The road trip itself was the right blend of adventure and emotional with a big twist at the end. She does have to be a treatment facility for a short time, but it was all addressed sensitively and will not be tough for young readers to process. I loved the way the author handles Trixy’s mother’s eating disorder. This made the road trip more meaningful for me as a reader. I so wish the road trip section had started sooner in the story, but I recognize that it was important for us to first build a bond with Gran through Trixy’s stories. His sister is a teen with low vision - she sometimes has to use a cane when she’s in a new environment. Raymond’s father is a musician whose wife packed up and left when Raymond was six. I also loved seeing Trixy’s friendship with Raymond develop throughout the story and it was sweet to see Trixy work to become a better friend. Trixy’s bond with her grandmother is so sweet, and this book is every bit as much Trixy’s story as it is her Gran’s. It also reminded me a lot about O’Shaughnessy’s The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane. I tweeted this already, but this story has strong Louisiana’s Way Home vibes, so if you enjoyed that one, you’ll love this. Trixy is a scrawny, opinionated, witty character who like everyone else sometimes gets too focused on herself. But are Gran’s stories about a sister and a difficult, but often magical life, true? The Good Add some trouble at home to the mix and Trixy is forced to run off with her neighbor, Raymond, when his dad goes on a tour that stops over at several landmarks in Gran’s stories. When Trixy enters a non-fiction writing contest using Gran’s stories, some people begin to dispute the truth of those stories. But when Trixy NEEDS to write stories to pass fourth grade, the only stories she can think to write are Gran’s.

However, only Trixy seems to believe Gran’s stories about her childhood and she promised Gran that she would keep some of the stories to herself. Trixy’s only solace is her gran’s stories. Her parents don’t want to talk about Gran and her mom isn’t eating well and is exercising a bit too much. To Tell You The Truth immediately caught my attention because of that adorable cover! Fourth-grader Trixy’s gran died in a car accident (Trixy was in the back seat and survived) and since then things at home have not been the same. Summary: To Tell You the Truth by Beth Vrabel

Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel