cover image Tell Me a Secret

Tell Me a Secret

Holly Cupala, HarperTeen, $16.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-176666-4

Set in Seattle, Cupala's first novel is a cinematic and realistic story concerning high school senior Miranda "Rand" Mathison. It has been five years since the death of her wild older sister, Xanda, and while Rand attempts to set her sights on the future (art school in Boston, her boyfriend) the past keeps pulling her back. "I was left to wonder, what role did Xanda fill that I could not? What secret did she keep? And what path could I take to find it?" When Rand becomes pregnant, her dramatic, controlling mother forces her to choose between considering adoption and starting a work-study program at a bank (which would mean giving up a career in art). Her friends and boyfriend desert her, yet Rand is strong, stubborn, and determined to keep the baby as a way of reconnecting to her sister's spirit. Readers follow Rand's daily struggles through taut, first-person narration, as Cupala skillfully weaves Rand's memories with present action. The sheer number of problematic pregnancies, fraught friendships, and family troubles can make the story feel melodramatic, but Rand is a consistently empathetic heroine. Ages 14–up. (July)