This book is about an orphaned girl in Spain named Maria, who is asked by the priest to tell him if the family she is sent to work for, who are conversos, (jews who converted to Christianity in Spain because Spain outlawed jews ,) are performing Jewish rituals, and if so, to report them to him. But Maria finds herself in a tough situation. She comes to love the family that she works for, but when she suspects them of still being Jews in secret, she is forced to betray them. This is is a good book for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Jews through the eyes of a spy. It made me think about the importance of family, and when is the right time to stand up for yourself. For ages 10+.
I loved this book mainly because I love stories about Jewish history I would love to read more books by the same other --really good book
Reviewed by Rebecca, age 11, FL If you like to read historical fiction novels, this is a great book for you. It makes you feel like you are actually living in the time period of 1492. The book is about a Catholic girl named Maria whose family died. She goes to work as a servant for a family named the Delgados. They are wealthy Conversos, people who were forced to convert from Judaism. The book made me feel excited and happy when Maria finds a place to work. The book also made me nervous when the soldiers took Dr. Delgado to question him about being a Jew.
Reviewed by Lucy, age 10, MA The book "Secrets in the House of Delgado" by Gloria D. Miklowitz is quite an amazing novel. This historical fiction read is based in Spain in the 1490s. During this time, many Jews were either forced to leave Spain or forced to convert to Christianity. As this all was happening, the main character Maria, loses all of her family to sickness. She was sent to the Delgado’s mansion by the priest to act as a servant to the eleven year old daughter. The Delgado family were Conversos, meaning they had converted from being Jews. Many people said they converted, but practiced Judaism in secrecy. This was not allowed and people were sadly killed as a result. Was the Delgado family Conversos? Should Maria tell the priest of this? Find out when you read the book Secrets in the House of Delgado.