The Truth about Alice

alice

Mathieu, Jennifer.  The Truth About Alice. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2014. 978-1-59643-909-2 199p. $16.99 Grades 9+.

Told through the perspective of four teens, The Truth About Alice is the story of Alice Franklin’s junior year of high school.  After Elaine O’Dea’s party everyone in Healy, Texas, knows Alice Franklin had sex with two boys in one night, one of those boys being star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons.  Two weeks after homecoming Alice’s plummeting social status falls even further when Brandon’s best friend blames Alice for Brandon’s tragic death.  Readers find out what really happened at the infamous party and much more as the four teens (none of them are Alice) tell their stories.  This heart-wrenching and tearful story is for the strong.  It could be used as an anti-bullying book or just as a reminder that there is strength in all of us.

Realistic Fiction    Laura Ward, Fox Chapel Area High School