Tru Confessions

Neither flippant nor angelic, this promising first novel strikes a refreshingly honest tone about what it's like to have a mentally retarded sibling. Trudy Walker (a.k.a. Tru) plans to be a famous filmmaker when she grows up. To further her plans, she enters a local cable TV contest to produce her own half-hour program, ""The Trudy Walker Show"" (starring herself). But then she decides to involve her twin brother Eddie, her biggest fan, who is eager and enthusiastic but mentally handicapped. As Tru and Eddie work together on her funny video, she realizes that it's OK for her to grow up, even though it means leaving Eddie behind. Tru's affection for her brother is the foundation for the novel (""My brother, Eddy, has special needs and, unfortunately, that sometimes brings out the comedian in people who don't know him""), and her comic perspective pervades it. Tashjian reinvents the diary format to give the heroine's stand-up routine room: with Tru's entry headings (""Enough About You, Let's Talk About Me""), with lists that convey the humor, warmth and honesty pervading the Walker household (""Reasons I Think My Mother Is the One with Special Needs""), and with Eddy's drawings and quotes sprinkled throughout. Middle-graders will laugh their way through Tru's poignant and clever take on everyday life; even the most reluctant of readers may tell their friends about this one. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)