Publisher’s Description of To Tell You the Truth

Trixy needs a story, fast, or she’s going to fail the fourth grade—that’s a fact. But every time she sits down to write, her mind is a blank. The only stories she can think of are Gran’s, the ones no one else ever believed but Trixy gulped down like sweet tea. Gran is gone now, buried under the lilac bush in the family plot, so it’s not like Trixy’s hurting anybody to claim one of those stories as her own, is she?

That stolen story turns out to be a huge success, and soon everybody in town wants Trixy to tell them a tale. Before long, the only one left is the story she vowed never to share, the one that made Gran’s face cloud up with sadness. Trying to find a way out of this tangled mess, Trixy and her friend Raymond hit the road to follow the twists and turns of Gran’s past. Maybe then Trixy can write a story that’s all her own, one that’s the straight-up truth.

Rebecca’s Thoughts on To Tell You the Truth

I was drawn into this book by the fun voice of Trixy, a girl who loves to tell stories. Trixy draws on the stories Gran told her of when Gran was a young girl and good at getting into trouble.

Gran’s stories get Trixy into trouble too because she tells them when she’s supposed to be doing schoolwork and because they’re so good that her teacher submits them to a true story contest, but the mean girl who’s won the contest each of the past few years accuses Trixy of making up the stories.

Trixy vows to prove the stories are true to preserve Gran’s memory and ensure she’s allowed to compete in the contest. But there’s a problem. Trixy can only prove the stories are true by running away, secretly tagging along on a road trip with her best friend and his dad. Hijinks ensue!

To Tell You the Truth is a great story for middle graders who want to fall into an immersive story with great voice. Themes of friendship, family, and secrets – both how they hurt and how they heal – are woven through the book. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, tear-jerking, and heartwarming all in one.

Highly recommended.

I received a free advanced reader copy of To Tell You the Truth in exchange for an unbiased review.

To Tell You The Truth was published on June 8, 2021. You can add it to your “want to read” list on Goodreads, or order on Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

If To Tell You The Truth sounds good, you might like these other middle grade books we’ve recently reviewed:

The Wolf’s Curse by Jessica Vitalis
Cole Champion Is Not Super by Rebecca J. Allen
Great Middle Grade Books for Summer 2021
Friend Me by Sheila M. Averbuch
Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca