Need recommendations--gradually revealing MC secret (XP from Verla's)

Not sure how to put that succinctly enough in the title. What I'm looking for is examples of novels (YA; MG also okay) that gradually reveal a secret about the main character as part of the plot arc. Think Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief (okay, maybe that's not so gradual--but there are important things you don't know about Gen at the beginning) or Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. I have a character who is trying to repress/run away from something and over the course of the book has to confront what happened and his role in it. I'm sure there are other books out there that do this that I haven't read, and I need to study the pacing on them. My chapters crit group is telling me I need to spill more, sooner, but my point is my MC's struggle to deal with his issues, and obviously I'm not getting that across very well. Ideas/suggestions, anyone? 

Kids and Flat Stanley

I hate when a child gets their heart set on a certain activity and it's okay with me but doesn't work out on the other end. Daughter 1 has two best friends. The one friend's parents both work and have three kids and they're often hard to get hold of. DD wanted to invite said friend over, but the friend is already at the other friend's house. Which means tons of heartbreak here. Wish I could do something. They have a playdate with all three of them on Friday, but for today it just won't work. Waa.

And, have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? I'm surprised and a little embarrassed that out of the hundreds--thousands?--of kids' books I've read, Flat Stanley is not among them. And within two days we've gotten two requests to participate in a school Flat Stanley project. One from a cousin, and one from a friend's daughter. Weird, huh? The kids make a paper doll of themselves (Flat Allison or whatever) and send it to somewhere far away. The kid there takes a picture somewhere local and interesting with the paper doll, adds a post card or something small, and sends it back. My nephew is going to have the most interesting expedition to share--he has family in both Germany and Japan.