THE TERRIBLE SECRETS OF THE TELL-ALL CLUB
by Catherine Stier
Picture-book author Stier (If I Ran for President, illustrated by Lynne Avril, 2007, etc.) transitions to tween novels with this savvy exposé of the perils of clandestine groups. When Kiley forms an exclusive new club, she invites select fellow fifth graders, who must complete her survey in order to belong. However, misunderstandings abound when she shares the results among the members. The novel is organized so that individual perspectives are revealed through brief, alternating chapters in part one, while in the latter half of the novel, the characters’ voices are combined. The author’s inclusion of male and female protagonists makes this tale accessible to audiences of both genders. While the characters initially seem to embody trite stereotypes—the jock, the troublemaker, the queen bee and the perfect girl—readers quickly discover the deeper emotions that motivate each individual. The author deftly addresses the high-interest topics for fledgling teens as her characters struggle to cope with such universal issues as peer pressure, handling bullies and the true nature of friendship. (Fiction. 9-13)