Secrets, Lies and Locker 62

by Lil Chase

Secrets have a special home at Mount Selwyn High. For years, students have posted their deepest desires and darkest fears in long-abandoned Locker 62.

And then the locker is assigned to new girl Maya. She could use the secrets to help people.
Or she could use them to become popular.
Maya, who was bullied, who will do anything to be popular, is now the most powerful girl at school.

What will she choose to do next?

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Romance, School Stories

291 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2012

Reviews

[Merin Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book as the cover looked quite interesting and I haven't read any books by the author Lil Chase. The blurb at the back seemed interesting as well.

The box on the bingo board which fills this is "A book with a female main character" This is interesting as the character faces difficulty in school and even though she will do anything to be popular she uses the secrets to help people rather than to hurt them.

My favourite quote from this book is " Just be yourself and they will all love you." This is my favourite quote as it shows that being yourself is the best way and not to be like everyone else. It shows that being unique is way better than trying to be someone that you are not.

Something new that I learnt from this book is that you should never leave your best friends just because you get to hang out with popular kids. Best friends help you out but others don't when you need a helping hand.

I found the character Maya's best friend, Frankie interesting. She forgives Maya and when Maya needed help Frankie was there for her even though Maya had left her out and lied to her.

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lil Chase's debut novel last year, 'Boys For Beginners' so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review her new book. The premise sounded intriguing - a locker in a school which holds everyone's secrets and deepest thoughts and the new girl who finds that she holds immeasurable power over her peers when she's assigned the aforementioned locker 62. Although I liked the general idea for the story, I'll admit that I had quite mixed feelings about it when I'd finished.

I liked the overall message that I think the story was trying to convey. The fact that people aren't always who you think they are and that appearances can quite often be deceiving. The main character Maya learns not to judge people until you've got to know them and that it's good to try and fit in but not at the cost of becoming someone you're not.

I also thought that Maya herself was great. She starts out by trying to help people by guessing who the secrets belong to and then attempting to make their hopes and dreams come true. Her intentions may be noble but along the way she's swayed by her longing to fit in and be part of the popular crowd. This is something which I think most people have gone through at one time or another and I thought it was dealt with really well.

On the other hand, I wasn't so keen on the rather abrupt ending. To be honest I thought that the story finished just as it was starting to get quite interesting. There's a pretty major revelation near the end of the book which I felt was glossed over rather than being dealt with and explained in more detail. It's also quite a big twist and I'm surprised that more fuss wasn't made about it.

'Secrets, Lies and Locker 62' was a quick and easy read but seemed a bit too predictable for my tastes. It skirted over a really serious topic which I would have liked to have seen explored further and although I liked the main protagonist, I felt that some of the other characters were slightly one dimensional. Overall a little disappointing considering how much I enjoyed 'Boys For Beginners'.

[Rena Breed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel leuk boek voor leeftijdcategorie C 12-15 jr.

[Marleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

De flaptekst van dit boek intrigeerde me: het idee van een kluisje vol geheimen sprak me aan, maar hoe zou de auteur hier iets geloofwaardigs van gemaakt kunnen hebben? Hoe werkte het dat leerlingen geheimen aan het kluisje durfden toe te vertrouwen, wist de schoolleiding daarvan, hoezo krijgt Maya dat kluisje dan ineens, wat als ze erachter komen dat Maya al die geheimen ineens heeft, hoezo passen al die briefjes er überhaupt in als dat kluisje jarenlang gebruikt wordt? Ik ging er zonder meer vanuit dat dit goed beargumenteerd zou worden, maar dat viel tegen. Maya is een onsympathieke meeloper, daartoe om onduidelijke redenen aangemoedigd door haar totaal ongeloofwaardige moeder die enerzijds erg op Maya leunt en anderzijds een wetenschappelijke carrière heeft. Het plot is regelrecht onmogelijk.
Nee, geen aanrader.

[April Kan Hei Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locker 62 are filled with secrets , deepest desires and fears of Mount Selwyn High students,Maya the new student is assigned locker 62.She is just a thirteen year old trying to survive high school like everybody does.All of this is in Maya's hands,she isn't as popular as those girls who bullied her,but these secrets made her powerful,she could use it to help people or...in a bad way.I was actually really excited to read this book as the story keeps going on,it becomes more interesting.It was great overall but I think the ending could be less succinct.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Det er rimelig at denne boken ikke ble oppført på Goodreads. Det er ikke noe jeg ville gi datteren min for å lese. Det er altfor klisjeaktig helt dramatisk og alt dreier seg om å være kul. Hovedpersonen Maya er irriterende men likevel trenger hun å godta bære noe konsekvenser for slemheten hennes. Bare fordi hun er hovedpersonen.
Det var bra for å lære meg litt norsk fordi språket er så enkelt. Men det er det eneste jeg kan anbefaler denne boken til.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

De kern van het verhaal en de boodschap die het heeft zijn goed. Maar het is langdradig en het duurt lang voor er enige samenhang komt in wat de auteur wil overbrengen op de lezer. Dat maakt het voor mij niet tot een succes om te lezen.

[Bryony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library to give it a read and see if I like it. I started reading it and later purchased my our copy.

[DD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het was wel een leuke boek. Er komen heftige plottwists in voor. Er waren wel vaak momenten dat ik wilde stoppen met lezen, omdat het te saai was. Maar als je het volhoud is het leuk.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Mollie Talbot · Rating 2 out of 5]

A childhood classic for me. Love the author and her books, just very basic and a good quick read.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed Secrets, Lies & Locker 62 @ Amy Bookworm also. There is a GIF in the review there :P

This book is just so much more than other "school stories". It's not even set in a boarding school, but this book is sensational. Or should be in more than one way. There's just the teeny weeny matter that it only has less than 50 ratings (Goodreads). It's on a few piles to be read... And if you ask me it should be one of the top ones.
Why? Technically I should've started Boys For Beginners first... However, this one sounded more serious, interesting & more what I was in the mood for. So I ignored, and am still not paying much attention to, the due date for Boys For Beginners, and proceeded to shove this in my school bag.
It would not stay there. Far too addictive, Locker 62 is definitely in my Top 5 for the books I've read this year. This book isn't a light read but it is an easy read & is dotted with humour.
For example, a quote I loved:
"Oh, and let's make him a Sagittarius- they are so sexy!" ...Sure.

I found it so easy to get into Maya's head. She's not the most likeable and seems to attract mixed opinions from the other characters. If I was getting such mixed messages all the time & dealt with it all very well. She walked on the fence between "cool" and "uncool". I personally adored how it wasn't as clear as she thought. The lines started to blur and the figuration of her thoughts and promises to herself started to shift. I understand her difficulty at school and I understand the majority of the characters.
I think secrets & labels are siblings... There are the things which aren't your character, they are public & they can be devastating. Labels. Beyond your reputation but tied so effectively in are secrets. The scrawled words pouring out from the heart.

Maya has so much power & I hadn't predicted it but she doesn't revel in this power at all. Very few know she has this power & she would rather not "sell secrets" in anyway. She's definitely herionesque in that way... It's all in her hands, or is it?
Although there is a lot of diversity in the book and to some point in the secrets if you read between the lines everybody relates to each other. I relate, it's so honest & to the point even though there is a lot of mystery. If you're into fast-paced books this is for you! The only critism really is the fact that it ended less polished. It was a good ending but it could've been less succinct.
It's definitely worth a read! So. Brilliant.

[Charlie' (MyBooksAreCorrupted) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well, this book.

I found this book online sometime last year but was never able to find it in stores. Well, thanks to my town library. I was able to finally able to read it.

Well, it didn't disappoint. You find yourself relating to Maya. I can't completely relate as I haven't been bullied as bad as she was, I have some experience in the area.

Maya, she is just a thirteen year old girl who is fighting to survive during high school. Battling lessons, teachers, best friends, the mean girls, boys, and her family dramas.

To be honest, I have no idea what I would do if I was assigned Locker 62. I mean there is so much power there, but I do know that I would never use those secrets in a bad way. Never use them against the people who wrote them. First thoughts is that I just wouldn't use the locker, I would just carry my books around with me and leave the locker with the secrets inside.

Now, Zeba. You can't not love Zeba, she is your 24/7 goth (or is she?)

Frankie, well she reminds me of a friend I had. She may be a little weird and crazy, but you can't help but love her because she is just so awesome.

LUKE, oh my. I love this boy, he is amazing. From the beginning I liked him, I mean he is just so lovely. Just misunderstood.

The cool crowd. Well, Karmella, I reaaally don't like her. She is the type of person I would just avoid. Rochelle, now she wasn't actually mean to anyone, she just wanted to be accepted by Karmella. But she does the right thing in the end. Ben, well I don't see the big deal about Ben Sands. I mean the whole lunch scene was reaaaally cute, but then the next time we see him, you know outside playing football? OUCH. What an arse.


So basically, this book, very very good. I kinda wish there had been less of the book on the drama between Maya, Zeba, and Frankie and more on AFTER everything had happened. After the poetry competition.. Because I want to know what happens next in the epilogue!!

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a proof of this at a conference I attended and I really didn't know what to expect. Lil Chase didn't ring a bell with me, but I decided to take a punt. And Oh My God, I'm so glad that I did.

Maya, new girl at Mount Selwyn High, is assigned Locker 62. It's the locker of secrets. Unused for years, it's become the repository of anything unsayable at school and everything in that locker is dynamite. And now, following a decision by the school to give her that locker, all of this is in Maya's hands.

OOH ERRR.

(Crikey).

Secrets, Lies & Locker 62 is Clueless meets Mean Girls meets Harriet The Spy. It's so good. I just utterly devoured this.

Chase writes with a perceptive, funny edge and gets right to the depth of her characters. Maya's brilliantly realistic and when she decides to Do That Spoilery Thing she does, it's scarily accurate. This is what people do. Sometimes people behave like idiots. Maya also ends up facing big things in this story and her reaction to this is very beautifully judged. I had a total wibble at the end.

I also really loved how Chase handles friendship. Teen Girl Friendship is terrifyingly complicated and the whole Best Friend thing just adds a new level of complicated. Dealing with all that is hard; there's the subtle social nuances of relationships and an accidental diss or a bitchy comment can just add a spark to an already combustible situation. And then, sometimes, when you're the New Girl, it's even harder. The dynamic between Maya and her friends is perfectly judged and again, scarily perceptive.

Go. Pick this up. You'll get a fast, funny and freakishly real story that finishes (can I stuff this sentence with any more words beginning with f?) on a fabulously feel-good (looks like I can!!) note.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small review.

This was a really fun book. I really like the whole locker 62 and the fact that everyone just is under the impression that no one will ever get that locker.

Think again, our new girl gets that locker. And she wants to do good with all the secrets and confessions.

I however didn't like our main girl that much. She had wonderful friends, and she only cares about popularity for a lot of the time. Oh dear, I have this wonderful goth friend, but she is not popular. Oh dear, stress, panic! Seriously girl? Popularity might be nice, but isn't it much better to have friends? Friends you can always trust, friends who won't dump you because you might dress weird or act weird?

There was also another story next to the locker, that of her mom, who is pregnant, and of Dave, who wants the main characters mom back.

The book was packed with fun and niceness. But I felt like there could be a second book. One with her and her new family, and her continuing with the whole locker. :)

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya is determined not to be bullied at her new school. With her mother she bought the clothes and had the fashionable haircut. Her first day doesn’t start out the way she planned. Assigned Locker 62 Maya opens the door to years worth of Mount Selwyn High student’s secrets.

Making friends with Goth girl Zeba doesn’t help doesn’t help Maya’s social standing but they, together with Maya’s BFF Frankie, decide to try help resolve some of secrets of Locker 62: crushes, a hidden talent for poetry, etc.

I liked Maya; she’s someone to identify with. When she has the chance to be part of the popular crowd it’s easy to see why she’d go along with it. The friendship between Frankie and Maya is very strong and at the end when Maya calls her and Frankie comes, despite everything, which was wonderful.

Secrets, Lies and Locker 62 has at its heart good messages about being who you are and the worth of real friends.

[Eefje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm, een tegenvaller. Ik vond het uitgangspunt van dit boek intrigerend: een meisje dat nieuw is op school krijgt zonder het te weten een kluisje toegewezen van een meisje dat jaren geleden spoorloos is verdwenen. Sindsdien gebruikt de hele school dat kluisje, dat al jaren hermetisch afgesloten is, als een soort anoniem postvak voor geheimen. Het is aan de hoofdpersoon wat ze met de geheimen doet: gebruikt ze ze tegen de afzenders om populair te worden of helpt ze juist met hun geheimen? Jammer aan het boek vond ik dat de hoofdpersoon blijkbaar meerdere keren tot hetzelfde inzicht moet komen. Daardoor vond ik haar vrij oppervlakkig, omdat ze kennelijk telkens opnieuw dezelfde les moet leren. Wel weer een mooi detail vond ik dat het meisje eigenlijk volwassener is dan haar moeder. Maar al met al niet het beste boek ooit.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... every character in this book is an idiot.
And Maya didn't seem to remember or be affected by anything that happened or that had been said or that she'd decided before, except during the time it was happening.
And yet, for a lot of this book, I found it really hard to put down.
And I like the way the pieces of the puzzle fell together at the end.
And I love the idea of Locker 62.
Although the ending didn't tell me everything I'd have liked to know.

[Mariama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was interesting for a pre-teen type novel and I finished it in one sitting. I have a few problems with this book:

1. How Hitachi was described as "exotic". Seriously?
2. Her mothers obsession with being "cool"

Overall an enjoyable, easy, predictable read that I would recommend to girls aged between 11 and 14.

[Tayler Paterson]

I loved it
hoping for a number 2

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story a must read for all girls from 10-16 years very easy to follow without being easy or hard

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird ending kind of sad because of likely this could happen but at the same time it's really amazing and makes for a great read

[Cara Di Leo]

A brillently girly book which I could not put down!

[Ailish Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its was okay

[Natasha Pennock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Sometimes funny and very enjoyable to read

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

read it today in English thought it was really nice and liked the twists and turns of events :)

[Maham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining also funny although ending could have been better.

[Viola Sung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice plot, kept me wanting to read it <3

[Bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super leuk boek voor meiden vanaf een jaar of 12. Ik weet zeker dat ik er op die leeftijd (nog meer) van genoten zou hebben!

[Jacqui Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Really good for teenage girls to show that everyone feels the same, lost, confused and anxious. Good twist at the end too.