Little Blue Lies

by Chris Lynch

Overview

Two teens discover the true danger of love in this “beguiling” novel from Printz Honor–winning author Chris Lynch that will leave you “wondering just what is the truth” (VOYA, starred review).

Oliver loves Junie Blue. That’s true. Pretty much everything else is a lie. Both known for their deceit, Junie and O’s relationship was the only honest thing they had. But now that’s over. Oliver’s been dumped, and he’s miserable. Junie says they’re done. Unless she’s lying?

Junie’s father works for One Who Knows, the head of an organized crime family. He won’t tell O where Junie is, not even after O hears a rumor that Junie’s won the lottery—and that One Who Knows expects to be given her ticket. O fears Junie’s in danger, and he’s determined to come to her rescue. But is there honestly anything he can do?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442440104
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Lexile:	HL780L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Chris Lynch is the award–winning author of several highly acclaimed young adult novels, including Printz Honor Book Freewill, Iceman, Gypsy Davey, and Shadow Boxer—all ALA Best Books for Young Adults—as well as Killing Time in Crystal City, Little Blue Lies, Pieces, Kill Switch, Angry Young Man, and Inexcusable, which was a National Book Award finalist and the recipient of six starred reviews. Chris is the author of middle grade novel Walkin’ the Dog. He holds an MA from the writing program at Emerson College. He teaches in the creative writing MFA program at Lesley University. He lives in Boston and in Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2014
Gr 10 Up—Oliver and Junie's relationship thrives on lies. Together they are glib, sarcastic, and rarely serious, but they're in love. That is, they used to be, because Junie broke up with Oliver and now she's gone, possibly on the run from the local mob boss, the One Who Knows. Still desperately in love with her, Oliver wants to find and protect Junie, but how can he help someone who doesn't want to be found? This quirky novel from the Printz Honor-winning Lynch is charmingly clever and witty. Being wanted by the mob is not necessarily a light and fun premise for a novel, but Lynch uses this alarming situation to present a story about self-awareness and sacrifice. As a slightly unreliable narrator, Oliver is fine company. Although he is somewhat oblivious to his socioeconomic privilege and emotionally clueless, readers will root for him because of his devotion to saving Junie. She manages to evade him for almost half of the novel, but when they finally meet again, their biggest hurdle turns out not be the mob, but their opposing visions of the future. Lynch's staccato and ironic style is highly readable. Readers who aren't sure what they want to do with their life after high school will find that this book's light and honest approach to figuring it out rings true.—Joy Piedmont, LREI, New York City

School Library Journal

"[T]his is a gritty mystery with breakneck pacing and characters and dialogue as smart and sharp as Lynch makes them. Expect fans to pass this title from hand to hand."

BCCB

* "Teens will appreciate the romance and humorous, sophisticated repartee between Oliver and Junie in a plot that will leave them wondering just what is the truth."

starred review VOYA

2013-12-18
A lovelorn teen messes with the mob in order to save his blue-collar girlfriend in this unusual comedy of social class. Upper-class Oliver is devastated when his beloved Junie Blue breaks off their relationship after high school graduation. But that doesn't stop him from trying to intervene when he hears that Junie may be in possession of a winning lottery ticket that is being sought by the local mob boss. Since their relationship was built on the outrageous lies they used to tell each other, Oliver can't figure out if Junie is telling the truth about not having the ticket. So he uses his family's wealth and power to hatch a plan to take the mob heat off Junie and, he hopes, win her back in the process. But self-sufficient Junie has plans of her own, and Oliver discovers that she's not the only one who's been lying to him. Though secondary characters that aren't integral to the story sometimes sidetrack the plot, Lynch's dialogue is consistently funny and sharp. Inventive descriptions--"The sun is just starting to work an orange cigarette burn through the gray fabric of the clouds"--set off the long riffs of humorous banter nicely. A worthwhile romp, if not quite a jackpot. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews