The Secret Language

by Ursula Nordstrom

At first, Victoria North is miserable at the Coburn Home School. Her housemother is very strict, she's terribly homesick and the other girls don't seem to have any time for a shy new girl. Then Vicky meets Martha Sherman, and everything changes. Martha introduces Vicky to pie-beds, midnight feasts and all the other wonderful things about boarding school. She even teaches Vicky a secret language that only the two of them share. Soon, with Martha' s help, Vicky finds herself thinking of Coburn Home School as home....

Written by acclaimed children' s book editor Ursula Nordstrom, this is an enchanting story about two young girls who share a special friendship while away at school. Originally published in 1960, this enchanting story of two young girls who develop a special friendship-- and a secret language-- while away at school is the only novel ever written by renowned children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom. 'Nordstrom' s gentle, acutely observed picture of the boarding-school world catches the essential fascination of that special community and at the same time, deals with certain problems common to any little girl adjusting to a new school.' -- The New York Times

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Classics, Boarding School, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Ursula Nordstrom is primarily known as one of the twentieth century's great editors --- as many have remarked, "The Maxwell Perkins of children's literature." Yet besides being an editor, she was also the author of two remarkable novels, one published, The Secret Language (1972), and the second --- now lost forever --- unpublished.

She was publisher and editor in chief of juvenile books at Harper & Row from 1940 to 1973. A collection of her correspondence was published in 1998 as Dear Genius: the Letters of Ursula Nordstrom

Nordstrom is credited with presiding over a transformation in children's literature in which morality tales written for adult approval gave way to works that instead appealed to children's imaginations and emotions.

She edited some of the milestones of children's literature, including E. B. White's Stuart Little (1945) and Charlotte's Web (1952), Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (1947), Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur (1958), Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963), and Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974). Other authors she edited included Laura Ingalls Wilder, Margaret Wise Brown, Ruth Krauss, Crockett Johnson, Charlotte Zolotow, John Steptoe, M.E. Kerr, among others.

Nordstrom began at Harper & Row in 1936 and was promoted to editor in chief of the Department of Books for Boys and Girls in 1940. In 1960 she became Harper's first female vice president. She stepped down as publisher in 1973, but continued on as senior editor with her own imprint, Ursula Nordstrom Books, until 1979. She was succeeded by her protege, author Charlotte Zolotow, who began her career as Nordstrom's stenographer.

Ursula Nordstrom died in 1988, aged 78, from ovarian cancer. With her at the time of death was her longtime companion, Mary Griffith. (Wiki)

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria goes to a boarding school for the first time and meets Martha who likes to do things her own way and doesn't follow the crowd. There is a house mother who runs things like a boot camp but luckily for the girls she is called away and a motherly house mother arrives. The girls have adventures, try to have midnight feasts, build a hut and use their made up language. Anyone who has read this book will know what I mean when I say that this book is not ick en spek at all and for an 8 to 10 year old girl this would be totally leebossa.

Read on openlibrary

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just reread this because it’s the July book for the A Thrilling Term at Goodreads: The Girls’ School-Story Group. I can’t believe that it’s been nearly 50 years since I first read this book, this very copy I just reread, a hardcover edition priced at $2.95. This was my very first “school story” book, and it’s unusual in that the children are much younger than in most of the other boarding school books that I’ve read.

When I was young, I didn’t like the way the girls were scolded; I thought the (first) housemother was too stern. But, I also thought the way they were treated and the whole setting was unappealing except for their friendship.

This book is well written and it held up extraordinarily well reading it as an adult, much better than I’d expected. Given that I read it only a few times between the ages of 7 and 9, I was surprised by how much I remembered, down to many specific lines and passages. I read it with quite a different perspective than I did as a child, of course. Actually, I am probably more impressed with it now than I was then.

I really love the illustrations. They’re precious, in a good way, not in an “ick-en-spick” (one of only three words in the secret “language” in the book) way.

Some things that really struck me now: the wonderful (though not without its problems, which are addressed) sister like friendship between Victoria and Martha, the sending of such young children to a boarding school: Victoria from age 8 and Martha from age 6, and also what a different, more innocent time it was back in 1960 when this book was first published: these two eight year old girls befriending and receiving help, in a semi-secret way, from the school’s handyman, with no hint of or fear of impropriety.

I felt both melancholy and amused when reading this, and it was really fun to revisit it. I’m so glad I decided to reread it and I’m grateful to the A Thrilling Term At Goodreads… group for reconnecting me with what I consider to be my first school story.

This is certainly a ‘leebossa” book, my favorite of the three “secret language” words.

I just found out from Goodreads friend Constance that the author wrote then burned a sequel. I would have loved to read a sequel to this, if it had been done well.

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this was the first boarding school book I read, and perhaps should be blamed for a lifetime's obsession! It is certainly a leebossa book, and it is distressing that Ursula Nordstrom burnt the sequel before it could be published.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is the sun in the imaginary universe of my childhood. My best friend and I used the words in here as the basis of our secret language, that we would use on the playground to thwart our enemies who wanted to kill unicorns (which clearly, we were). I lived at the edge of an enchanted forest, where the language comes from, and we even had maps of it. And being the smart girls we were, somewhere, someone may still have our written dictionary for the secret language. Leeleebossa!

[Jamie Dacyczyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over and over as a kid. I'm not sure exactly what appealed about it, but I loved it anyway. It's just about a couple of girls at a boarding school who become friends, and have regular kid "adventures" like planning a midnight feast, building a house in the woods, inventing a secret language, ec.

One thing that is still relevant to this day is that it's one of the few books where a character has synesthesia, though it's not really discussed as such in the book. I have gender-personification synesthesia, which basically means that my brain assigns distinct personalities and genders to numbers and letters. I never thought it was odd, because in this book one of the characters talks about which numbers are boys and which are girls (though as a kid, I remember thinking that I thought the genders were different than those that she said). So, I just assumed that everyone thought the way that this character and I did.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read an excerpt of this book in third grade, and I immediately needed to find out more about what happened to Victoria and Martha.

Over many years, I forgot the title of this book, but I never forgot bits of the plot, or the magical feelings it evoked. Many years later, the first volume of Harry Potter kind of reminded me again of this story, and I searched Amazon for it. I'm so happy it's again part of my collection; even though I have no children of my own, I love reading it for my own enjoyment.

Young girls today who are used to technology may be too jaded to treasure this as I did, but I hope not.

[Ashley Perham]

I totally forgot about this book, until Goodreads was like "Hey you might like this" and I was like "Hey I did!" Anyway, I borrowed it from a friend when I was like ten or so and I remember really liking it!

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably the first American boarding school book I ever read. It was not in my hometown library, but during summer vacations with my grandparents, I would borrow it from the Cathedral City, CA library. Vicky and Martha have some wonderful experiences (I still want to be a pistachio ice cream cone for Halloween, for instance), but Nordstrom's wistful tone lingers throughout the book. It's a sophisticated touch that helps to show why Nordstrom was such a talented editor of books that pushed the envelope. Best friends and nice housemothers are great, but they can't replace HOME.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did I miss reading this when I was a kid? I loved it and can only imagine what my reaction to it would have been in my younger days. I had an unfulfilled dream of going to boarding school when I was a kid. Can't believe I never read this. Better late than never I suppose.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most influential children's book editors of the twentieth century, Ursula Nordstrom oversaw the publication of such classics as Charlotte's Web and Where the Wild Things Are , but this middle-grade novel, about a young girl and her experiences away at boarding school, is the only work of her own to be published (apparently there was a sequel, but Nordstrom burnt it).

The story of Victoria North, sent to the Coburn Home School when her mother's (rather vague) work situation interferes with her ability to care for her daughter, it follows the unhappy young girl as she reluctantly adjusts to life away from home. Befriended by the rebellious Martha Sherman, who fiercely maintains that this will be her last year at Coburn (a claim she makes each year), Victoria is soon initiated into the "secret language," and involved in adventures large and small with her new boon companion.

Given my love of linguistics and sympathy for the idea of created childhood languages (I had one myself, complete with its own writing system), my interest in the girls' school-story genre, of which this an atypical American example, and my respect for Nordstrom's influential career, I really expected to love The Secret Language, especially as a number of goodreads friends list it as a childhood favorite. Perhaps my reading was sabotaged by such high expectations, but although I found the book moderately engaging, I simply wasn't that impressed. There just wasn't enough here to satisfy, and I found myself wishing that Nordstrom had told us more about the school - Victoria and Martha's classes, their activities - and (especially!) about the secret language. I wanted to learn more than three words! I wonder if Nordstrom herself, as an editor, saw the weaknesses here, and that was why she burned the sequel?

[Monica Edinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those stars are based on my love for this book as a child. Not so sure how any kid today would take to it. Afraid to give it to one and be crushed by them not liking it!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading "Dear Genius", I was curious to try Nordstrom's books. Her talent was editing, not writing, judging by this one book. It is a pleasant, rather boring, and somewhat dated story about two little girls at a boarding school, and their growing friendship and adventures during that school year. The main character, Victoria, becomes friends with Martha. Martha is actually a fairly disagreeable girl which Victoria doesn't realize since she is so grateful that someone would be friendly to herself, the new girl. She eventually, through example, shames Martha into behaving better to their hall mistress, who is very careful how and when she gives any criticism. The secret language seemed to have included a whopping 3 or 4 words but since these were likely 2nd or 3rd graders I suppose I'm being a bit hard on them. I suppose if I were being completely honest, this would get 2 stars. However, I also feel it a bit unfair to judge completely by today's standards. This title has only white children, only Christian children, with no indication that this was a Christian boarding school, and the most original conversation was one where the heroine explained that certain numbers felt female to her and others felt male. While, I'll admit that one is completely new to me, that isn't enough for originality in a story. I suspect the editor Nordstrom would have been able to pull a more creative story out of the writer if she had been the editor, not the writer.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that changed the lives of many little girls who read it, Nordstroms story about two friends at boarding school is deftly written and the points of view of the girls are totally in character. A wonderful read for adults as well, this was Nordstrom's only novel. Her high standards (she was the children's book editor behind the most famous books of the later half of the 20th century: Charlottes Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harriet the Spy - the list goes on) kept her from publishing more of her own work. Her gift to the children of the world is timeless though.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This as the first boarding school book I ever read and was instrumental in my compulsive obsession with the genre, from all the series books to The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Frost in May as an adult. It's a simple slip of a book but the story of two girl's friendship in the face of new experiences is sweet and enduring.

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my moms favorite book as a little girl and one of the only one's that she kept. She used to read it to me and my sister when we were little. I loved it then but I was little enough not to get some parts of it. Then one day I happened to stumble upon it when I was older. I just sat down right where I was and starting reading. I was sucked in and I soon understood why it was, and still is, one of my mom's favorites. It's about family, leaving home, school, but most of all it's about friendship and how important it is. This is one of those books that was probably at the time a pretty popular book ( I'm not for sure ). But after a while it just kind of died out. It's one of the ones you never hear about. Well I for one would definitely put this in a list of great children's classics alongside books such as Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden. I think this book is absolutely charming and I would recommend it to anyone young and old. This book is a timeless classic just waiting to be rediscovered again! :)

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a favorite childhood book which is now out of print. I felt a strong connection to this book because one of the two main characters was named Martha, like me, but unlike most Marthas I have read about, this Martha was smart and feisty.

I recognize that the book is outdated and will probably never come back into print, but I will always have a warm connection to it. It is set at a boarding school. Victoria arrives and is so homesick that the other girls want nothing to do with her. Then she makes friends with Martha who helps her adjust to life away from home. The two of them create their own language (thus, the title), and get into all sorts of adventures together.

Anyway, most people will never have the opportunity to read this book or the desire to, but I love it.

[Akila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best enjoyed ages 8-10... Does give me a impression of what boarding school is like. Also when I thought about it a bit, about people and changes and friends and acceptance and a lot of other everyday things that we may not always consider. The only thing I didn't like was how shallow most of the book seemed to be, important points were just brushed on and most of the story seemed to fake and set up like a movie with overactors which took away the impact it could have with such strong feelings... It was like an AMAZING book that was covered up with simplicity that actually took the spotlight leaving the heart-wrenching or heart-warming moments underneath.

[Shivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Language is about two girls and one is named Martha and one is named Victoria and they live at boarding school and first Victoria is roomates with Anne and Anne is mean sometimes. Then she goes home and then Martha gets to be roommates with Victoria and they get bunkbeds. One day Martha told Victoria her secret language, and they built a hut, and they are good friends. I love this book.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this as a child, and I have to say that there are elements that have stuck with me to this day-- the ice-cream cone halloween costumes, the hut building, the boarding school of tiny dolls the girls make in a dresser drawer, and the making of a tiny landscape with a purse mirror as a pond in it.

I'm not sure what, if any, lesson there is here, except a tiny one about developing friendships; but one doesn't have to be a boarding-school child to enjoy this.

[Wendy Tuell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I read it in elementary school. Part of the book's interest to me was reading about girls who were actually sent away from their families to go to school. That seemed like such a terrible thing, but I was very curious to read about how they coped and their adventures. Also, the idea of a secret language thrilled me!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to go to boarding school -- I thought it sounded like so much fun, so British and grown-up and adventurous. Instead I had to settle for reading books about it. This might have been the first one, and it's still good all these years later.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the 3rd grade and I adored it. I must have read it 100 times. I just ordered an old copy from ebay and I'm looking forward to reading it again. I so wanted to go to boarding school after this book, but I knew I'd be more of a homesick Vicki than a Martha.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book soon after learning to read as a child (I was a late starter) and it fired my love of books and the wonderful worlds that can unfold with each page.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite

[Hayley DeRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very leebossa.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little book. Written by the powerhouse Harper editor, Ursula Nordstrom, who is behind sone of the best kids’ fiction ever.

Sending an 8 year old to boarding school stressed me and my 8 yo out but it all worked out.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a girl and just read it to my girls. They liked it but said it ended too abruptly and they were said they didn't get to know if Martha cones back the next year.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martha is a hard character to like. I also found the story a bit random in places.

[Kbreach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my all time favorite book from 1972-1976, grades 2-6, but especially circa 4th grade. I still recommend it to girls around that age when I sub in the elementary school library. I loved re-reading this book over and over, and feeling like I could be one of the main characters' friends at their private school. The Giant ice cream cone costumes... and their language.... and their friendship!! Love it.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorites from my childhood. I don't remember exactly when I read it, but I was about the same age as the girls in the book, so I'm guessing around 1966. Upon rereading it, I found the story vaguely familiar, although I didn't remember many details. The author really captures Victoria's sense of homesickness at the beginning of the book. I can see why I liked it, even though I had nothing in common with these boarding school girls. The title kind of baffles me because there is actually very little about the Secret Language throughout the book. I sort of remembered being intrigued by the made-up words when I first read this, but as an adult I wish there were more to it. I would say the book is bossa, but not leebossa. There are some ick-en-spick scenes that made me smile and I did find some of the other boarders to be ankendosh.

I still love the illustrations by Mary Chalmers.