’s divorce. She’s angry, understandably, but Josh has a story for her. The story is The Watermaster. A desert village is barely hanging on because of lack of water. A farmer was digging when he found a miracle for the town, a cavern full of water. He became the watermaster, bringing water for free for all the villagers, until he has a couple of dreams that made him believe the people were ungrateful and mean to their neighbors. After everyone in the village is judged to be ‘bad’, he takes his water and hordes it away from those that need it. A thought provoking story that is echoed by the artist’s comments concerning who is really hurt when we withhold forgiveness. Nine times out of ten, the other person doesn’t even know or care, and we end up only hurting ourselves more.
The Secret of Peace: This is a story about a talk between Eric and Josh along with some verses that pertain to the subject. Eric was ridiculed by his science teacher and laughed at by his classmates because he answered truthfully when his teacher asked who believed in creation. That idea alone is highly charged but that is not really the issue here but merely used to facilitate a talk concerning how our view of the world and universe around us is by our very nature limited compared to God. The Peace of God comes from the acknowledgement that he can see everything far beyond what we can and he is the one watching over us.
The Secret of Victory: Landon seeks Josh’s advice concerning a cousin who always seems to pressure him into doing things he doesn’t really want to do and he gets in trouble doing. Josh, who can’t go with him obviously, loans him the book of secrets and tells him to read The Song of the King. Three knights are given a quest by the prince that the first knight to journey through the dangerous forest of Hemlock and arrive at the king’s castle will be granted the hand of the princess. The Hopenots infest the forest and attack travelers who foolishly pass through their domain. The only way to find their way through the forest is to listen for the king’s tune played on a flute three times a day. This will lead them in the right direction. Only one other person knows the tune, and that is the prince giving them the quest. Each knight is allowed to choose one companion to go with them. One knight is strong, one is fast, and the last is smart. The problem is… the Hopenots imitate. So the knight that will complete the quest must be able to know the king’s song completely and follow it. False flutes might blow but he would be able to recognize the one, true song. Temptation might play a pretty tune, so we must truly know God’s song so we will follow it.
The Secret of Growth: One of the best short stories. The three children are all involved in this one, each with their own issue to work through. Josh gifts each of them with an item: Eric gets a knife, Shannon a horse’s bit, and Landon gets a lump of clay. Each are sent to someone who knows how to use the items and they see them shape or take shape in the hands of a master. This leads them to the solution to a riddle Josh shares with them: You’re glad I came when I’m gone, but you wish I’d leave when I’m there. It hurts when I help. I stretch when I strengthen. Who am I?. Growing up is always a painful process but that is how a baby becomes a child and a child becomes an adult.
The Secret of Love: It’s Eric again, this time because some of his team brought some magazines of naked women to the dugout. Josh shares with him the ‘true’ story of a gem merchant who wrote about the one gem he missed, true love. He went after the flashy, the outwardly beautiful, and the richly clothed even though he knew that the best gems are the ones with the inner glow. Love is not based on things that time will fade or cannot be sustained like movie type romantic love. True love is about work, is about the heart, and is about the inner beauty. In our current society, this is something our children desperately need to learn.
The Secret of Greatness: This is my personal favorite story. There have been times where I’ve need this story every day; I think everyone has had those times. Shannon comes home to find her dad extremely down because he did not get a promotion and his boss’s reason was that he was not good enough. Josh, who apparently knew something was up, had let her borrow the book of secrets. She sets out to read her father a story called The Wemmicks. (I believe Lucado has since published this as a picture book in its own right.) The Wemmicks are like small Punch and Judyesque wooden people carved by someone they called Eli. They go around all day putting gold stars and grey dot stickers on each other. Pretty, good, and talented Wemmicks get gold stars while scuffed and ‘untalented’ Wemmicks get grey dots. Some are covered in stars and others are covered in dots. One such is Punchinello, who is covered in them. Then he meets Lucia, a Wemmick who has no dots or stars. Others try to give them to her but they just fall off. When he asks how she does this, she sends him to Eli. Scared, he still gathers his courage and goes to the woodshop. Eli is delighted to see him and tells him he doesn’t care what the Wemmicks think, he made Punchinello and he thinks he’s special. Who are they to give stars or dots; they don’t know the true value of the Wemmicks they are judging. The more Punchinello believes Eli over the Wemmicks, the more the stickers will fall off.
I love this story and have definitely have days where I have to make sure dots and/or stars fall off.
The Secret of Life: The last story and one parents NEED to know about and decide when to share with their children. Grandpa Josh is old and one day the three children are pulled out of their classes and taken to the hospital to see him. Melva is there and takes them to see him before following his directions to take them to the Obstetrical ward. There they see babies who have made a journey from what they knew to a brand new world that must be scary and strange to them. She then reads them a note he wrote in the book of secrets concerning death as another journey into a world that is strange and unknown to us but that we should not be scared because God is there and knows what he’s doing. The story ends with Josh going home and the children remembering all he taught them. A touching story but one that should be handled right when read to children. It is also necessary because death touches everyone no matter the age they are.
These are wonderful stories that will facilitate a lot of good discussions with your children.
*The Rant*
Very little here because most of my problems with this book were touched on above with the flat characters and the last story being one parents should be prepared for.
*Conclusion*
This is a wonderful book to open discussions with your children about basic Christen truths. Even as an adult, then stories help remind of truths that are so easy to lose in this hectic world we live in.
July 7, 2019
This book is set up in a series of short practical stories that are so helpful to change ones perspective to the awesome love and plans of God. A few of them made me cry from how pertinent they are to my life. The beauty of short stories or parables is something that should always be rejoiced about.
June 26, 2018
I love it. I read this to prepare for a Christmas play. The author condensed a few important christian values to a mere 63 pages. The story about the Wemmicks is particularly powerful. Although I didn’t enjoy the illustrations, I do think its a book worth sharing.
Read
March 22, 2023The secret of peace
I decided to see with my heart and not my eyes. I was a prisoner, but my spirit was free.
The secret of growth
What is painful today has a purpose tomorrow.
The secret of greatness
You're special because you're mine. That's why you matter to me.
I decided to see with my heart and not my eyes. I was a prisoner, but my spirit was free.
The secret of growth
What is painful today has a purpose tomorrow.
The secret of greatness
You're special because you're mine. That's why you matter to me.
August 1, 2019
This book wove together clips/summaries from some of my favorite picture books by Max Lucado. My family enjoyed it as quality bedtime reading.
May 16, 2020
This book definitely helped me expand the Christian faith that's in me. It's full of life lessons that I'll never forget. I recommend this book to all Christians of all ages.
July 30, 2020
Beautiful
Read
November 15, 2023Also just FINISHED for school 😍😍
February 24, 2024
Such a good book with so many God secrets.
April 19, 2022
More wonderful tales with magnificent illustrations. A gift for the heart.
October 13, 2012
I read this with my kids and found it had both positive and negative aspects. The frame story, of three children who befriend an older retired missionary, works well, and most of the stories from the missionary's book are accessible for children and successful in conveying their message. The stories can be predictable, but in some ways, knowing the message and inevitable conclusion of each is comforting. My primary objection is with the final chapter and On the whole, it's an enjoyable story to remind children of Biblical lessons in a more accessible context, but I encourage parents to read it first so they're prepared for the questions that may come from younger readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2016
We read this books with the kids (2nd, 5th, and 8th grades) as recommended by a friend. Max Lucado is a good storyteller and all the kids enjoy his stories, both in this book and others, such as "Coming Home," and "Because I Love You." The stories in "Tell Me the Secrets" on peace, growth, greatness and life involved forgiveness, bullying, hard times and heaven, which all fit in well with events in our children's own lives. "The Song of the King" and "The Wemmicks" were very well told. I like that the knights had to know the true melody in order to find their way to the castle as the picture of having to know the truth to make our way in this world. I also liked the mental picture of Punchinello losing his dots, losing the put-downs that others had pinned on him. These stories are a little longer than we usually spend on dinnertime devotions, but they were worth it, and kept the children's attention. My husband wants me to put in a warning about the ending of the book, but that is a SPOILER. It involves death. Wisely and gently done. Middle child says, "It's sad at the end." The 2nd grader said that she liked all the stories but the ending. For another gentle book on death for children, perhaps around 5th grade or so, consider "The Tanglewoods' Secret."
July 7, 2008
An overthrown baseball changes the life of three children when they meet Josh and Melva. Using stories from The Book Of Secrets, the children learn how to deal with the problems in their lives.
I thought this was a delightful book that showed how sometimes you need to step back and look at your problems from a different angle, and then you might be able to see a solution. Max Lucado has done it again, definitely read this book.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
I thought this was a delightful book that showed how sometimes you need to step back and look at your problems from a different angle, and then you might be able to see a solution. Max Lucado has done it again, definitely read this book.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...
May 1, 2016
This book wasn't as good as the first one but it was still amazing. I loved the different stories and loved that they were all connected. Some stories weren't really meant for younger children so if reading it to kids it's important to preread them yourself so make sure your kids are ready to hear the story. I enjoyed reading it and the stories were filled with emotion and had amazing meanings and lessons behind them. This book is great for anyone wanting something short to help them reconnect with our Lord or to read as a family to help the whole family grow closer to our God.
October 28, 2012
Max Lucado has created a beautiful book that illustrates how to grow faith and spirituality. He openly shares the love of our Heavenly Father and Christ through a well told story that narrates four friends through everyday challenges. Designed to be read to and by children this book is also an important reminder to adults as well, since the secrets are timeless. The illustrations add to the beauty of the book and I highly recommend it for everyone.
March 27, 2009
This is a great book with lots of treasures inside, not just for the children in the story, who learn so much, but for readers from the outside as well. It's one I'll read again and again and share with my children.
July 8, 2008
I love this book and read it periodically to refresh my memory. It's about a group of kids who learn a whole lot from an old man!
November 24, 2009
This will always remind me of my childhood, when dad would read from this every night. It's a great book.
April 7, 2015
This is a lovely book with valuable truths, a great family book. It deals with many of the temptations and puzzles that face all believers, and tells its stories in an interesting, relateable manner.
May 27, 2013
It was wonderful. Meant to be a book for children to read every night, a teenage girl learned amazing things from it. Max Lucado was moving as always and accompanied by beauty from Ron DiCianni.
June 29, 2016
good stories to think about the last story about death was really good. I avoid reading/talking about death. It is helping me look at death differently.
July 28, 2012
What a beautiful story! Can be read as the entire book or each chapter can be a story.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews