Review: Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

TRUTH OR DARE

by Barbara Dee

Aladdin

Middle Grade Contemporary

ages 9+

256 pages

Just out on
September 20th!!!

A few white lies during a simple game of truth or dare spin out of control and make life very complicated for Lia in this brand-new novel from Barbara Dee.

When Lia returns after a summer with her eccentric aunt, it feels like everything has changed within her group of five friends. Everyone just seems more…dramatic. And after playing a game of Truth or Dare, Lia discovers how those divides are growing wider, and tells a few white lies about what really happened over the summer in order to “keep up.” But is “keeping up” with her BFFs really worth it? 

MY TIDBITS

Packed full of middle school drama, this story screams girly reality and the problems of growing up.

Lia is not a fan of summer camp and skips out by joining her quirky aunt for the summer instead. When she returns to school, she finds her friends wrapped up in a game of truth or dare--one which isn't always naive and harmless. 

The author does a tremendous job bringing the characters to life through snappy and very realistic dialogue in true to life situations. The intended audience will have no problem seeing some of their own lives mirrored in these pages and will easily sympathize with Lia and her friends. 

Much of this story concentrates on friendship and the age old but still very modern problem of fitting in. Lia faces the choice of doing what is right or giving in to what her friends want her to do. There's also a more than adequate amount of time spent on bras and periods, which is really too bad. Although these might be topics for this age group, the importance they have in this story is overly exaggerated. Still, there are tons of great messages in this book which make it a wonderful read and a inspiration which will aide girls as they run across some similar situations of their own--and they are sure to do just that.

Summed up, this book is a lovely dive into tween drama which, for the most part, fits well to girls ages 10 and up.



You can find out more about Barbara Dee and her books at:
http://barbaradeebooks.com/