Summer of Stolen Secrets

by Julie Sternberg

A city girl spends the summer in the South and learns the secrets of her estranged extended family.

Catarina has never met her strict Jewish grandmother. But now, with an opportunity to spend three weeks in Baton Rouge and away from her best-friends-turned-bullies, Cat packs her bags and leaves New York City to get to know the woman who has always been a mystery. Down South, she begins working at her grandmother's luxury department store with her rebellious cousin Lexie. Nothing seems to be going right and nobody talks about the past. But just when Cat is starting to think that this whole trip may have been a huge mistake, she stumbles onto a secret from a time her grandmother refuses to speak of. Suddenly Cat's summer, and everything she thought she knew, has changed.

Award-winning author Julie Sternberg tells a tender family story full of humor, heart, and heartbreak that reveals the power of forgiveness and proves it's never too late to start over.

Genres: Middle Grade, Jewish, Realistic Fiction, Family, Juvenile, Fiction, Summer

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Julie Sternberg is the author of the best-selling LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE and its sequels. Her latest book, SUMMER OF STOLEN SECRETS, is a middle-grade novel coming out in 2021 from Viking. She also wrote THE TOP-SECRET DIARY OF CELIE VALENTINE series and the picture books BEDTIME AT BESSIE AND LIL’S and PUPPY PUPPY PUPPY. Her books have received a number of awards. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband; her younger daughter, who is almost but not yet old enough to abandon her; and her dog, Clementine, who basks in pools of sunlight in the apartment and occasionally heaves a deep sigh.
www.juliesternberg.com

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but books I read seem to establish connections with each other. This one is no exception. More about that in a bit. Our main character Catarina lives in NYC, but her paternal grandmother has a department store in Baton Rouge. After unwelcome friend drama at school, Cat welcomes the opportunity to visit her Louisiana relatives for a few weeks. While there she meets her Safta (grandmother) for the first time and helps out in her store. There is a locked room in the store that no one is allowed to enter. Cat's cousin Lexie has a key though, and the two girls start sneaking in on their lunch break. What they discover there will show them an entirely new side of their grandmother -- once a young Jewish girl who escaped the Nazis at the beginning of World War II. Much of her family was not so fortunate, but that girl grew up to use her resources to hunt for those who were missing and to give Jewish refugees a job at her store. The book is written as a letter from Cat to Safta. I would argue that chapters could still have been inserted, but that detail did not keep me from loving this new book. The grandmother's childhood experiences frame the way she views her faith as well as the way she relates to her family members. When Cat learns more about Safta's life, she also has a better understanding. How does this connect to another title I just read? Another book I recently finished was The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany containing stories of the way these nine women and their families were impacted for generations by the trauma of the concentration camps.

One final note: the Author's Note reveals that her family once owned a department store chain that was started by her German immigrant grandparents. I have a direct connection to that very same chain of department stores. When the chain was sold to Mercantile Stores in the early 90's I was part of a team that travelled to the stores to assist in training their employees to use our computerized cash registers. Small world!

Many thanks to Viking Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book was intended for a middle-grade audience, but it packed a punch for this adult.
Caterina (Cat) has never met her maternal grandmother. As she understands it, that’s because of a falling out between her father and his mom, over religious differences, years ago.
Now, this summer before eighth grade, Cat has been offered the chance to travel to Louisiana to visit her uncle, aunt, and teenage cousin, and meet her grandmother, as well. She jumps at the chance; the two girls Cat was once friends with have deserted her, so she figures the summer in NYC would stink anyway. While there, Cat makes some very surprising discoveries about her family history, most of which has rarely or never been discussed before now…
I loved that this book was written in “flashbacks”, with the young narrator commenting on past events to her grandmother. For this novel that style of writing worked perfectly.
Getting inside Cat’s head was great! Seeing life through her eyes and with her voice made me laugh out loud, but also shed a tear or two.
Being the history buff that I am, this book was chocolate candy for me. There are few members of “The Great Generation” left alive to relate their stories of WW2; some will certainly pass on without revealing their pasts. The author Julie Sternberg, in her end notes, reveals how lucky she feels to have grown up in a family that often talked about past events, and how that led to her writing “Summer of Secrets.”
I recommend this wonderful book to readers of all ages.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A city girl heads south for the summer only to discover secrets about a grandmother she’s meeting for the first time.
👗
Catarina is having a pretty awful end to her school year. Her two best friends suddenly stop talking to her and the last thing she wants to do is spend the summer at camp with them. When her parents offer to send her to Baton Rouge to meet her father’s strict mother for the first time, Cat jumps at the opportunity. Once there she ends up spending time with her boy crazy cousin, Lexie, and gets a job at her grandmother’s luxury department store. While working Cat begins digging into Safta’s paperwork and discovers she’s not what she seems.
👗
Why haven’t I been hearing about this MG book?! It released in May, but honestly I haven’t seen it anywhere on #bookstagram and I definitely should. While doing my diversity audit this year I’ve been looking for more books featuring Jewish characters that don’t solely focus on the Holocaust. While this novel does bring it up (almost entirely at the end), it spends most of its time on Cat’s lack of Judaism in her life and that she wants to learn more. The author sent me this copy in exchange for an honest review and I have to say I really enjoyed it. So much so that I’m partnering with her to do a giveaway for a copy of this title. (See next post). The only issue I have is that the book cover makes the book seem younger than it really is. Cat is in middle school and there’s lots of discussion about dating, boys, and friend drama. I highly recommend this middle grade book for any upper elementary/middle school classroom and library.

CW: death, Holocaust

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me more of a stream of consciousness than an actual story since it only depicted key elements over Catarina's summer. The Holocaust portion took up so little of the story which was disappointing. On the plus side, there was lots of humor as Catarina visited Louisiana for the first time to meet her estranged grandmother and work in her department store. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC.

[Maeve Littooij · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the promise of the title, there are only a few pages devoted to the uncovered secret. So the title is not very accurate. The story was okay overall.

[Lonna Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catarina (Cat) is a NYC girl, daughter of a Jewish dad and a Christian mom, but she knows nothing of her paternal grandmother's history nor her Jewish faith, as her father's mother did not approve of the marriage. No one has spoken since then. After her two "friends" inexplicably ghost Cat, she takes a spur-of-the-moment trip to visit her relatives, and meet her Safta (grandmother) in person in Louisiana, becoming quickly engulfed by the family department store business and Safta's secret history. Cat learns to avoid her cousin's wild recklessness and overlook Safta's critical comments. Instead, she benefits from Safta's elegant fashion sense and connects to her rich Jewish heritage. The title's "stolen secrets" are Holocaust documents, pictures, and references to Safta's years of tireless efforts to free her family from certain death in wartime Nazi Germany. Unable to do it, she rescues immigrants from all over the world and gives their families jobs and hopes for a future in America at her Baton Rouge Department Store. Cat's former friends, "Blondie & Glitter" are in the past, but Max, summering in Greece with his family is a new friend with delightful humor, understanding, and true loyalty to Cat. He is by far the most enjoyable character in the entire novel. The whole family reunites at last after Safta's heart attack, and the book is written start to finish as if directly to her grandmother.
*The Author's Note is stunning and reveals a surprising, strong autobiographical connection to the story.

[Shoshanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I heard of Julie Sternberg’s Summer of Stolen Secrets, I knew I wanted to read it. After all, it’s a middle grade book about a Jewish girl who spends her summer with her family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

But then, I learned more and realized that is was based on the author’s experiences growing up working in her family department store; a family that I actually know and worked for as well. (She never tells you the name of the stores, and while I’m sure you could find it online, I did include a clue in this photo. One that I’m sure those in Louisiana especially will recognize.)

There is a plot point where the main character, Cat, discovers that her grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. And while that does happen the book is so much more than that. Instead it more about reconnecting with your roots and Cat learning and accepting her Jewish heritage.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the book was organized. There are no chapters and it’s one long letter from Cat to her grandmother. But the story itself, I absolutely loved. Especially knowing the author’s family, there’s so many things that are spot-on.

I realize I have a personal connection to this, but even so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I would greatly recommend as a middle grade especially if your looking for one with a Jewish perspective.

4.5/5

[Yapha · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Catarina's best friends turn into middle school mean girls, she jumps at the chance to get out of New York and spend the summer with her cousin in Baton Rouge. Part of the allure is the mysterious grandmother she has never met. Cat is excited to get to know her grandmother and work in the family department store. It is there that she finds a secret store room full of boxed up letters and mementos, many of which are in German. With the help of Google translate, Cat begins to piece together her grandmother's past, one that she never shared with anyone before. I love that this is based on the author's own family history! (And also, the milkshake scene was amazing!) Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelwiess

[Sneha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Baton Rouge, in a department store based off of the old Goudchaux's on Main Street, Summer of Stolen Secrets was a delightful and fascinating read!
It made me laugh out loud several times... and tear up too.
Highly recommend!

Here's a link to an article from The Advocate about Julie Sternberg, her family history, and what inspired her to write this book:
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rou...

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know so many readers, myself included, that enjoys historical fiction books that talk about the Holocaust. I wish that this book contained a few more details about Safta’s life. Also, the way this was written made for some awkward wording. But I will be recommending this to historical fiction lovers.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprisingly wonderful book! The family drama and secrets from escaping Nazi Germany, the angst of friends in seventh grade turning on you for no good reason, the dual setting of Baton Rouge and Manhattan--views into retail--all of it, surprising and heartening like a comfort food for the soul.

[Laura Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of this author and this book shows she can write ANYTHING. It has such a voice to it and addresses issues that kids deal with but not in a “I’m a grown up pretending to understand” kind of way. It would be such a great companion book to a unit on WW2 or even on refugees.

[Hannah]

Are you there, estranged bubbe? It's me, Catarina.

[Patricia LaCour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

A family is brought together when long-hidden secrets provide answers and encouragement to family and the community. It was a short read, but interesting.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will pass.

[Sharon Schlup · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is on the preliminary list of Missouri Mark Twain Awards for next year. It’a a maturing story with ties to the past. Really good read. I enjoyed it quite a bit!

[Rachel Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy middle school read. I enjoyed the story but can’t say it was very original or that the writing was spectacular. 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching story with an engaging narrator who uncovers family secrets which ultimately bring her family closer together.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up from 4.5 because it was such a delight to read aloud with my daughter--see https://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/202... for details!

[Erika Dreifus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Julie Sternberg came to me for some PR advice for this forthcoming middle-grade novel, so I've just finished reading it. Notable for its setting (largely Louisiana); interfaith issues; relationship of a granddaughter with her German-born Jewish refugee-survivor grandmother. The incorporation of a family-owned Louisiana department store connects with the real-life store in Sternberg's family background. (Sternberg is also herself a granddaughter of German-Jewish refugees.)

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really lovely and sweet, telling the story of a family separated due to secrets from the past. Cat is a young girl from NY and when her two best friends turn into enemies, she decides to spend the summer with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in Baton Rouge. There she meets her Jewish grandmother for the first time and begins working at the store her grandmother owns. The store is based on the real life store that author Julie Sternberg’s grandparents opened in the late 1930s after fleeing Nazi Germany. Their store actually grew into America’s largest family owned department store chain before it was sold in the 1990s. ⁣Cat begins to get to know her strict and no nonsense grandmother and stumbles on secrets that help her understand why she is how she is as well as the Jewish history of her family. This book provides insight into the post Holocaust trauma that many Jewish families face, though the central story involves the grandmother / granddaughter relationship. ⁣As this is a middle grade book, it’s a quick read, and I definitely enjoyed it!

[Holly Driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book,but there was an inappropriate part so I didn't finish reading it but was so close. So I counted it as read. Not a good book for children. It's wierd because it looks like a good kid's book but is not. The bad part is at the end and it's about a boyfriend and girlfriend. I would recommend for ages maybe 14 and up. The ages depend on what you are comfortable with.

On a side note I listened to this book as an audio book on libby. Would recommend this app.