Alexis has a secret about her—er, himself. Well, it's not really a secret, at least not outwardly, but it hasn't been expressed aloud to anyone else, except the therapist. He hasn't told anyone yet, but plans on telling Marie first, mostly because she lives thousands of miles away in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Alexis and Marie have been pen pals since the sixth grade, and since they have never actually met IRL (in real life), Alexis feels more comfortable telling her first.

Marie, too, has just learned of a secret that her parents have been keeping from her, one that upends her life and changes the way she thinks about everything. In a letter that Marie inadvertently finds in a desk drawer, she learns not only that her maternal grandparents are not only not her biological grandparents, but also that who they are—and, more importantly, who they were—are in direct conflict with who Marie is and what she believes.

While Alexis struggles with identity, so too does Marie. In this story, two virtual friends work together to solve their own mysteries, one intensely personal and the other with how she now relates to her own family as the secrets of the past, the family's and the country's, become even more real.

Level 2
Unique Words: 325
Total Words: 6,900
Tenses: présent, some passé composé
Glossary: yes

©2023. French. 5 x 7 inches. Softcover, 74 pages.