Tuesday 2 June 2015

SWEETNESS AND LIES by Karen McCombie. Reviewed by Ann Turnbull.


Tilly adores her new friend Mia. Mia is rude, cheeky, stroppy, and she makes Tilly laugh. They met on their first day at secondary school, and now they are BFFA: Best Friends Forever Already.

Then a new girl, Amber, turns up at school. She seems a bit unsure of herself, having arrived when everyone else has already made friends. Tilly can imagine how that must feel. She befriends Amber and draws her into a threesome with Mia. The new girl tells Tilly and Mia all sorts of fascinating things about her life. But are they true? Mia says not. She says Amber is making it all up to get attention. Who is Tilly to believe?

Karen McCombie conveys brilliantly the feelings of excitement and exclusiveness that Tilly experiences as Mia's friend - and the soul-searching later when she begins to see what Mia is really like. The book is written in a lively, accessible style, with cute illustrations by Jessica Secheret, and is sure to appeal to girls of 8+. Not everything is explained, and more thoughtful young readers might wonder why Mia behaves as she does.

I found this book in my local library, and have just discovered that a new edition (with a slightly different cover) is due out this month - on the 15th June.

Published by Barrington Stoke, pb.
New edition: ISBN 978 17811 24574.

www.annturnbull.com




Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE

No comments:

Post a Comment