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The Secret of the Sealed Room: A Mystery of Young Benjamin Franklin
The play’s the thing . . .To the outside world, Tom Pryne is an orphan traveling Elizabethan England with his uncle’s theater troupe. In actuality, “Tom” is Viola, in disguise because her parents’ Catholic sympathies have put them at odds with the Crown and forced them into hiding. When the troupe arrives in the sleepy little town of Stratford-on-Avon, Viola’s uncle is arrested for murder, and she joins forces with an irksome local boy, named Will Shakespeare, with an active imagination, a penchant for trouble, and a smart turn of phrase, to uncover the real culprit. A perfect blend of humor, drama, and adventure and a rich evocation of 16th-century England inform this fresh and original historical mystery that introduces an appealing pair of amateur sleuths.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
October 31, 2020
NB. The blurb here in Goodreads is an error. It is in fact for the first book in the series.
Set in the 18th century, this middle grade book is about a runaway girl after her mistress died under mysterious circumstances.
Patience Martin was made an indentured servant after her mother died. Her old mistress died suddenly one day and Patience faced the threat of having her indenture being sold to an unkind employer. When her healer friend was accused of the murder, Patience took matters into her own hands. She met a young apprentice who helped her solve this mystery and clear her friend's name.
I liked the fact that this book was set in the time when America's founding father Ben Franklin was a youth apprentice in his brother's printing company. In the story, the author nuanced his talents as Ben takes risks to help our heroine. In true Agatha Christie style, the mystery is revealed when all the suspects are in the same room. Cleverly done. I also learnt quite a bit about life in the 17th century through this story, from servitude to candle-making.
A good mystery read.
Set in the 18th century, this middle grade book is about a runaway girl after her mistress died under mysterious circumstances.
Patience Martin was made an indentured servant after her mother died. Her old mistress died suddenly one day and Patience faced the threat of having her indenture being sold to an unkind employer. When her healer friend was accused of the murder, Patience took matters into her own hands. She met a young apprentice who helped her solve this mystery and clear her friend's name.
I liked the fact that this book was set in the time when America's founding father Ben Franklin was a youth apprentice in his brother's printing company. In the story, the author nuanced his talents as Ben takes risks to help our heroine. In true Agatha Christie style, the mystery is revealed when all the suspects are in the same room. Cleverly done. I also learnt quite a bit about life in the 17th century through this story, from servitude to candle-making.
A good mystery read.
January 26, 2020
Both my 9 year old and I enjoyed this book. :)
November 3, 2021
I have been reading this aloud with my 9-year-old son as part of our homeschooling curriculum, and it is actually painful to read because of how poorly it is written. The writing is clunky and awkward, and the sentences often continue endlessly, going on far longer than is necessary. I feel like this needed a much more thorough editing job than was provided.
Here's one example of a long and wandering sentence that could have easily been broken up into two or three separate sentences:
"It was one of four or five properties that Mr. Worth had bought and rented out, and of them all it was the least desirable, but since Mrs. Worth insisted on charging exactly the same rent for all the houses, whether larger or smaller, in good repair or ruinous, she had made the cost of living in the Tanner's Lane hovel far too high for the poor folk that might consider it."
And another sentence, just in the next paragraph:
"Mrs. Worth wanted no supper that evening but had me help her up the stairs to her bedroom, where at her direction I changed the bedclothes--there would be a monstrous heap of washing for me to do come Monday, I thought--and lit the candle, for she proposed to read in the Psalms until she fell asleep again."
We don't shy away from difficult novels; we just finished reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which has higher-level vocabulary than The Secret of the Sealed Room. I just won't waste time reading a badly written book aloud to my son for the next 3-and-a-half weeks.
Here's one example of a long and wandering sentence that could have easily been broken up into two or three separate sentences:
"It was one of four or five properties that Mr. Worth had bought and rented out, and of them all it was the least desirable, but since Mrs. Worth insisted on charging exactly the same rent for all the houses, whether larger or smaller, in good repair or ruinous, she had made the cost of living in the Tanner's Lane hovel far too high for the poor folk that might consider it."
And another sentence, just in the next paragraph:
"Mrs. Worth wanted no supper that evening but had me help her up the stairs to her bedroom, where at her direction I changed the bedclothes--there would be a monstrous heap of washing for me to do come Monday, I thought--and lit the candle, for she proposed to read in the Psalms until she fell asleep again."
We don't shy away from difficult novels; we just finished reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which has higher-level vocabulary than The Secret of the Sealed Room. I just won't waste time reading a badly written book aloud to my son for the next 3-and-a-half weeks.
February 21, 2012
It was just ok. Kate and I are reading this for our mother daughter book group so I found myself pushing through it just so I could finish and move onto something else. The mystery isn't much of a mystery but it was probably set up to be easy for kids. I didn't find the characters all that interesting although I discovered things about Benjamin Franklin I didn't know before.
November 15, 2019
No desire to continue. I love history, but this book is a drag. There seems to be too much unnecessary detail that is all dreary and dark gray. I cannot see myself spending any more hours reading this depressing little story to my son as I am sure there are much more interesting books that don't suck the last ounce of joy out of our day.
January 9, 2021
I read this with my 2 sons, aged 9 and 7, as part of our homeschool curriculum. Is was a great way to experience what life was like in the 1700’s in Boston. It also was fun to hear about Ben Franklin as a young man. The mystery was perfect for my 9 year old. ( it went above the 7 year olds head, and was a little obvious for me)
My biggest con was that it was incredibly hard to read aloud.
My biggest con was that it was incredibly hard to read aloud.
Read
February 16, 2022It’s a mystery where Benjamin Franklin and Patience Martin solve the murder of Mrs Abedela Worth.
George’s review-6/5. I liked every single bit of the book so I can’t pick a favorite because I like everything. Favorite character -Ben, because he is a little mischievous and smart.
Jilly’s review-5/5. Favorite part - when Ben bought Patience’s indenture and freed her. Favorite character - Patience because she was adventurous and clever.
Dottie’s review - 5/5. What a fun way to learn a little more about Benjamin Franklin. My favorite part was how the murder was done, it was very clever. My favorite character was Patience, she was down to earth and clever.
George’s review-6/5. I liked every single bit of the book so I can’t pick a favorite because I like everything. Favorite character -Ben, because he is a little mischievous and smart.
Jilly’s review-5/5. Favorite part - when Ben bought Patience’s indenture and freed her. Favorite character - Patience because she was adventurous and clever.
Dottie’s review - 5/5. What a fun way to learn a little more about Benjamin Franklin. My favorite part was how the murder was done, it was very clever. My favorite character was Patience, she was down to earth and clever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2019
Cute, little mystery involving Ben Franklin as a supporting character to Patience, an indentured servant. Great supplemental material when learning about Ben Franklin. Used in homeschool curriculum.
January 7, 2021
The book is really great, my 6 and 10yos really enjoyed it. The ending felt rushed and the reveal wasn't as detailed as it could have been for a kid's book. My two are eager for more mysteries now. We got this as part of our US history curriculum, and was a great addition.
November 4, 2022
We loved this story. It has sparked my child's interest in learning all about Ben Franklin. We highly recommend this book to anyone who is learning about him in school. This story pulled us in and kept us wanting to read more.
January 9, 2025
3.5 stars
I read this to my kids and the story was an interesting spin on a murder mystery with the help from young Ben Franklin. While certain aspects captured their attention they were not completely awed but this book.
I read this to my kids and the story was an interesting spin on a murder mystery with the help from young Ben Franklin. While certain aspects captured their attention they were not completely awed but this book.
October 21, 2018
Read aloud during morning time, during school. Great engaging, suspenseful book.
December 15, 2018
Great fiction that brings a young Ben Franklin to life
November 7, 2019
Loved it!
Read
April 21, 2020Very good!!!
January 1, 2021
My son and I both really loved this fun story about a young Benjamin Franklin!
March 29, 2021
That was a really good book! I loved the suspense and the characters! And I did not read this on a kindle! (It says kindle edition on the title) We read it with Mom and it was a really good book!
March 30, 2021
It was a great book. I liked the ending!
April 24, 2021
My kids loved this as a read aloud, it was okay for me.
January 27, 2022
My kids (aged 7-11) loved this book and gave it 5 stars. There was murder, mystery, and history. All of these things, for them, made this read very enjoyable!
March 4, 2022
Read aloud for my fourth grader. Absolutely loved this exciting mystery book! I imagine this is exactly how a young Ben Franklin would have behaved.
May 16, 2022
Had to read this for my daughter for school. It was actually really, really good. Another one I secretly just wanted to finish and not have to stretch out for her school, lol.
December 5, 2022
Meh- read w my 9 y/o for history. He was into the story more than I thought he’d be.
November 17, 2023
Very cute middle grade mystery featuring a young Ben Franklin!
December 27, 2023
A good sense of time and place and what it must have been like to live in Boston in the 1700s. A nice little mystery with a satisfying ending. Sonlight D
January 16, 2024
This was a read aloud for Max’s school and we both enjoyed it!
October 3, 2024
Emmett gives it 5 stars!
January 24, 2025
What a fun, fictional story about Ben Franklin. My daughter and I loved this book and couldn’t wait to finish it to see what happened. We will be looking for more books by this author!
November 30, 2025
3.75 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews