To Tell You the Truth
by Beth Vrabel (Author)
An utterly charming, "gorgeous" (Booklist) Southern-voiced middle grade novel about a young girl and the adventure she embarks upon to prove her Gran's stories were true. Perfect for fans of The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair and Three Times Lucky. 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.
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School Library Journal
Gr 3-7—Vrabel's book of adventure and redemption beautifully intertwines stories from two generations. Trixy heard her last story from her grandmother just before the car accident that took her life and left Trixy scarred. Since the accident, Trixy's friendships, family, and schoolwork have been suffering. To improve her grades, Trixy has to write five stories, and she vividly retells her grandmother's wild tales to skeptical ears. To prove her stories are true, Trixy runs away with her best friend, Raymond, to retrace her grandmother's childhood memories. While running away has its problems, it mends her friendship, begins to heal her family, and proves that all of the stories were true. This is an outstanding book, and Trixy's struggles will resonate with readers. The suspense of Trixy's dilemmas and adventures, along with the excitement within her grandmother's stories, make this a page turner. Disparate story lines weave a multidimensional tale that ties together perfectly. Trixy's and her grandmother's voices will remind readers of Louisiana from Kate DiCamillo's Louisiana's Way Home, echoing a similarly fearless, independent, and spunky attitude. VERDICT Featuring a determined protagonist, this evocative tale of truth and healing is a must-purchase for all libraries.—Kate Rao, Alhambra Civic Center Lib., CA
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Publishers Weekly
Ever since her grandmother Dolcie B. Jacobs died in a car accident six months before the events of this book begin, fourth grader Trixy Mae Williams has struggled with school as her parents disappear into their own grief. Internalizing Gran's rich oral storytelling, Trixy puts the tales to paper, despite Gran's explicit instruction not to share them, and turns them in as her own--only to get punished for fibbing, as her teacher urges Trixy to use her natural storytelling gift to write "true" stories. When Trixy's best friend Raymond's father, a traveling musician, prepares to embark on a Tennessee-wide tour that auspiciously follows Gran's pre-death plans, Trixy is desperate to go to "places like Memphis, where the music comes from every corner, draping like a blanket of sound to tuck in the town," despite the disheartening roadblocks that materialize. Vrabel (the Newspaper Club series) offers a sympathetic majority white cast against a rich Tennessee setting; employing Trixy's lively Southern voice and evocative descriptions to dig through her bramble of conflicting emotions, this cathartic narrative nimbly explores love, grief, revival, and what makes a tale true. Ages 8-12. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, the Seymour Agency. (June)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
Grandmothers
