Guarding Secrets

Locked Out #3

by Patrick Jones

Everyone has secrets in high school. But no one has a secret quite like Camila Hernandez's.

For as long as Camila can remember, her mother has been in prison. And Camila has tried to make sure no one finds out. She avoids all friendships. She keeps to herself. Because if people get too close to her, they might find out the truth. And once they know, they will see her only as a criminal's daughter.

Sure, some of Camila's classmates also have parents doing time. But her mother isn't any ordinary criminal. Her mother is on death row.

89 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

Patrick Jones is the author of five realistic teen novels, most recently Stolen Car((Walker / Bloomsbury, 2008). His first young adult novel Things Change (Walker & Company, 2004) was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as a best book for reluctant readers, and was runner-up in the Teen Buckeye Book Award selected by Ohio teens. His second novel Nailed was published by Walker / Bloomsbury in spring 2006 and was a runner-up for the Great Lake Book Award. His 2007 novel, Chasing Tail Lights, is nominated for the Minnesota Books Awards. His most recent (and last) professional publication is Connecting with Reluctant Readers (Neal-Schuman, 2006). In 2006, he won lifetime achievement awards from both the Catholic Library Association, and the American Library Association. Jones is a frequent speaker at library conferences, having visited all fifty states, as well as in Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Jones grew up in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more at his web page www.connectingya.com, including FAQs about Things Change and Nailed (perfect for book reports!). NOTE: After a bruising experience with another author, he's limited his reviews on Good Reads to only raves as not to disturb the "fellowship" of YA writers.

Reviews

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camila has kept a secret all her life; she has been tossed around between relatives ever since her mom was incarcerated and sentenced to death for killing in cold blood. Now, in high school, she has a strait-laced, A-student boyfriend, but she still has not told him her secret. She's OK with ignoring her secret and trying to live a normal life. Camila wants to be seen as someone worthy of love and a second chance, not some dangerous criminal's daughter. Then she reencounters someone who knows her secret, is part of the gang that her mother was in, and threatens to break her cover. Will Camila's life be flipped upside down by this traitor, or will she finally feel free to be herself and enter relationships? Find out in Patrick Jones' book, Guarding Secrets.

As I read this book, I realized the huge amount of pressure and stress that is on a teenager with parents in prison or on death row. This book, as well as the other books in the Locked Out series (Doing Right, Returning to Normal, Taking Sides, and Raising Heaven), are very insightful. Even though these stories are fictional, the characters are very relatable and experience very plausible situations. Besides seeming extremely real, his characters also develop a lot throughout the story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful look at the life of someone on death row from the perspective of a family member. A touching and sad story.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Camila's mother is on death row. She now lives with her aunt and tries to avoid other teens because she doesn't want them to know her secret.

There wasn't much of a storyline here, other than Camila coming to terms with her mother's fate and learning to let people care about her. Still, readers might find this book interesting because children of prison inmates aren't widely represented in fiction. The author portrayed Camila's situation realistically. It's short and easy to read, and might appeal to reluctant readers who are interested in family drama.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never given the death penalty much thought. Until now. Until seeing what it would be like to have someone in your family sitting on death row.