by Gennifer Choldenko

author of If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period.

For Antonia MacPherson, lying is natural. But that is only because she is adopted. It doesn’t matter what her mom says; she knows it’s true. Her mom is not her real mom; her dad is not her real dad; her sisters are not her real sisters. The only real one is Pistachio, her dog, who is her real dog.

But when Just Carol takes Ant under her wing, Ant might have to change. Just Carol likes the truth. And she won’t take anything less

I can’t say I was particularly impressed by this book. It had a believable subject, and a believable heroine, and it started well. I think everyone, at least once in their lives, has felt like Ant: a misfit whose parents don’t understand her and prefer their siblings. I believe everyone has probably lied before, and for some of the same reason that Ant lied. I really liked that start, and I liked the ending, too.

But the middle, I had problems with the middle. I hated Ant’s parents. I’m used to reading about parents who are slightly patronizing or difficult, but Ant’s parents weren’t just that. They were frustrating and selfish who seem to want to just ignore her. Especially her mom. I don’t blame Ant for sticking to her ‘real’ parents.

Parents can be frustrating; they can be bad. But I think this was unrealistic. Ant had tried many times to get through to her mother; it seemed to me like if Mrs. MacPherson didn’t believe her daughter or her daughter’s teacher the first times, why would she believe her the last time?

I liked the plot; I liked the idea. But to me, the parents kind of fouled the story. No one likes parents that are as hard as the MacPhersons. Unless Ant was exaggerating without realizing it, I truly doubt this.

I like Ant; I like Harrison, Ant’s best friend, and I like Just Carol, the teacher. I even like Elizabeth and Kate, her sisters. But I couldn’t like Ant’s parents. I suppose I was somewhat reconciled to Ant’s mom eventually, but I definitely did not like Ant’s dad. I like this book; I just think it might be better if shortened with a few confrontations between Ant and her mother cut out.