Dirty Little Secrets

Omololu, C.J. Dirty Little Secrets. New York: Walker & Company, 2010.

Lucy has never had a sleepover at her house.  She doesn't invite friends over for study parties or to work on projects.  If someone picks Lucy up at her home, she will always be waiting at the curb.  Lucy doesn't want her friends to know that her mom is a hoarder.  Her house is piled with mounds of "treasures" her mom has collected.  Lucy can hardly stand to be at home; she can't wait until the day she is old enough to move out.  When an emergency happens in her home, Lucy has to decide who to let in on her "dirty little secret."

I found this book to be interesting, especially after my recent mini-study on hoarding.  From what I could tell, the hoarders in this book (Lucy's grandmother, mother, and oldest sister) were portrayed accurately, and I felt sorry for Lucy that she had to deal with all of this on her own.  The ending was a surprise to me, and I ended up enjoying this story more than I thought I initially would.