The Secret to Lying
by:
Todd Mitchell (author)
A teenage boy’s self-reinvention gets out of control in a sharp, funny, poignant, and compulsively readable novel that gives a familiar theme a surprising twist.James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students,...
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A teenage boy’s self-reinvention gets out of control in a sharp, funny, poignant, and compulsively readable novel that gives a familiar theme a surprising twist.James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the beautiful "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780763656201 (0763656208)
Publish date: October 25th 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages no: 336
Edition language: English
The real secret to Todd Mitchell’s book, The Secret to Lying, is that while it is shelved in the teen fiction section most adults would probably find it just as enjoyable and relevant. The story follows James Turner as he attempts to find a balance between who he is and who he wants to be. Invisible...
See John Mesjak's review. I couldn't do better.
Okay novel. The "re-invention" stories were unbelievable (would anyone in a school for the "best and brightest" really believe that he fought martial arts duels with swords?). It was obvious by the 2nd chapter who the eventual love interest was going to be, and, big suprise, she isn't as perfect as ...