THE SECRET TO BELONGING, by Megan E. Freeman, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Sept. 15, 2026, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult, ages 14 and up)
A neglected teen travels to Norway as an exchange student in The Secret to Belonging, a young adult novel in verse by Megan E. Freeman.
You are invisible in your own family. Your parents spend all their care and attention on your brother, who is addicted to drugs. Your dreams don’t matter to anyone but you.
Your only ticket out is a college fund left by your grandfather—until your parents use it to pay for your brother’s drug rehab.
Just when your future seems about to collapse, you are offered a lifeline: a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It’s an invitation to begin a new life in a new place with new people…a place where you might finally feel like you belong. —Synopsis provided by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
The Secret to Belonging is Megan E. Freeman’s debut young adult novel, but it doesn’t feel like it. The seasoned author of Alone and Away is quickly becoming one of my favorite novel-in-verse authors. There is a maturity and confidence to her writing that easily draws you in and asks you to stay awhile.
Freeman’s story follows a young woman who is, for all intents and purposes, is invisible. Her brother has always been the priority and always will be. So, the girl takes a chance on herself and her future and flies to the other side of the world. What she discovers there is family and belonging and really being seen.
Freeman uses second person in a way that feels both detached and intimate at the same time. The author doesn’t shy away from the raw feelings of neglect and acceptance as the main character realizes separation may the only way to thrive.
While Freeman excels in the above, her ode to Norwegian culture and family is also commendable. There’s such joy in the small things and in the sense of community. It makes you yearn to be a part of it.
The publisher’s suggested age is 12 and up, but because of some more mature themes and the age of the protagonist, 14 and up feels like a better fit. Nonetheless, The Secret to Belonging is a read that sits with you, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
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