Jennie Walters HOUSE OF SECRETS reveals the hidden lives of the residents of Swallowcliffe Hall as seen through the eyes of a 14 year old servant girl named Polly Perkins. Similar in some respects to its adult focused predecessors like Upstairs-Downstairs, Ms. Walters has chosen to write this book for a YA audience and has selected a contemporary of that age group as her narrator. Kudos to her for not "writing down" to her teen readers and special applause for telling an authentic story of a servant in the early 1900's without romanticizing the facts. This is instead the observations of a young girl thrown into a harsh and unfamiliar environment struggling to adjust to her circumstances and deal with the demands of her job while learning her place within the household. At Swallowcliffe there is a definite pecking order, even among the servants, which decides every aspect of life such as friendships, how work is assigned and who is allowed to speak and when (no servant can ever INITIATE a conversation with any family member). Jealousy between the servants is common as are some of the bonds that are formed out of necessity. Most captivating is the story of the alliance that develops between Polly and her fellow servant Iris. It is that bond and the outcome of that friendship that serves as the engine that drives the story.

Unlike most books of this genre, this is not a story of a young girl struggling to rise above her station in life, it is instead an authentic look at the life of one girl functioning in one of the jobs available to the British laboring class in the early 20th century, a time when young men and women left home to enter the work force in their early teens in order to ensure their survival and that of their families. Reality is the key in this story and the author has done an excellent job of imparting the atmosphere and circumstances surrounding the working class of the era when hard work and discipline were deemed necessary in building the character of good servants. There are no social welfare programs to provide for basic needs, no medical care at the local emergency room, no homes for unwed mothers, no food stamps or temporary housing. This book is not only a lesson in what was but could serve also as a reality check for the YA's of today who find life difficult to deal with life because they don't have access to a cell phone, the latest computer game or I-Pod.

While not a nostalgic trip down memory lane, HOUSE OF SECRETS is by no means depressing. This historically informative and emotionally engaging tale is an easy read that anyone, teen or adult, would find enjoyable.