From the 'Junior Bookshelf' review:
One of the best of recent books for girls, "The Secret Family," by Esmee Rice (Angus and Robertson) is a refreshing story with an unusual plot. The book takes its title from the marionettes secretly carved by a lonely 14-year-old school-girl, Ariel Strong. Brought up without a mother, Ariel turns her affections to her family of puppets, for whom she devises plays. Afraid that her love of puppets will bring her derision, she hides them for years until the secret gradually comes out, and her artistic talent is given the encouragement it deserves. Through the story runs incidental life at a Melbourne girls' school and the background to Ariel's problem — her father's unintentional estrangement from her and his remarriage. Mrs. Rice tells her story with keen feeling and insight. She displays her characters and unfolds her plot with skilful economy.
Source: Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Saturday 18 December 1948, page 8
