A SECRET by LUCILLE HULL ~ a sweet children's book ~ REVIEW TIME

I was determined to find the perfect target audience for this book and read it to them. Especially after reading about the author. I feel this book deserves a special place on the bookshelf simply for the author, who passed away, I think before the book was even published. 
I decided to read it to some VERY special little people I know, and their ages are 8,6, and 14 months.
The story is short, but sweet nonetheless. The characters are cute, Curly Worm, Furry Caterpillar, Mr. Centipede, a Striped Honey Bee, and a Lovely Butterfly. 
The youngster in the tale has no feathers, no wings, no fancy decor of any type, and yet, he lives happily. He reveals essentially that God loves each of us the same, no matter that we're different. 
The illustrations are bright and simple. I thought the book was very sweet. The kiddos that sat while I read seemed to like the pictures a lot, they chattered along with every page. The toddler, of course, lost interest every minute and a half, then returned as often to peek again. 
Overall, I think the book is worth the read. 

I received a copy through Goodreads giveaway, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. 
My opinions are mine alone. Thanks for reading! 
The book can be found on Amazon.com if you're looking to check it out!

A book review. I've been book~binging! TJ's Last Summer in Cape Cod by Garfield Whyte

A young man of 18, TJ is looking forward to a basketball scholarship for college. So, this final summer, before stepping into his new role as a college man, a grown up, must be a monumental one. He enlists the help of his wayward uncle, whose reputation precedes him. This novel is the tale of his struggle to become a man, while wanting to hold onto the freedom of being a child, who is allowed to make dumb choices and come away seemingly unscathed. 
While emulating the promiscuous behavior of his uncle, he gets himself in the middle of a love triangle. Taj has to decide how to handle this. How many people will get hurt? After many summers of living with an uncle that seemingly has a broken moral compass, will Taj continue to practice that same behavior? He really looks up to this uncle. They're VERY close, as close as father and son. 
I'll give no other details of the story, except to say that when reading this novel, I continued to reminisce my young adult years, and wow! Those were the good 'ole days (Isn't that what we all say?) When I began reading. I was expecting to be lulled to sleep with a YA novel. That was how I had heard it labeled. As young adult. IE for my teens, not me. I was VERY wrong about that preconceived notion. I'm glad I didn't dismiss it for my ignorance. The book was SO good. By the way, if you are misinformed about this novel, it's NOT for 'young adults'... It's for all ages. There are graphic descriptions throughout, but if you're a reader, you can handle it. The story is so believable, I asked the author whether this book was written from his own life experience; he assured me it was imagination alone. Wow! That's some imagination! You should not only read this book, but check out anything else this guy has written. He has a gift.
This ended up being quite a quick read for me, as I was immersed in the story. I didn't want to put it down! The characters are real, their life stories believable, and the ending was unpredictable, which I love. I've already recommended the book to my sister and 2 friends. When I find a gem of a novel, I TELL. There are many books that leave me unfulfilled, so when I find a book I love, I want to tell other readers. 
This is one of those times. Get the book. You'll love TJ. And you'll relate to his moral dilemmas. Maybe more than you'll admit out load. (wink)
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book for an honest and unbiased review. That being said, let me add the following words that are mine, and only mine. I LOVED this novel. I would never place words on my blog that weren't my own true opinion, good or bad. Let me assure you, I've read books that suck the life out of me through my eyeballs, and should I review any of them, that's what the review will say. 

and an appeal... what a pathetic excuse for a 'man'....

How about this? How about you've made us suffer enough, taking the life of your dad, my brother, IN HIS SLEEP... my family has suffered. Oh, how we've suffered. You put us through a fucking trial, when your act of homicide was followed by your own confession, you should have pled guilty and let us grieve in private. But no... 

And now. After we've begun (all over again) the grieving process, through which we'll never emerge, since closure is a concept I  am unable to grasp, even when I reach and clutch at it in my nightmares. I will never understand WHY. The real why, not the ridiculous tales you fabricated in the 24 hours prior to pulling the trigger, while you plotted and planned. My mind cannot accept his death, as there was no physical form to which we might say goodbye. No final touch of his face, his hands, no hug before we lay him to rest. No rest. Cremation without saying goodbye. Warned that the image of his final state would haunt us forever. He's no longer here, this is "not the brother you remember, you must not look." and then... "not enough to resemble your loved one" .... that won't haunt me? 

Well, it has. It is. And it will continue.  

You're evil. Pathetic. Uneducated. Naive. Ignorant. Puppet. A killer. Cold-blooded. Alone. Life in Prison. No parole. At 19. First and second degree murderer. That's you... don't get me started on your mother. She belongs beside you in that cell.