Truth or Dare Hardcover – 20 Sept. 2016

As a middle school reading/English teacher in a small town, and the leader of a girls' group which works on self-esteem and body image with those girls, I'm always looking for great books for them.Truth or Dare is a great book. The story of five friends who begin to experience many changes as they enter 7th grade is perfect for my girls. This book realistically deals with the issues my girls face such as self-esteem, the desire to fit in, the "mean girl" aspects of life, and the problems of dealing with parents at that age.I found the characters to be realistic and the situations they are in to be very realistic and timely. I have three students whose moms have passed away. I feel this book handles this issue with sensitivity and with a realness my students will relate to. Lia's desire to be liked, to be loved, and yet to somehow be herself is the exact struggle of middle school girls everywhere. The drama in middle school is real, and Barbara Dee captures that drama very well. The other sponsors and I have decided to purchase the book for our girls' group!

I am a mom with 3 daughters and I just finished reading Truth or Dare before giving it to my 13 year old. All I can say is WOW! Reading the book brought me straight back to 7th and 8th grade, back to all of the difficult, painful group dynamics of that age. It is such a true rendering of that period of life that it actually caused me to remember much that I had forgotten, so many years later! This is a great book for middle schoolers; wherever they fall in the social pecking order, there are strong, valuable, self-affirming messages. Barbara Dee accomplishes this in a real page turner, with lots of laughs and without being even a little bit preachy. She is a fantastic author, and the way she captures this difficult time of life is further proof of that.

My 11-year-old daughter read this faster than any book she's read in a while--she says "it was so good because it was funny and I just LOVED the characters." The minute she put it down, she said, I'd like another book exactly like this one, please. Best review I can give!

i loved this book so much!i am in sixth grade and this book was a story that felt true and real to me and my fellow classmates (who also read this book)!i highly recommend this book!

I read this aloud with my 10 year old daughter, and it rang so true with both of us! Author Barbara Dee really knows kids. Highly recommend!