The Secret Office

by Sara Cassidy, Alyssa Hutchings (Illustrator)

Overview

Can Allie and Henry help their mom and get their apartment back at the same time?

Twins Henry and Allie love the apartment they share with their mom, Sam, but their space has been feeling cramped ever since Sam started working from home. Her online meetings mean the siblings can barely use the living room! 

At first, Allie and Henry figure out a quick fix—buying their mom some headphones. But when Allie stumbles upon a secret locked room in the basement, she and Henry ask the custodian, Mr. Jeff, for his help to turn it into an office. As they work away, the twins make new discoveries about themselves, Mr. Jeff and their amazing apartment building's history. They can't wait to show their mom her new workspace!

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459839465
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	08/13/2024
Series:	Orca Echoes Series
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.25(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sara Cassidy is a writer and editor. She is the author of 17 children’s books, including Genius Jolene, winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize, and Nevers, which was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award. Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including a Silver Birch Express Award, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, Rocky Mountain Book Award and Chocolate Lily Award. Sara also writes nonfiction and poetry for adults and works in communications for the BC Ministry of Health. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Alyssa Hutchings is an educator and illustrator based in Guelph, Ontario. She holds a BA in French studies and fine arts from the University of Waterloo and a BEd from Queen’s University. Her art style is whimsical and bright, and she strives to depict a sense of adventure in everyday life. When not making art, you can find her experimenting with vegan cooking and baking, sewing her own clothes, reading comics and manga, and playing board games with her husband.

Editorial Reviews

2024-07-04
A capable pair of siblings show initiative and perseverance as they help their mother and themselves.

Nine-year-old twins Henry and Allie love their apartment building, which feels like a “big hug,” but their afternoon activities there are now circumscribed. Their mother, Sam, needs quiet and privacy to work from their small quarters. The impressive duo, responsible for minor cookery and laundry, don’t complain; they look for solutions. They seek out headphones for Sam so they won’t hear the disembodied voices of her co-workers. When they discover a mysterious locked basement room, they resolve to turn it into an office for Sam. With determination, cleverness, hard work, and luck, they overcome financial and situational obstacles. Minor plot thickeners include their discovering that a Black woman architect designed the building, the superintendent’s reconnecting with an old friend, and Henry’s learning to discipline a neighbor’s exuberant poodle. The narrative is lively and well paced, with admirable characters and conflicts that are neatly but believably wrapped up. The family is deeply committed to safeguarding the environment: They walk rather than drive, and they make a point of avoiding aerosol cans, which can’t be recycled. The twins are big on sharing and caring; Allie reads a book on manners, and Henry makes clear that he’s “allergic to lying.” Realistically detailed, cartoon-style black-and-white drawings help set the scene. The twins present white; the cast is diverse.

A gently told, wholesome adventure in apartment living.(Chapter book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews