I've Got a Secret

Candy Apple #8

by Lara Bergen

Candy Apple is a fresh, fun take on fiction for girls: a new line of single titles with pep and pizzazz targeted at the solid middle-grade reader.

Quiet Amanda Mays had the time of her life at summer camp. She made a ton of new friends, including spunky Allie. She even (accidentally) let everyone think she had a boyfriend back home. What harm could it do?

A lot -- because now Allie is moving to Amanda's town! But Amanda isn't the same girl she was at camp. She doesn't have a boyfriend, she's not very outgoing, and she knows that Allie will never get along with her shy best friend, Kate. Will Amanda's big secret cost her two best friends?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Juvenile, Romance

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

that never lie to your best friends

[2Haley3361 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because I could really relate to it!! It was a really good book that involved three middle school girls. Amanda goes off to a summer camp while Kate, her best friend can't go. Amanda meets a new friend named Allie who convinces her to take an improv class with her instead of playing cello when her instrument breaks. Then, when Allie comes across one of Amanda's old photos of her with a boy, she immediately assumes it is her boyfriend, and Amanda just goes along with it to seem cool because she doesn't think Allie will ever find out when camp is over. When Amanda returns home, she doesn't tell Kate that she has this little secret. One day, Amanda got an email saying that Allie was moving to her town, and Amanda didn't know what to do because she didn't want anyone to figure out about the lies, but there would be no way that Allie would just forget about her "boyfriend". She was also worried that her two best friends wouldnt get along. But, all of this just leads to more lies, and she almost loses two great friends. It all works out perfectly though, and some odd romance goes on throughout the story. I would recommend this book to any girls ages 10-15 because it has romance and is kind of suspenseful, and you just don't want to put it down because you just have to figure out what is going to happen next. I definitely loved this book, and I actually read it in only two days because i could not put it down!

[Aries Djangmah-Yeboah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character is one of those people who wants to make people happy because she made people think she had a boyfriend. But really loved this book. Don't say you have a boyfriend if you don't XD

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good teen book about lying to enhance your status and how it quickly comes back to bite you on the butt.

[Trista Berlemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good moral about telling the truth. Realistic and relatable scenarios.

[Ivy Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it has sass and it’s just a girly book, all Candy Apple Books are, and they are books for anyone:-)

[Ruby Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can't read it

[Ronah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is why you don't lie about who you are to seem "cooler". Honestly, it really isn't that hard to correct someone when they are mistaken. It wouldn't have been a big deal if she had a boyfriend or not and if it was then what the heck is the point. Why can't a girl be interesting enough on her own..?

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book I've got a secret,my favorite author Lara Bergen is telling the story well actually,in the book Amanda told the story. In the book Amanda Hays went to summer camp without her BFF Kate.This is the real story about what happened.Amanda went to sleep away camp,and her friend signed up with her,but still the last minute Kate told Amanda that she had to go with her grandma to Ireland.At the time Amanda was so sad in the inside,but on the outside she was all chill and pretended she was cool with it.During Amanda's summer she met a friend named Allie who was really crazy and loud,pretty much the opposite of her.On the other half of the story Kate was having so much fun,and she was getting jelwery,dresses,and she met a lot of new people,her summer was much more better then Amanda's.

When the summer was almost over Kate came to Amanda's house to see how fun her summer was.When Kate came to her door,she asked Amanda how her summer,p was,then gave her a silver claddagh ring.Amanda was sort of jealous so she said."well I am unavailable because i have a boyfriend".Then she said and my new best friend is "Allie" shed pretty and crazy.She also said that Allies parents were rich and famous.A couple weeks later Amanda was talking to Allie about her social life.Allie had something really exciting to say she said "I'm moving next door to you in a week".The thing was Kate was Amanda's Neighbor too.Amanda told Kate that her friend Allie is visiting this week.Kate said "Oh,I would love to meet her.

It's the next day: Kate:Hi are you Allie
Allie:Yes
Kate:I've heard so much about you
Allie:you have
Kate:yes,your Amanda's bestie and your friends with her boyfriend
Allie:Oh,she has a boyfriend and she said that a girl named Kate was her best friend
Kate:oh,ok well I need to talk to Amanda then,she told me that

Amanda:yes
Kate:You lied
Allie:You don't have a boyfriend
Kate:Best friends don't lie
Allie:Well yes even if I'm not your BFF

Things can change in the book they make up there mind to be her friend or not what would you do?

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by D. M. Nigro for TeensReadToo.com

What happens when you let the coolest girl at your summer music camp think you have a cute boyfriend at home...but you don't? And what happens when the same girl moves to your town, wants to meet that boyfriend...and comes between you and your best pal? How do you straighten out the whole mess without embarrassing the boy, losing friends old and new, or looking foolish in front of the whole school - and still pass Latin?

Accomplished author Lara Bergen takes middle-graders through this maze of misunderstanding with verve and tasteful realism. Each chapter begins with a 'hand-written' note or e-mail (complete with today's abbreviations and emoticons) which reinforce the book's totally contemporary appeal. The action and dialogue are non-stop - in spots, it's hard to tell which character is speaking - but readers will be eager to learn what comes next. Along the way are a couple of clever twists, and the use of the Latin language to help resolve the story is a classy touch.

I'VE GOT A SECRET is part of the popular Candy Apple Book series from Scholastic, Inc. Each colorful paperback contains excerpts from two upcoming titles, which is a nice extra. Candy Apple Books are promoted as Sweet. Fresh. Fun. I'VE GOT A SECRET fits right in.

[Jacquelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I've Got A Secret" is written by Lara Bergen and it is a Candy Apple Book. This book is ideal for teens in middle school that like to read about realistic fiction and romance. When Amanda goes to a summer music camp, she has a roommate who is a cool girl called Allie, who later on becomes her best friend. A picture showing Jon and Amanda sitting next to each other on a roller coaster was found by Allie and when Allie asked if Jon was Amanda's boyfriend, Amanda lied and said yes. Amanda became a whole new different person once her popularity was up because of the lie she started. When Amanda comes back home, Allie emails Amanda that she is moving to her hometown, this is when Amanda starts to freak because Allie also wants to meet her so-called "boyfriend" and she will also come between Amanda and her best friend Kate. How will Amanda solve these problems without breaking her friendships, without embarrassing herself at school, and not embarrass the guy that she said was her boyfriend?
I gave this book five stars because it had a great plot and kept me reading for more. The events in this book meshed together real well.
Overall, it is such an amazing book!

[Nana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amanda told a white lie at camp to her new friend Allie. But, at camp Amanda wasn't Amanda: who's shy and who plays the cello, idolizing Yo-Yo Ma; she was 'Mandy': who's bold, and who doesn't play the dusty cello, and...has a boyfriend, called John...well, that's what everyone thought. Now Amanda's back, at home, and Allie is moving to her hometown!! And no one in her home town knows that she has a boyfriend called John. When Allie comes, it's doomed for disaster; not only for her secret; but because of her friendships with Allie and Katie...

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda went to a summer camp all about music and hile she was there she met a new friend, Allie. After Allie saw a picture of Amanda and a boy,Jon,sitting next to each other on a rollercoaster Amanda says Jon is her boyfriend, even though he isn't. After the summer, Amanda dicovers that Allie moved to Amanda's town and is going to the same school as she is! Now Amanda needs to try to keep everything okay,even though everything will soon collapse.

[Michelle]

i think this book taught me a lesson.it taught me that lying just make your situation worst.likeamanda,mandy,she kept on lying until she went on that latin field trip.i think this book would be great for liars to read.:)

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book very very very very very very very very very...much!My favorite character is Amanda (or as her friends call her ,Mandy).I like this book because it teaches us that honesty is the best policy!:):)

[Javeria Khan]

Can anybody plz tell me how to read books on good reads becoz whenever I add a book and when I click on that book to read it it gives me no results and the same page appear from which I add the book plz some one tell plz plz plz

[Evelyn Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this must be my personal favorite among the stupid Candy Apple collection. The issues addressed, though petty, are problems that tweens go through in middle school (and even high school). It happens.

This book is one I would read to my younger siblings if I had any.

[Carlos Jadiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My sister got this book like six years ago and she never actually read it so I decided to give it a shot. It's a book for children but I did enjoy it. I also learned that you should never lie to your best friend.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

theres this girl who went to a camp and told people there that she has a boyfriend(but not really) and so she finds out that one of the girls at her camp is going to her school.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lerned not to tell people that you have a boyfriend if you don't really have one.

[Katy]

It is good!

[Lexy]

I am re-reading this book for fun. It is a nice book to read in summer when you're in your room alone.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute series... mainly for girls. This could be referred to as "brain candy".. light, fun, girlie books! Though I must say that Kyle enjoys listening to this one also!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

candy apple books are okay....

[.meowDAMASO.]

.its very common for us person to lie.I have realized that one lie cannot be solved by another lie.

[Candide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was pretty awesome but the reason that I didn't give it 5 stars is because at the end it felt like I needed more!

[Aishah Q. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not saying this is the best book or worst book, it was okay...

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Kayley N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book.

[Corrine]

Im more than halfway thruogh the book and its just egghhhhh.