Even When You Lie to Me

March 1, 2015
Charlie, an insecure high school senior, finds herself in a troubling relationship with a teacher. Charlie's tense relationships with her casually cruel mother and her beautiful best friend pop up occasionally in this story, but the distressing heart of the book is Charlie's relationship with Mr. Drummond, a man who deliberately blurs the lines between teacher and student by swearing in class, engaging in sexual innuendo, and initiating lots of "playful" physical contact with students. When lonely Charlie blossoms under his teasing attentions, he quickly encourages her crush through inappropriately personal, private conversations with her after school about his failed marriage; his reaction to finding her stalking him at his gym is to take her out to lunch. Though it takes some time, readers will be unsurprised by the graphically depicted sexual escalation of the relationship, especially given the increasingly shocking series of encounters that leads up to it. That is, shocking to readers though not to Charlie, who narrates the story with an all-too-believable, single-minded cluelessness. They are given glimpses of Drummond's ambivalence and remorse, but a disturbing "what might have been" moment he and Charlie share at her graduation ends both story and Charlie's character arc with unsatisfying ambiguity. Ultimately, readers see almost none of the anguish that this relationship would likely have caused Charlie, which dangerously de-emphasizes the predatory nature of Mr. Drummond's attentions. (Fiction. 14-18)

March 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-Charlie is dreading her senior year. Introverted, not traditionally pretty, and a bit of a bookworm, she has her sights set on life after high school. In fact, Charlie has applied early decision to Oberlin College. Her ever-loyal best friend, Lila, has become popular overnight, throwing Charlie's social inadequacies into sharper contrast. Mr. Drummond, her new English teacher, is the only bright spot in her life. He's young, super-friendly, and seems to get her. When Charlie's Type-A mother insists that she participate in an extracurricular activity, the girl joins the school newspaper, newly revived by Mr. Drummond. Charlie develops an intense and all-consuming crush on him, fueled by their time working on the newspaper together and discussing books in and out of class. Mr. Drummond is friendly to everyone, but Charlie senses that there is something different about his feelings for her. Alcott pushes the boundaries in this exploration of a taboo student-teacher relationship. Charlie's sexual thoughts and desires are candidly and honestly depicted. Complex emotional content is handled tactfully and sensitively. Additionally, all of Alcott's characters are well developed, from Charlie's parents to the Indian American twins in her English class, who befriend her. All have distinct personalities and motivations, adding to the realistic atmosphere the author has created. The witty repartee among characters is reminiscent of the dialogue in John Green's novels or a Gilmore Girls episode-although slightly improbable at times, it never fails to entertain. VERDICT A cutting-edge exploration of a thorny topic, this is a wonderful debut novel.-Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 While her BFF Lila gets all the boys' attention, shy Charlie knows she isn't pretty. It sure would be nice, though, to be thought pretty by someone. To cope, the senior makes her college plans and buries her nose in novelsuntil the new, young AP English teacher, Mr. Drummond, catches her eye, and suddenly, in spite of his ordinariness, Drummond is all she can think about. Is the feeling reciprocated or is it just wishful thinking? As Charlie's crush becomes an obsession, she is willing to risk everything in order to feel beautiful. Wallflowers and bookworms everywhere will empathize with Charlie and her need for a forbidden relationship. In her first novel, Alcott captures the pain and pathos of rejection, as well as the inexplicable nature of crushes that simply don't make sense but still overpower. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, this novel will be an easy sell to teens secretly swooning over young teachers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)