The Girl Who Couldn't Lie - Radhika Sanghani

 

'Priya Shah lies. A LOT. She pretends everything in her life is perfect, so she doesn't disappoint anyone.

    But when she puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba - the one person she has always been honest with - she finds herself unable to lie.

    as more things go wrong, and Priya's truth-telling spirals out of control, can Priya learn to be honest without hurting the people she loves?'

Priya is juggling an awful lot of things in her life: her studies and maintaining her grades; her gymnastics training and the possibility of making the teen Olympic team; her best friends Mei and Sami; her parents constantly arguing at home; her younger sister, Pinkie's ADHD... and she has no-one to turn to since the death of her grandma, her Ba, who was the only person she could talk to.  Life is really getting to much for her so it's not surprising when she sobs uncontrollably one night in her bed.  And that's when she remembers the bangle her Ba gave her just before she died, one that help a tale behind it and one Priya feels will help to comfort her.  The only problem is that the clasp has always been broken and she's never been able to wear it ... until now when it magically opens.  However, once she's put it on, she can't take it off again.  And that's when everything changes for her and she suddenly finds herself unable to lie! 

This is a funny story and one that will make readers giggle, but it is also a rather wonderful exploration into when it is right and wrong to lie.  Priya finds herself unable to lie to her teachers, her gymnastics coach or her friends and the results are decidedly mixed!  Whilst, at times, her truths seem to help, there are definitely times when it causes much more trouble (never has Priya had so many detentions!).  As things begin to spiral, Priya finds herself having to decide what means the most to her: does she really want to be part of the teen Olympic team?  Would it be better if her parents just got divorced?  Can she find a way not to miss Sami's Bat Mitzvah?

The Girl Who Couldn't Lie is a wonderful book that will make you laugh and make you think about all those little lies we tell!  I cannot lie: this is a book that I know will go down well in school!

The Girl Who Couldn't Lie publishes on the 9th May.