The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

In alternating chapters told by high school students Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and Kurt, listeners learn the true and not-so-true details of the events that have forever changed Alice's life. As Alice is shunned by even her closest friends and reports of an abortion surface, only Kurt, an outcast himself, reaches out to Alice in friendship. Not only did Alice sleep with two guys in the same night, she also caused one of those guys, Brandon Fitzsimmons, to die in a car accident. 'Alice gets the final word, yet Mathieu avoids reducing her story to a revenge narrative, instead offering a quietly powerful testament to perspective and personal resilience.Gr 7 Up-Everyone at Healy High and the surrounding town have heard the rumors about Alice Franklin. 'Each narrator shares elements of culpability for the rumors and mistreatment of Alice, and teens are introduced to the potential damage that rumors and lies bring.' -School Library Journal

'Debut author Mathieu brings new life to a common girls' narrative through her multiple first-person narrators.' -Kirkus Reviews 'Swift pace and compact size may entice reluctant readers as well as those interested in a juicy yet thoughtful take on human dynamics.' -BCCB 'A tough, unapologetic look at slut-shaming from a promising new voice.' -Booklist 'Fans of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Speechless by Hannah Harrington will welcome first time author Mathieu, who has crafted a realistic and hard-hitting debut.' -VOYA, starred review Moxie: An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texas high school.

But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.ĭevoted: A girl with a controlling, conservative family realizes that her life is her own-if only she can find the courage to fight for it.Īfterward: A tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they 'know' about Alice-and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life.

It's written all over the 'slut stall' in the girls' bathroom: 'Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers' and 'Alice got an abortion last semester.' After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. When Healy High star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice.

Winner of the Children's Choice Book Awards' Teen Choice Debut Author AwardĮveryone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. By the author of Moxie, a powerful feminist novel that deals with slut-shaming, told through the perspectives of four small-town teens, about how everyone has a motive to bring-and keep-a teen girl down.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu