Truth or Dare

by Barbara Dee

Lia's four best friends have always been there for her, in good times and bad. It's thanks to the loyal supportive friendship of Marley, Abi, Makayla, and Jules that Lia's doing okay after her mom dies in a car crash.

But the summer before seventh grade, Lia's feeling out of sync with her friends. And after a vacation up in Maine, Lia returns home to find her friends...well, different. For one thing, they're arguing more than ever. Also, they're competing. And some of them are making her feel like a "late bloomer."

When her friends launch into an extended game of Truth or Dare, Lia tells a lie about her summer just to keep up with them. Then she tells another lie. And another. Soon, it's hard to remember what's a lie and what isn't. Friendships are threatened, boys are getting kissed (or note), and Lia's wondering if there's anyone to confide in.

In this funny, touching coming-of-age story, Lia learns that it's possible to face the hardest truths--as long as you have the right people by your side.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Friendship, Young Adult, Juvenile

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2016

Reviews

[Leda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth or Dare has all the great things you expect in a Barbara Dee book: hilarious writing; a perfect-pitch ear for dialogue; relatable, realistic characters who live in a world with real problems and no magic spells to get out of them, making choices and living with the consequences; adult characters who have lives of their own and are not just there to tell the main character things she needs to hear; and did I mention that it's hysterically funny? The story is about girls whose bodies are maturing at different rates, and the gossip and exclusion that happens around that. But like a lot of Barbara Dee's other books, it's also about making and losing friends, and trying to figure out which friends are your real ones and how to be a good friend yourself. Anybody can relate to that. No bad language, no drug or alcohol use.

[Sreenidhi C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Umm...so I usually give books 5 stars but this book was a bit like..too much I guess..

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through Lia, Dee offers a bastion of humor and empathy for her readers, and her honesty permits her readers to be honest too: Periods exist, bra shopping is awkward, sometimes our friends are jerks, and being upset about that is allowed, because eventually, it's going to be okay. This book is essential for the middle school girl whose body feels alien or whose friends are changing - and at one point or another, everyone is that girl. Even the classic raw honesty of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret has trouble catching the eyes of the tween girls of today, with so many decades since its publication. Truth or Dare doesn't just bring a fresh voice to the mix, it allows the issues girls face - their bodies changing, juggling crushes and friends, the fear of growing up or not growing up fast enough - to glow with new relevance and urgency, exactly as it feels to be standing in front of a mirror buying your first bra, silently panicking. The characters sparkle and bite, the struggles ring true, and the language is funny and fearless. The girls of the world need a book like this, and they always will.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

I haven’t read any Barbara Dee books until now, and I now see why so many of my middle school girls like her stories. The drama in Truth or Dare (sadly) feels so real to the girl drama I witness as a middle school teacher. Although parts may be a bit exaggerated a bit from the truth, it works to get the point across which I think is often needed when dealing with social situations in middle school to help the reader see the consequences.

I also really liked the truth of Lia’s family, their grief, and the struggle between Lia’s aunt’s eccentricity and Lia’s family’s rigidity.

4 stars since it is perfect for the audience that it is written for.

[Stephanie Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book!!! It is a culmination of everything I went through in middle school! The friendships and significant loss of friendships! The getting your period in an insignificant place but then getting bailed out by a true friend! Girls will go through so much crap even before they reach high school and this book is an amazing example of that! A must read for any pre-teen! This IS life! The good, the bad, as well as the unfortunate ugly!!!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of my book is standing up for others. Lias four best friends who have always been there for her are being mean to other kids. She continues to be friends with them even though she feels bad for the other kids. Just like my last book you can't be friends with someone just because they want you too be. Stick up for the people who should be the ones getting stuck up for. Lia in the end realizes that she has been doing the wrong thing this whole time.

[Lori Kallio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, so sweet and perfect for any teenage girls going through changes! I cannot wait for my girls to be old enough to read this book!
Definitely recommend for preteen girls! At least 9 year old and up!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slight spoilers!!!

Overall, I found this book cute and a good lesson about what it really means to be mature. The book mainly focuses on the attributes of the characters, so I’ll do a review on each.

Lia:
I found Lia to be a good protagonist, however she did not really have any distinguishable character traits. I think she could have been improved if she had some sort of motive or activity, like Makayla (swimming/band.) I mostly just found her to be dishonest to her friends and judgmental to her aunt, so it was a little hard for me to root for her.

Marley:
Marley is the type of friend that we all want to have in our life. She doesn’t say things to make you feel bad, she stands up for you and knows when people are truly her friends, and yet nobody does that for her, not even Lia most times. Honestly, I think I would have preferred if Marley was the main character, because she was so much more interesting. For one, seeing how she dealt with her learning disability would be interesting, and I also want to see her relationship with Graydon play out. She should’ve gotten with him in the end. And also, the fact tbat she didn’t tell Lia about her period so Lia wouldn’t feel left out is phenomenal. 10/10.

Makayla:
I know I just wrote a full paragraph about how incredible Marley is, but Makayla is probably my favorite character just for the soul fact that she is INTERESTING. She does swimming, band, and knows how to stand up for herself against girls like Abi. She is athletic, strong, (both physically and mentally,) and is again an amazing character.

Jules:
Again, Jules was a character where there wasn’t really anything about her. The only things that made her different were that she was a definite follower, and was the most developed. I can’t write anything about her because she did absolutely nothing.

Abi:
Abi was a pretty good antagonist. She was hypocritical, manipulative, and above all, a master at guilt tripping. The fact that she yelled at Lia for faking her period while she faked her own was exactly like something a middle school mean girl would do. She made me mad, but in this case that’s a good thing.

So, to sum it up, my main problem was that many characters in this book did not really have anything to make them stand out, especially when there are SO MANY of them. It was a decent book, but definitely not one of Dee’s best works.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read over the summer is called Truth or Dare. It's about this girl named Lia and she is in a friend group with 4 other girls. They normally go to camp during the summer together but this time Lia went up to Maine to stay with her aunt. Her mom had died a couple of years before this and her friends had always been there for her until she came back. Ever since she got back from Maine her friends had been arguing more than ever. They then started a game of truth or dare and Lia had to keep on coming up with lies and lies. She felt like she was just competing with them on who had the better summer. After many lies and dares, Lia learns how you just need the right people by your side to face the hardest truths.

In this book, the author likes to help compare the main character, Lia, to other girls around her age so they know their not the only ones who have to go through difficult times in their life. Lia goes through struggles with friends, boys, and jealousy just like any other preteen, teen girl could go through. I haven't read any books relating to this book but I liked it because most of it relates to me and other girls my age. I really recommend this book for girls my age.

[Arden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Barbara Dee! I love this author! I am a seventh grade girl, and I can relate so well to her books! I am about to start This is Me From Now On. I am really excited to read it! I loved Lia and Jules! This is another book you must read!

[Leana 🌵 · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce roman, j'aime les VRAIES histoires qui peuvent se passer dans la VRAI vie! Je n'ai pas mis 5 étoiles car je n'ai pas trop aimé le personnage principal à certains moments! ( ses avis...)

[Madeleine44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai bien aimé ce livre, c'était la deuxième fois que je le lisais.
Il y a certains moments où je n'ai pas trop aimé le groupe d'amies de Lia...mais ce livre raconte les problèmes des jeunes ados et c'est plutôt bien.

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story about growing up and becoming a woman. Loved it!

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy how Barbara Dee approaches hard-to-talk-about topics.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story for middle schoolers to read - all about friendship, lying and bullying, and staying true to yourself and your "real" friends. Some grief mixed in there as well.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't drop the book. One of my fastest read because it was so well written

[Mackenzie Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think overall the book was really good. There was lots of drama and there was always something going on.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book it taught me to stand up to mean people

[Jaina Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

When I got an email from Barbara Dee asking me if I wanted to review her latest novel, I was absolutely thrilled. I'd only read one of her books before - the amazing  Solving Zoe  - but I'd loved it so much that I can't believe I never looked up Dee's other books. That's why I jumped at the chance to read Truth or Dare, even though I probably normally would have said no - I figured, just this once, I could read a book about girls going through puberty and trust in the author that it wouldn't be cringe-worthy.

And you know what? I was right to say yes; I was happy to read Truth or Dare. I enjoyed it. The puberty drama was mixed in with much more serious storylines about grief, parental relationships, peer relationships, and bullying. Lia and her friends play truth or dare, sure, and Lia lies about hitting milestones that she hasn't. But the reason for this isn't just some lame one-upmanship game - instead it's the result of a complex cocktail of emotions and social politics.

I will say, though, that I never once competed with my friends in this arena the way Lia does. Heck, it never even came up! With that in mind, maybe the girls' obsession with puberty isn't exactly the most realistic thing in the world to me, but I'm willing to turn on my suspension of disbelief and accept this as the compelling, meaningful story that it is. Because Lia's dealing with some really hard things in her life: she's still trying to move past her mother's death, she's struggling to see her (rather eccentric) aunt as a mother figure, she's trying to one-up her friends because they're slightly cliquey and she's terrified of being left behind. These and many more storylines intertwine themselves throughout the book, grounding it. Making it feel real, and honest, and true-to-life even when the troubles Lia's dealing with aren't ones that I can personally relate to.

I'm not going to recommend this book to "anyone and everyone," because I don't think it would do well with such a broad audience. Most boys would be turned off by the mentions of bras and periods; some girls who actually are Lia's age might get the wrong idea about what sort of emphasis to place on the milestones of puberty. But for the rest of us, Truth or Dare is a good book. If you've read this far and you're sitting there thinking it looks cool, then I can almost guarantee that Truth or Dare will be a great book for you.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Veena D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I kept thinking there would be more as I turned the pages. The ending just felt incomplete. And so did the story - do Middle Schoolers really talk about feelings when your mom died, or obsess about periods? This book was a disappointment as the characters felt flat, especially the main one, Lia. And what exactly was the role of her Dad, and brother Nate? Just to make annoying comments and cook dinner? The book was all about how they were friends and then drifted apart one fine day. One more thing - Truth Or Dare is one of the most stupid games invented, always meant to make others feel miserable and doubtful.

[Taylor Welling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest book I read was truth or dare by Barbara Dee. When Lia’s mom got into the car crash her for best friends were there for her. When she decides not to go to summer camp with some of her best friends she decides to go up to Maine to live with her aunt Shelby for the summer. And when she comes back she finds her friends different, they’re all upset with each other and basically competing. So they play game of truth or dare and Lia lies because she feels left out and she lies more and more and soon doesn’t remember what is a lie and what is not. When her friends find out, they all start fighting and break up. Aunt Shelby made a party for Lia and her 4 ex-friends come and it turns out into a disaster. At the end they all split up and Lia is still with her best friend Marley. This stirs up some trouble.

I love this book so much, I would rate it five out of five stars! It is fun and touching while interesting at the same time. It is different from all the other books I’ve read in the past and I wish they had more books in the series because there’s only one. They are a lot of the characters that I can relate to you in many ways. I didn’t want to put the book down that I almost read it all in one day. I was driving to go on vacation so I basically just read this book the whole way there and the way back. I love this book so much and I hope the author has more books.

I recommend this book too many people. I would recommend it to someone who wants to find a book so interesting that they could maybe read it in one day. I would also like to recommend it to girls ages 10 through 13. This girl is going into seventh grade so she experiences things that a lot of girls would experience around my age. I love this book so much and it was really hard to put down!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the morning she is due to leave for camp with her friends, Lia bails on them and heads to her aunt's house in Maine instead. Lia, who really misses her deceased mother, hopes to find some female wisdom in her aunt, but instead finds that she feels uncomfortable with how quick her aunt is to buy her a bra without her permission. Returning home at the end of the summer, Lia is glad to be back among friends who understand her, until she realizes that everyone changed over the summer, thanks in part to a game they all play called Truth or Dare. Now Lia must decide whether to remain true to herself, or to join in the cruelty and drama brought about by her friends' new fascination with dares and truths. This book, though pleasant to read, felt constantly as though it was just a little bit behind the times. Truth or dare, worrying about when one's period will arrive, and struggling to talk about bras with a single dad are all elements that appear a lot in older tween novels, such as Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series and some of Judy Blume's books. I don't see much evidence that tween girls today are as starved for information on these subjects as previous generations, and I know very few kids who would be interested in reading a whole book about them. This is too bad, because the bras and periods are really secondary to the larger plot about friendship and fitting in, which is still hugely relevant and handled very well. Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young, published in August, does a much better job of what this book is trying to do. Truth or Dare is a well written story, but Hundred Percent is what middle schoolers in 2016 are really looking for.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bad friends were better than no friends, right?"

Is it possible to be bullied and not even really know that you're being bullied? Lia has had her circle of friends forever: there's Marley, who is very bright but needs help with sometimes at school; Makayla, who is good at everything: athletics, academics, music, you name; Abi, who is clearly the leader of the group, and Jules, Abi's shadow. These girls have been with Lia through some very difficult times, especially the death of Lia's mother.

But these days, they seem to do nothing but fight. They want to play stupid games like truth or dare where they force each other to do stupid things or answer embarrassing questions. And it's almost like a competition to see who is developing the fastest: who needs a bra, who got their period first, who kissed a boy, etc. Lia tries to be the peacemaker, but it's getting harder all the time.

It's especially hard for Lia because she doesn't have her mother to talk to about these issues. Her dad is willing, but it's hard. Then there's Aunt Shelby, who is just "a little crazy." Nonetheless, Shelby seems to understand the feeling of being a victim of bullying and wants to protect Lia the best she can. Why do girls give power away to the group leader? Why should any one person in the group be more important than anyone else is you are all friends? "Now that you've expressed our truths to each other, no one has more power than anyone else, balance has been restored and you can all move forward in a positive direction."

Strong message for tween girls.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed full of middle school drama, this story screams girly reality and the problems of growing up.

Lia is not a fan of summer camp and skips out by joining her quirky aunt for the summer instead. When she returns to school, she finds her friends wrapped up in a game of truth or dare--one which isn't always naive and harmless.

The author does a tremendous job bringing the characters to life through snappy and very realistic dialogue in true to life situations. The intended audience will have no problem seeing some of their own lives mirrored in these pages and will easily sympathize with Lia and her friends.

Much of this story concentrates on friendship and the age old but still very modern problem of fitting in. Lia faces the choice of doing what is right or giving in to what her friends want her to do. There's also a more than adequate amount of time spent on bras and periods, which is really too bad. Although these might be topics for this age group, the importance they have in this story is overly exaggerated. Still, there are tons of great messages in this book which make it a wonderful read and a inspiration which will aide girls as they run across some similar situations of their own--and they are sure to do just that.

Summed up, this book is a lovely dive into tween drama which, for the most part, fits well to girls ages 10 and up.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lia counts on her four best friends to be there for her, just like they were after her mom died. But those relationships start to show cracks in the summer before eighth grade, and the divide gets even rougher once school starts. When a game of truth or dare takes a turn toward the mean, Lia feels as though she is losing the people she cares about the most. With the help of her “weird aunt,” she just may be able to patch up the cracks and be happy again.

Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee brings up a lot of issues from a confusing time in life. Lia is a late bloomer while all her friends are getting bras and their periods. She lies about her development so she won’t feel left out. Her mom is gone and she doesn’t want to talk to her dad about what’s happening (or not) with her body. She wants to talk to her aunt, but her mom’s sister is so different from her mom that she doesn’t easily connect with her either. On top of everything else, Lia also doesn’t know how to stand up for herself when one of her friends starts to bully others in the group.

All these situations should open up a conversation between moms and daughters about puberty, bullying, dynamics within a group of friends, learning how to be true to yourself, and others. I recommend Truth or Dare for book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lia—never call her Amalia—is a full-fledged member of the comma club. In other words, she’s a late bloomer, with no periods in sight. This hasn’t been a problem, but as seventh grade starts, she suddenly feels very self-conscious of her puberty status. On top of that, her normally supportive group of friends seems to be splitting apart. During a game of truth or dare, hoping to keep her friends together, Lia stretches the truth, which of course leads to more and more lies. Though Lia has assistance from helpful adults like her quirky Aunt Shelby and a super-mom neighbor, it is Lia herself who finally figures out how to be true to herself and be a good friend too. Dee’s plot is slow building, but the humor and Lia’s authentic first-person narrative will keep readers’ interest. Many middle school girls will see themselves in Lia’s attempts to figure out her changing (or not changing) body, including her hilarious but slightly traumatic bra-shopping excursions. This coming-of-age tale will resonate with anyone struggling through the friendship-shifting grounds of junior high school.

[Caroline Marotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lia has four best friends, Makayla, Abby, Marley, and Jules, that helped her grieve through a car crash that caused her mother's death, and they had supported her through everything. She was going to go to a summer camp with them, but she decides last minute to stay with her aunt, who is a little bit odd, instead. When Lia comes back from her aunt's house, all of her friends are different. They argue a lot more, and they make her feel left out sometimes. They have a truth or dare game that they play, and when Lia joins in on the game, she lies about what happened over the summer at her aunt's house to make her feel like she fits in. Things start to spiral out of control for Lia, and she needs to realize who her true friends are. I liked the book because a lot of middle school girls could relate to it. I would recommend this book to middle school girls who like a good book about the honest truth of growing up.

[Vicky Voronina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lia's friends Marley, Abi, Makayla, and Jules are really important to her. However, after missing out on a camp experience with her friends and spending the summer at her aunt's instead, Lia feels a bit out of sync with them. They're acting different and making her feel insecure. When a game of truth or dare goes too far and gets too personal, Lia finds herself telling a lie about her summer so she doesn't feel left out. This leads to more and more lies, all while the used-to-be happy group of friends compete with each other and grow further and further apart. It's up to Lia to figure out how to get herself out of this mess, and who her true friends are.

[Addison Daggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very enjoyable. At first, it made me kind of sad because she had lost her mom and she had no one to talk to about her problems, and then she didn't want to go camp with her friends because they were all much more mature than her and she felt left out. I felt a sense of relief when she did go to her aunt's during the summer because thye got to build their relationship and get all things for her needs. I really feel like Lias's aunt played a big role in this story. When Lia lost her friends Aunt Shelby was the one to force her to go out and see which one of her friends was really worth it.

[Stephanie Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth or Dare is all about honesty vs. deception. The main character, Lia, tries hard to fit in with her group of friends, but she seems to be losing ground. So instead of going with them to camp, she decides to spend the summer with her aunt. When she returns, she makes up a detailed, bold fib during a game of Truth or Dare...but this book has an underlying theme of honestly. Not just being honest with your friends, but being honest with yourself.