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Mysteries of Middlefield Books In Order

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Publication Order of Mysteries Of Middlefield Books

A Summer Secret (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Secrets Beneath (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
Hide and Secret (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon

If you have children aged eight to twelve, then the Mysteries of Middlefield is the series you have been looking for, especially if you are desperate to get them into reading. These Kathleen Fuller novels tell short simple stories that teach valuable lessons.

+The Story

The Mysteries of Middlefield series is a collection of novels that follow the exploits of children living in an Amish community. When you read the first book in the series, specifically the part where the heroine Mary Beth comes across a boy hiding in a barn, which also happens to be Mary Beth’s secret place, you might be driven to conclude that you are reading one of several young adult novels about young characters who meet in unexpected circumstances and fall in love within the confines of some epic tale of romance.

However, you only need to read a bit further to realize that the Mysteries of Middlefield series isn’t quite that shade of Young Adult. In fact, it wouldn’t be completely accurate to categorize these novels as young adult. There are some young adult aspects in play but the books break many of the tropes common in young adult novels, chief amongst which is the absence of romance.

The books are definitely written with tweens in mind. Kathleen Fuller writes about children living in Amish communities and learning to maneuver life’s problems despite the restrictions and the confines of their culture.

The Amish faith is an ever-present aspect of these books. However, Kathleen endeavors to educate readers about the tenets of the Amish faith and their traditions. She never gets preachy. As with most of her Amish novels, Kathleen’s goal is to enlighten readers about the Amish.

And that might explain why her books enjoy so much popularity. Kathleen could have easily fallen into the same old tired tropes about Amish people that always circulate in popular culture. Certainly, she could have garnered even more attention by presenting the Amish as something altogether foreign and complex.

However, the people of the Mysteries of Middlefield series are pretty ordinary. And this manifests even more starkly in the Mysteries of Middlefield books because they focus on thirteen-year-old kids.

The kids of the Middlefield novels are just like the kids of any other community. They deal with the same worries and insecurities as every other modern child. They also find joy in the same things. They know how to show empathy and they sometimes struggle with forgiveness.

One doesn’t have to love or even understand the Amish to read these books because Kathleen makes her characters relatable. However, the author doesn’t work so hard to make her cast relatable that they lose what sets them apart.

When you read a Mysteries of Middlefield book, you won’t be able to escape the fact that you are reading a novel about the Amish. The problems the kids face in these books are experienced through the lens of their Amish culture.

Kathleen presents an opportunity for her readers to experience a new culture even while being entertained.

The ‘Mysteries’ part of the title is a little misleading. These books have been compared to series like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. However, there are no real crimes to be resolved in the Middlefield novels.

There’s definitely a mystery at the heart of each book in this series, but the mysteries toyed with here are innocuous. Each book presents a situation that tickles the curiosity of each primary protagonist. And because their curiosity is piqued, and their overactive imaginations cannot help but insert wildly colorful answers where they see questions, the kids of the Middlefield are driven to do a little investigating.

Whether they are investigating the truth behind a suspicious man next door or simply seeking to get to the bottom of a silent conflict between two older ladies, the kids emerge from each mystery as better people. Their problems are put into perspective and they learn notable moral lessons.

Some younger readers might be put off by all the time Kathleen Fuller spends describing her characters and their surroundings.

+The Author

Kathleen Fuller is an American author born in 1967. Kathleen is popular for her Christian fiction novels. Kathleen’s dream of writing Christian fiction began while she was a stay at home mom. She came across and consumed a lot of Christian fiction.

This, in turn, elicited in Kathleen a desire to write Christian fiction. The author has since garnered a reputation for producing some of the best Amish fiction on the literary market.

Kathleen’s Christian beliefs are ever present in her novels. According to the author, each new book she writes takes her on a journey during which her faith is strengthened and her view of the world is broadened.

Kathleen aims to entertain and educate with her Amish books. The author also has a desire to leave her readers feeling uplifted.

+A Summer Secret

Mary Beth thinks her house is a little too cluttered. With a twin brother and five other siblings in the house, there’s always more chaos around than Mary is willing to contend with. As such, whenever the opportunity is availed, Mary runs away to her secret place to escape all the noise and the babysitting.

During one particular summer, Mary goes to the old neighborhood barn in search of sanctuary only to realize that she might not be alone. Someone has taken to living in the barn and Mary Beth suspects that they might need help.

However, Beth also knows that helping this stranger might see her lose her secret place.

The first book in the Mysteries of Middlefield series explores the struggles Mary Beth encounters when she meets a boy called Sawyer in an old barn. Sawyer looks like he hasn’t had the easiest life and Mary is determined to help him, even if she doesn’t know how.

+The Secrets Beneath

When a strange old man decides to make the house next door his home, Rebekah Yoder allows her curiosity to get the best of her. Rebekah has always been nosy and the appearance of this mysterious man who never smiles or waves piques her interest.

Rebekah’s attempts to investigate her suspicions are complicated when her cousin tells her school about the old man. Now everyone thinks the old man is hiding something and they are determined to get in on the action.

Book Series In Order » Characters » Mysteries of Middlefield

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