The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters
Review by: Chris Singer
About the author:
Ben H. Winters lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He’s written a whole bunch of plays and musicals for children and adults; all sorts of magazine and newspaper journalism; and books, including Android Karenina, the New York Times bestseller Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, the middle-grade novel The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, and several contributions to the famous Worst-Case Scenario Survival Guide series. You can learn more about him at BenHWinters.com
About the book:
Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher. Or is she?
It all starts with a Special Project in Mr. Melville’s Social Studies class: Solve a mystery in your own life. For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore: Ms. Finkleman.
Bethesda is convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life, and she’s determined to find out what it is. But no one is prepared for what she learns. Ms. Finkleman used to be . . . a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works with none other than timid Ms. Finkleman at the helm!
But the case isn’t quite closed, and the questions continue to swirl for Bethesda. Could there be even more to the secret life of Ms. Finkleman than she already revealed? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves the real mystery of Ms. Finkleman once and for all!
My take on the book:
I had so much fun reading this book! And how can you not enjoy a book involving a mild-mannered, practically anonymous music teacher with a secret past, some punk rock music and lots of laughs accompanied by a little bit of School of Rock appeal!
Ben H. Winters rocks the house with this fast-paced read starring Bethesda Fielding and Tenny Boyer as very likable and authentic characters. While there’s lots of fun and good laughs, I was impressed with some of the subplots in the story as well. There’s lots of things going on amidst the laughs and suspense involving the subject (Ms. Finkleman) of Bethesda Fielding’s Special Project. I think this would be a great read for a middle school classroom because it affords opportunities for some good discussions about identity, teacher-student relationships and family pressures. In many ways, The Secret Life of Ms. Finkelman is essentially a story about second chances as the main characters have issues related to either their past or present lives. I like how it all plays out in the story, especially with the ending.
Be sure to check out Ben H. Winters’ website: BenHWinters.com. Lots of cool things going