Tell Me Every Lie

Gr 9 Up–JP’s dad died four months ago. Because his mother is a traveling nurse, he has not seen her for several months. He moves from Queens to Manhattan to live with his wealthy aunt, uncle, and their two kids. They are bringing him on their summer vacation, a week at an exclusive mountain resort in the Catskills called the Majestic Mountain House. JP decides he is tired of being who he is—a poor boy whose father just died—and decides to pretend he’s a wealthy boy taking a summer break with his family. Mia has worked at the Majestic Mountain House since she was 16. Because her parents both have substance abuse disorders and are unhoused, Mia lives with her aunt and cousin. Mia is also tired of being who she is—a girl from a substantially dysfunctional home. Her coworkers bet her that she can’t make one of the guests fall in love with her by the end of the summer. She realizes that if she can win the bet, it will be enough money for her to get out of town and go to photography school. The story is told from alternating viewpoints and arranged by the seven days of JP's vacation, with Mia and JP slowly realizing they are falling in love. But neither one of them knows the truth about the other person. JP is Filipino American with some Irish heritage, Mia is white and Assyrian American. Contains mature language and mild discussion of sex.