cover image How to Tell a True Story

How to Tell a True Story

Tricia Springstubb. Holiday House/Ferguson, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-82345-8-486

When her family’s home is engulfed by fire one autumn night, seventh grader Amber Price’s older brother Gage carries her out of the burning house in an act of heroism he seems reluctant to own. As the family copes with the aftermath of the tragedy, underlying tension between Amber’s parents comes to the forefront. Amber, her mother, and her six-year-old sister settle into her aunt Nor’s warm, chaotic household while her stern, always-working father moves with Gage into an apartment several miles away. Amber is disconcerted by her new popularity—is her crush Lucas suddenly being nice to her because of the fire?—and her classmates’ enthusiastic undertaking of a fundraiser for her family; she’s also disturbed by her growing distance from her brother and the sudden necessity of keeping secrets and telling lies. This thoughtful portrayal of a preteen navigating postcatastrophe life by Springstubb (Looking for True) offers a quietly suspenseful exploration of morality; particularly compelling is perceptive Amber’s questioning of truth and loyalty as both family and friendship dynamics unravel around her. All characters read as white. Ages 12–14. (Apr.)