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I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

Young adult

I Have No Secrets

by Penny Joelson

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Quick take

A voice for the voiceless, literally. It'll make you think about how to better listen to those who can't speak.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Emotional

    Emotional

  • Illustrated icon, Fast_Read

    Fast read

  • Illustrated icon, Social_Issues

    Social issues

  • Illustrated icon, Family_Drama

    Family drama

Synopsis

Jemma knows who the murderer is. She knows because he told her.

He thought his secret was safe because Jemma can't speak or move.

But Jemma observes all kinds of things about everyone around her. His secret is just one of them.

And when a new technology means she may be able to communicate and reveal all she knows, Jemma no longer feels powerless in the face of this deadly secret. It's a race against time before the killer acts again...or tries to stop her.

Free sample

Check out a preview of I Have No Secrets.

I Have No Secrets

1

I tense up as soon as I hear the doorbell. I know it’s him. I know it’s Dan. Sarah’s still upstairs getting ready, and I hope she comes down soon. I don’t want him coming in here.

Mom calls up to Sarah, and I hear Sarah say she’ll be down in a minute. “We’ve been keeping her busy, I’m afraid,” Mom tells Dan, “so she hasn’t had much time to get ready!”

“I know she wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Dan. “She’s a gem—and you too. What you do for these kids.”

I listen to them chatting away and Mom laughing at Dan’s jokes. Everyone loves Dan. Then Mom says she has to get back to the kitchen—she’s left things on the stove and she’s sure Sarah won’t be long.

It’s quiet for a moment. I hear the distant clattering of pans in the kitchen. Then I hear Dan’s voice, coming closer as he speaks.

“What show are you watching? Ah...Pointless!”

I can hear him breathing. Then he whispers, “A little like your life, isn’t it, Jemma?”

He’s standing behind me now, but I can’t see him because my wheelchair is facing the TV. I try to focus on the game show questions and forget he’s there, but he gives a long, dramatic sigh.

“Don’t know how you can stand it.” His voice is low, not loud enough to be overheard. “Watching television must be the most excitement you get.” He only speaks like this when no one else is around. He used to ignore me completely, but not anymore.

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Why I love it

“If I were you, I’d kill myself. Listen, if you ever want a little help, I could —”

Jemma is a sixteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, unable to speak or move without assistance. Her world is mainly her home—her mom, an aide, and the aide’s ever-present boyfriend, Dan. Outwardly, Dan is charming and kind, but secretly, he’s a bully: the kind of person who whispers horrible things to Jemma, like the above … and the fact that he’s a murderer.

Dan knows his secret is safe with Jemma. That is, until a scientific breakthrough gives Jemma the chance to communicate and tell all she knows. Suddenly, she’s no longer a passive bystander to a crime. Suddenly, her life is on the line.

This is a seriously creepy read with an ending you won’t see coming. Jemma is a clear-eyed heroine with some truly long odds to overcome, and you’ll root for her as she fights for her life against an off-kilter killer unafraid to strike again. Thank you, Penny Joelson, for this unique read—but no thanks for freaking us out so much! ;)

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View all
The Last One at the Wedding
The Night We Lost Him
Madwoman
Hum
Family Happiness
Husbands & Lovers
Same As It Ever Was
Jackpot Summer
The Lion Women of Tehran
Did I Ever Tell You?
Real Americans
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Just for the Summer
All We Were Promised
Hard by a Great Forest
Family Family
Northwoods
Mercury
The Second Chance Year
A Winter in New York
Check & Mate
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Leftover Woman
While You Were Out
Evil Eye
Just Another Missing Person
Family Lore
Little Monsters
The Connellys of County Down
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Paper Names
Divine Rivals
Hang the Moon
The Last Russian Doll
Maame
White Horse
The Family Game
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
When We Were Bright and Beautiful
You're Invited
Marrying the Ketchups
Part of Your World
The Good Left Undone
The Verifiers
The Unsinkable Greta James
Don't Cry for Me
Black Cake
Olga Dies Dreaming
The Family
The Book of Magic
Sankofa
Everything We Didn't Say
Apples Never Fall
The Sweetest Remedy
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
We Are the Brennans
Skye Falling
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
Things We Lost to the Water
Libertie
What's Mine and Yours
The Bad Muslim Discount
The Push
The Chicken Sisters
In a Holidaze
White Ivy
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Practical Magic
Head Over Heels
The Vanishing Half
All Adults Here
The Kingdom of Back
I Have No Secrets
Saving Zoë
Color Me In
Past Perfect Life
Things You Save in a Fire
There's Something About Sweetie
All That You Leave Behind
The Other Woman
Small Fry
The Winter Sister
The Rules of Magic
& Sons