Truth be told, I picked up this book because of the cover and the fact that there is a character with my daughter's name. But I am glad I picked it up, because I truly enjoyed this story.
*****************
Thea is a liar. She fully admits it. She's not sure why she lies so much, but the lies just jump out of her mouth much easier than the truth.
It is summer time and she is off to the Jersey shore to spend some weeks with her grandparents. This summer, however, is different. The house is filled with cousins. Older cousins who don't give Thea the time of day, and younger cousins who need babysitting.
An unlikely alliance forms between Thea and her younger cousin Jocelyn who is constantly pestering her to find out what is in her notebook. Thea's mom gave her the notebook in order to encourage some truth out of her daughter. Thea starts off writing small fact like truths in her book, but soon the reader finds out what happend in Thea's life that makes the lies come so readily. Thea's not the only one lying, afterall.
Julie Schumacher has written a quiet, character driven novel. I think that Jocelyn steals the show on a number of occasions. My heart went out to her the most.
This is a story that will likely appeal to girls in 5th-7th grade.
4/5
