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The Terrible Truth
Sixth grader Shirley Garfield elects herself president of a club designed to keep out bossy Claire Van Kemp, but her plan backfires when secret club information falls into the wrong hands
114 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
Stephen Roos
35 books5 followersSon of Audrey Kelley Roos [1912-1982] & William Roos [1911-1987].
Born in New York, Stephen Roos grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. He attended Loomis School and graduated from Yale University. He lives in New York City and Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Soon after he graduated from Yale, Stephen Roos landed a job in the marketing department at Harper & Row (now HarperCollins) in New York. He eventually became an editor and worked on a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction—only to find that after a dozen years in the field, he wanted to be an author.
His first book, My Horrible Secret, was published by Delacorte in 1983. Today, he has two dozen books for children and young adults to his credit. He is most recently a contributor to James Howe’s highly acclaimed 2003 anthology, Thirteen (Atheneum).
Mr. Roos’s success is reflected in the reviews his books have received. About his book, Recycling George (Simon & Schuster, 2002), Booklist said, “his characters are quirky and real, his language spare but rueful and true.” School Library Journal described his book The Gypsies Never Came (Simon & Schuster, 2001) as “a novel written in a lean and propulsive style that draws readers in.”
In accepting the Charlie May Simon Medallion from Hillary Rodham Clinton for My Horrible Secret, Stephen Roos said, “I like the demands that young readers make on me—the clarity, the honesty, the ‘being real’ that they continually expect of me. They make my work a challenge; they keep my life vital.”
Born in New York, Stephen Roos grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. He attended Loomis School and graduated from Yale University. He lives in New York City and Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Soon after he graduated from Yale, Stephen Roos landed a job in the marketing department at Harper & Row (now HarperCollins) in New York. He eventually became an editor and worked on a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction—only to find that after a dozen years in the field, he wanted to be an author.
His first book, My Horrible Secret, was published by Delacorte in 1983. Today, he has two dozen books for children and young adults to his credit. He is most recently a contributor to James Howe’s highly acclaimed 2003 anthology, Thirteen (Atheneum).
Mr. Roos’s success is reflected in the reviews his books have received. About his book, Recycling George (Simon & Schuster, 2002), Booklist said, “his characters are quirky and real, his language spare but rueful and true.” School Library Journal described his book The Gypsies Never Came (Simon & Schuster, 2001) as “a novel written in a lean and propulsive style that draws readers in.”
In accepting the Charlie May Simon Medallion from Hillary Rodham Clinton for My Horrible Secret, Stephen Roos said, “I like the demands that young readers make on me—the clarity, the honesty, the ‘being real’ that they continually expect of me. They make my work a challenge; they keep my life vital.”
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 28, 2016
Had this book on my shelf and it looked like a nice short read to get quickly out of the way whenever I had a string of quiet moments to spare. I also like to read books that are published significantly decade(s) prior to my own birth. This book has also been in publication for over thirty years now. A major theme in this book touches upon the significance of having clubs that a particular clique of children join, in an effort to stay connected and keep posted on latest goings-on within their day-to-day lives. Without giving away too much, as this is a very short read, the whole 'joining a club' thing doesn't turn out going as smoothly as planned. This book advises kids to think twice before becoming a part of any club. This book is definitely worth the read for book lovers, although admittedly there was nothing that really jumped out at me; that would prompt me to reread this book for reading pleasure.
September 20, 2023
A good and humorous story with morals.
November 29, 2015
This was a book that I loved as a child and I was lucky enough to recently find a copy. I really miss books like this...simple, well written children's books that really capture what kids that age are like. No political agenda, just a good story. The Terrible Truth holds up. :) Long live the 80s! :)
January 29, 2016
I like this book. Someday maybe I will have my own club.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews