Editorial Services

BOOKS THAT ENLIGHTEN!

What people are saying about
Libby Sternberg's "Uncovering Sadie's Secrets"

While Sternberg emphasizes mystery and action elements, she doesn't ignore deeper issues. She portrays Bianca as someone who genuinely cares about Sadie, the school's new girl, even while digging into Sadie's past, rationalizing her actions with the idea the she's really helping the girl ...[M]oralizing at the end helps to tidy up Bianca's growth experience, but the emphasis remains on mystery and suspense. It's an extra entertainment for mystery fans, one for those who want a puzzle without a ghost or a murder...
-- KIRKUS REVIEWS

Sternberg's first novel is a lightweight, entertaining teen mystery-romance narrated by 15-year-old high-school sophomore Bianca Balducci. The lively story follows Bianca as she tries "to hook up with a guy" who is her major crush, keep up with homework, and be a good daughter. At the same time, she's busy investigating why her new friend Sadie is
apparently being stalked by a twosome dubbed ‘the Lemming Lady and the Ice Man,' and trying to stay ahead of her 20-something sister, Connie, who is a real-life PI. The plot thickens as Bianca uncovers secrets in Sadie's past. The subtitle suggests that this is the first in a new series: Nancy Drew fans and other young mystery aficionados will be pleased. Gr. 6-9.
-- BOOKLIST

An engaging young teen mystery that's fun to read, as the lead protagonist hooks the audience with her combination of sweet innocence and crafty guile. Uncovering Sadie's Secrets entertains readers because the mystery is fun, but the cast seems so real. Libby Sternberg's Balducci tale would make a fine present for the female Potter crowd especially, not to mention us geriatrics who grew up with the hardy Nancy Drew novels.
-- HARRIET KLAUSNER, HARRIET'S BOOK REVIEWS

Bianca is a high school sophomore whose ear for gossip turns her into an information-hungry private investigator, or at least a PI-in-training. She befriends Sadie, only to discover that this strange new classmate from California is concerned about a ‘friend' being accused of murder. Bianca will risk everything to find out who Sadie really is.

Sternberg's writing mimics the social speech of a typical 15-year-old girl; it's chock-full of hyperbole and self-confidence-boosting assertions. The author exposes her protagonist's hopes, fears, and insecurities with a fresh voice, and she keeps Sadie's real secrets a mystery until the end. Bianca's relationships with friends and family are point-blank in their raw emotions and typify the rebellious nature of the teenager who also vies to be a hero to those she cares about. The epilogue reads like a PI's verbal summary of the case with suggestions for the next time, and overviews of what happened to the characters in the case. A great start to what looks like a continuing series.
-- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Bianca's quest … leads to one zany mix-up after another. She is caring, energetic, and endearing, and readers will laugh appreciatively at her bumbling attempts to court Doug while playing private eye… This light and enjoyable mystery will be especially appreciated by female readers and is appropriate for school and public libraries.
-- VOYA (4Q*4P*M*J)

An engaging young detective, a savvy older sister, a caring mom, and a good puzzle – all make for a mystery novel young readers are sure to enjoy. Did the lonely teenager commit murder? Who are the threatening strangers from Sadie's past, and what do they want with her now? Bianca uncovers Sadie's secrets in a tale that is fast-paced and intricately woven. This is a book appropriate and entertaining for readers of all ages. A delightful read!
-- LAURIE MORROW, PH.D., PRESIDENT, VERMONT ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS, AND FORMER PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, SHREVEPORT

While the past of any new student who arrives at your school may be a mystery, Bianca Balducci is convinced that the new girl, Sadie Sinclair, has more than her share of secrets. Each chapter takes the reader along as Bianca, in a series of spunky, crack-the-whip-like adventures, discovers who Sadie really is and why she is lying about her identity. In one of the chapters, Bianca gets locked in the school's office while trying to sneak a look at Sadie's records. What reader hasn't dreamed of knowing the secrets of the school's files? In this case, the files do reveal a clue to Sadie's identity. You may want to get locked-in somewhere yourself to read Uncovering Sadie's Secrets because you won't want to stop reading once you start. What would you have done if you had been in Bianca's shoes? Would there have been a kinder, more honest way for Bianca to uncover Sadie's secrets?
-- JANICE MOORE, LIBRARIAN, ROLAND PARK COUNTRY SCHOOL (BALTIMORE, MD)

I connected with the narrator's voice, and liked the story a great deal. I'll definitely want to read the sequel.
– SARAH ZIMMERMAN, AGED 14, BALTIMORE, MD

I thoroughly enjoyed Sadie! I wanted to keep reading and to get the mystery solved. Libby Sternberg's take on teenagers is right on the money, right down to their (over?) familiarity with today's modern forms of technology! I worked in children's book publishing for 10 years, so I'm very familiar with the creation and marketing of YA fiction. It is refreshing to read something that isn't replete with the drugs/death/depression/etc. of so many contemporary YA novels.
-- KATHLEEN FINN, PUBLICIST, VERMONT FOLKLIFE CENTER

"With a witty, smart, and engaging story, modest-yet-lovable characters, and a mystery that you'll want to solve, Uncovering Sadie's Secrets has something for everyone! Plus, I've got to say it: Bianca, Kerrie, and Sadie are authentic, interesting characters – and they're awfully hard to find on the bookshelves these days!"
-- SARAH MYER, AGED 15, WHITE HALL, MD

I read the book in one day – it was that good. I like Bianca, her family, her friends, her concerns, her intelligence. Moreover, the intriguing plot involved me in the story. And Bianca's learning process in this plot of thought was plausible and, I believe, something that would give a young reader something to reflect upon.
--CAROL NEVIN ABROMAITIS, PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, LOYOLA COLLEGE IN MARYLAND

I loved Uncovering Sadie's Secrets!! It's absorbing, enchanting, unpredictable, and delightful. Its main character and narrator, Bianca Balducci, is charmingly adolescent and self-effacing. The novel faithfully captures young people's attitudes and behavior without condescension. And the relationships it depicts are REAL. (One of the worst things about books written for young adults OR adults these days, and the downfall of many a movie, is the absence of realistic relationships.) Sadie's author successfully avoids the temptation to exaggerate the sibling tensions. And God bless her! she's actually made the relationships between the girls positive and affirming, with very little evidence of sniping, snarling, ‘bitchy' girls. Maybe I'm just an adolescent at heart and in mind, but I enjoyed reading Sadie as much as any of Mary Higgins Clark's books, and am already looking forward to the next Bianca mystery!!
-- KELSEY BUSH NADEAU, CO-HOST OF "TRUE NORTH," A MORNING RADIO TALK SHOW ON WKDR-AM, BURLINGTON, VT

I really liked Sadie's Secrets. Having read Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, I'm a big fan of a good mystery, and this one definitely kept me on my toes. The story was told by a girl who someone my age could understand and relate to, in language that was very modern. The ideal target audience for it, I think, are girls from 13-14, though I can see girls as young as 10 and as old as 16 reading and enjoying it. And yes, I wouldn't be surprised to see it as a TV series someday.
-- STACEY COOPER, 15

As a work of fiction, this mystery novel is novel in a very important way: no sex, no violence, yet a creative story well told. Even for one who reads little fiction because of the impossibility of keeping up with all of the non-fiction of interest, Uncovering Sadie's Secrets is a work worthy of being read in one sitting, and not just by 11-14 year-olds. For them, the book's target audience, it's a bullseye.
-- DAVID KIRKPATRICK, A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER AND NEA OFFICER, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK CHOICE IN SCHOOLING, AND EDITOR OF INSIDERUPDATE WHO'S NATIONALLY KNOWN IN THE SCHOOL REFORM MOVEMENT

Although I'm a 12-year-old boy, and clearly not the target audience, I still enjoyed Uncovering Sadie's Secrets. I'd recommend it for girls my age, and even give it to them as a birthday gift – if I got invited to their parties.
-- JEREMY LEHMAN

I was delighted to read this light mystery and follow the path of Bianca in trying to learn Sadie's secrets. The story is one that you won't want to put down until the last page, and then you will want more. It is a delight in its descriptions, teenage expressions, and language. What a pleasure to read a novel without having to ‘put up with' undesirable
language. I truly look forward to the sequel.
-- SISTER SHIRLEY DAVIS, SSJ, CATHOLIC EDUCATOR (BURLINGTON, VT DIOCESE)

Sternberg captures the chaotic energy of youth that makes Uncovering Sadie's Secrets a book that's fun for adults as well as teenagers. As the story flips between unraveling the mystery surrounding the new girl in school and Bianca's quest to catch Doug's eye (and yet not seem like she is trying to catch his eye), Sternberg brings to life the excitement of being a teenager all over again. It's Nancy Drew for the Internet generation and good, clean fun!
-- DR. CHRISTOPHER HAMMONS, PROFESSOR, HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

"I consider myself a 'mom expert' on kid lit, and I liked that Sadie didn't need melodramatic teens or sex and drugs to hold reader interest, yet had enough reality to create intrigue. …This is one book where I don't have to worry about what my daughter is reading."
-- PAM O'REILLY, MD MOTHER OF TWO

I'm a 12-year-old middle school student who loves to read, and I absolutely loved reading Sadie's Secrets. I've read other mysteries before, but this one was different. It was such a real and unpredictable mystery that it kept me guessing to the end. The story grabbed me and pulled me through to the conclusion. The characters were true to life, and fit the story. And the setting – a parochial school – was unusual. Whenever the sequel comes out, I'm going to grab it – only I hope it doesn't take the author too long to write it.
-- MANDEE SIMMONS, BALTIMORE, MD

I read it in a single day and just LOVED it! The author pulled me through the story from beginning to end. I can't wait for the next installment of the Bianca series.
– JULIE TAYLOR, AGED 13, PIKESVILLE, MD

When my (much older) brother dragged me from his bedroom one recent night, and told me I had to go back to mine, I picked up and started reading Sadie's Secrets. At first, I couldn't get to sleep. Then I didn't want to. The next day, I took Sadie with me to camp, and kept it with me wherever I went, whatever I did – nobody, in fact, could have pulled it away from me. Reading as much and as fast as I could, I finished it the same day. Sadie is quite the page-turner. My favorite series had been The Boxcar Children, which is about much different subjects and is much shorter (by about 60 pages) than Sadie. When it gets published in 2003, I'm going to be recommending Sadie to all my friends right up to the 9th grade. Then, I'm going to hope I get a chance – before it's published – to read the sequel. There's no other way to put it: I love the Bianca Balducci series. And at last I've read a book that my older sister (13) and I completely agree on.
-- LISA TAYLOR, 11 ½, PIKESVILLE, MD

E-Book $8.95

Paperback $14.95

 


Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Buy Our Books | Media | About Bancroft Press | Contact Us!
Bancroft Press - P.O. Box 65360 - Baltimore, MD 21209
410.358.0658 - 800.637.7377 - fax 410.764.1967
Privacy Statement - Copyright ©2004 Bancroft Press
Website maintained by Crescent Communications