Sophie Has a Secret
Anna learns that there are good secrets and not so good secrets when Joshua tells her that something really bad happened to his younger sister, Sophie.
Even though she makes a pinkie swear not tot ell, even her BFF Maria, Anna struggles with doing the right thing. Does she break her pinkie swear or does she keep it?
Learning about trusted and not trusted adults during the Blue Ribbon Week at school helps her decide what to do.
Short Excerpt: “Mom, I did a pinkie swear with Joshua about something, but I don’t think it needs to be a secret from you. Maria wanted me to tell her, but I wouldn’t. I told her when I do a pinkie swear it means I can’t tell, even if she is my besty, and I had to be true to the one I promised.” Anna was very serious. She sat cross armed and cross legged on the sofa. “What do you think?”
Mrs. Riley thought for a moment, then asked, “Is it something that you can make better for the person if you tell?” Mrs. Riley asked her daughter trying to help her make a smart decision. “And, do you trust me as your mother?”
Anna knew she could trust her mother to do the right thing. “Okay, I think I should tell you.”
Meet Anna's Friend Sophie
Hi everyone! It’s me, Anna,
My mom took me, Maria, and Daniel to watch a movie about a little girl who wanted to be a ballerina dancer, but some other people made her do really terrible things. I told Miss Yvonne, the lady who made the movie, that I was going to bring all my friends to watch the movie and that we need to know about this.
In this book, Sophie is going into the second grade. She has a secret that nobody knows about except her brother, Joshua, who is in the fifth grade. He’s one of our friends.
Sophie really wants to talk about what happened to her, but is afraid to, so she doesn’t talk at all, except at home. I think me and my friends can help her, and other school kids that are being hurt like Sophie.
I want you to read, Sophie Has a Secret with your moms or trusted adult. That way they can explain some thing to you that we won’t really talk about in this book.
Love, Anna
The Inspiration
The story of “Sophie Has a Secret” was birthed in 2015 while my husband and I were involved in the anti-human trafficking movement. Statistics showed that children as young as pre-schoolers were victimized, and they rarely, if ever, reveal what happens to them. Often, when a child would tell a teacher, they usually thought they were not telling the truth so didn’t report it.
Additionally, there were no materials for kids that young. I thought of the story “Sophie has a Secret” that would allow children to read a fun book while gently revealing what had happened to Sophie, and hoping this might inspire a child to report either their own abuse, or the abuse of a friend.
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Book Reviews and Resources
Chapter Five Excerpt
“Here is your room, Sophie,” the principal said as she stopped by the open doorway to Mrs. Edwards room.
Sophie looked in the room at all the fun things on the wall and at the kids who were sitting in a group on the floor. “Hello there. Is this my new Sophie?” a kind gramma like Mrs. Edwards greeted her new student at the door. Mrs. Edwards took Sophie’s hand and walked her into the room. Sophie felt safe and protected even though her teacher was a stranger.
“Class this is Sophie. She is new this year. Can you tell her hello?” Mrs. Edwards instructed.
“Hi Sophie,” the class of fifteen children sitting on the floor said at once.
Sophie raised her little hand and gave a slight wave then looked back at her mother. “I’m going to go now. Mrs. Edwards and Principal Johnson are very nice ladies. They will watch over you, okay?”
Sophie started to whimper as her mother turned to leave, but stopped. she didn’t want to cry in front of the others kids.
Mrs. Pasley took a deep breath and walked back to the school office with Principal Johnson talking all the way about what had happened to Sophie that made her not want to talk.
About the Author
Yvonne Williams is the creator of a children’s book series, Anna’s Friends. It helps parents and educators discover their children’s God-given motivational gifts: exhortation, facilitation, giving, mercy, prophecy, service, and teaching.
Some other book titles include: Miss Emma from Silverlake, And the Angels Dance; Love Is: A Unifying Force; My Father’s Garden; There’s a Flower in the Garbage; Getting to Know God Through the Power of Prayer; My Daily Garden Journal; Ruby; Forgiveness: the Missing Link to Wholeness; Unshackling our Soul to Heal America (reviewed and praised by Bill Haley, president of Alex Haley Roots Foundation, Bobby Schuller, pastor of Hour of Power, and other notable faith leaders in the USA).
Yvonne is also the screenwriter and served as 2nd unit director for A Dance for Bethany, a 4-time award winning PG-13 faith-based feature film about a 12-year-old runaway rescued out of a life of sex slavery and into her dream of becoming a dancer.
The movie is seen in Czech-Republic; Middle East; and South Africa and on DVD in the United States. Yvonne is married to husband Marion. The couple enjoy their fur-kid, Luke, an American Eskimo Teddy Bear.