Little Secrets

Keeping secrets is difficult and, sometimes, unhealthy. Emily (Evan Rachel Wood) discovers a talent for keeping secrets early in life and deems the skill marketable enough to open her own neighborhood business. Emily is also an amazing violin player with high aspirations for a musical career. Secret-keeping proves lucrative at first, but eventually the burden weighs on Emily and affects her ability to concentrate, hurting her chances of making the local youth symphony. Resolving her dilemma requires the help of two new friends, her violin teacher, parents, and a fair amount of soul-searching. Eventually, Emily's journey leads to the dissolution of her business and a cathartic revelation of a major secret of her own. The moral of Emily's experiences: "You can't keep secrets about yourself and live a true life," and "if you want to be close to someone, you can't keep secrets from them." (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi