Tell Me a Secret

by Holly Cupala

Summary:
Rand never thought she would be one of those girls who ended up pregnant.  She had been so focused on not being her sister Xanda, never mentioning her, never being like her, never saying that she was dead, that it wasn't even on her radar. She was going to go to art school, have a career, do great things.  But now, living with her parents disappointment and lies, being ostracized in school by rumors that she was trying to trap the father into marriage, it's the memory of her sister that gets her through each day.  A sister that she is finding out, wasn't what she had appeared to be in life. Who, in death, becomes what can bring them all together once the truth comes out.

Review:
Tell me a secret is a book about a truly dysfunctional family.  With a mother only involved in her church, a father who buries himself in work, and a rebellious sister whose actions lead to her death, Rand is left virtually alone in a house where no one tells the truth if it's deemed too painful.  The book is about the choices we make and the consequences that they have, the dangers of believing rumor and the need we have to cling to things we believe to be true.  It's a good read for older tweens and teens, but it does talk about drinking and sex so is better for the slightly older crowd. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade