She's the liar

Two sisters coping with insecurities in dramatically different ways share the role of narrator in this incisive novel by Cherry (Willows vs. Wolverines). At a boarding school, the autonomous student committee exploits its power in decisions about campus life. Painfully shy sixth grader Abby arrives at Brookside Academy determined to "begin my brand-new life" as confident extrovert Abbi and finally make friends. Shedding her timidity remarkably effortlessly, Abbi braves an audition and lands a part in the school play, which is subsequently canceled by the committee, despotically controlled by Abbi's haughty eighth grade sister, Sydney. The story's psychological implications deepen when the narrative voice changes mid-novel, and Sydney reveals herself as a lonely outsider, feared rather than liked by her peers, who convinces herself that she has sabotaged the play to protect her sister from reliving the humiliating stage fright she experienced in third grade. Cherry gives each girl a compelling voice distinctive enough that despite Sydney's apparent vindictiveness, both characters emerge as highly sympathetic. A reflective story exploring self-honesty, courage, and redemption. Ages 8-12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Now that shy Abby is attending sixth grade at a boarding school, she's decided to reinvent herself as plucky, outgoing "Abbi," but that may not play well with her eighth-grade sister, Sydney.Sydney is the head of a small student committee that (strangely) makes almost all the decisions that affect the students, from authorizing room repairs to funding for after-school clubs. She rules the committee with an iron fist, largely through blackmailing the other members into abject submission. Her power is, she believes, the perfect compensation for being just as socially inadequate as Abby had been. But after Sydney de-funds the school play that her younger sister has just won a role in (to protect her from inevitable failure, Sydney rationalizes), Abbi takes matters into her own hands and successfully campaigns to be a committee member. The tale is told in halves by two archetypal voices: enthusiastic, likable Abbi's for the first 88 pages, then the rest from Sydney's rather misanthropic point of view. This structure provides none of the conflict that the title implies. Neither the quite-good sister nor the quite-bad one ever achieves full believability. Most of the entertainment comes from execution of the good-defeating-evil trope and the sheer pleasure of Abbi's delightful reboot of herself. The ultimate too-simple resolution of Sydney's significant issues also feels good but seems highly improbable.Although superficial in its characterizations, the story is still pleasantly entertaining and fast-paced. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.