All Of This Is True

Miri, Penny, and Soleil, best friends since seventh grade, are obsessed by YA author Fatima Ro’s debut novel, Undertow, and plan to befriend her when she shows up at a local bookstore for a signing. As the three girls and their new friend, Jonah, get closer to Fatima, she uses their lives and secrets to create her newest literary hit, The Absolution of Brady Stevenson. Everything surrounding Ro’s book, including the three girls and the author, become sensationalized when Jonah is beaten unconscious in retaliation for something Ro reveals about him in her book. Peñaflor (Unscripted Joss Bryd) uses interview transcripts, diary entries, articles, and excerpts from Brady Stevenson to slowly reveal why Jonah is in a coma and what he was hiding. Seamlessly moving among narrative devices, Peñaflor keeps the tensions high and the pacing swift while giving each of the three young narrators a unique voice and perspective. She addresses the extremes of fan fervor and raises intriguing questions about authorial responsibility in this suspenseful and smart novel. 13–up. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency. (May)