Things I’ll Never Say: Stories About Our Secret Selves

In this thoughtful anthology of 15 original stories from Ron Koertge, Chris Lynch, Kekla Magoon, and more, readers receive intimate glimpses into the lives of teenagers carrying secrets about their families, friendships, or passions. With the exception of “Cupid’s Beaux,” Cynthia Leitich Smith’s lighthearted fantasy about a guardian angel, the selections have a generally sober tone, addressing serious issues. In two stories, Ellen Wittlinger’s “The We-Are-Like-Everybody-Else Game” and Erica L. Kaufman’s “Three-Four Time,” high-school girls are forced to play adult roles, caring for unstable parents while trying to maintain façades of normalcy. Other stories reveal the unexpected consequences of sexual exploits, like the baby, given up for adoption, who haunts the thoughts of his teen father in Mary Ann Rodman’s “Choices.” Then there’s Luke in editor Angel’s “We Were Together,” who gives his girlfriend herpes after cheating on her. Rather than providing tidy solutions to the characters’ dilemmas, the stories focus on the feelings of entrapment and anxiety that go along with living a lie. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Mar.)