The Terrible Secrets of the Tell-All Club

Stier, Catherine. "Terrible Secrets of the Tell-All Club", Albert Whitman and Co., 2009. A Good One for the Youngsters Amos Lassen I occasionally get young adult fiction to review and I usually enjoy it. This book is no exception--it is an easy read, fun and it lets us think about how what we say and what we do affect others. The Tell-All Club is something new at the school. To be a member just meant answering some questions and sharing those answers with the members of the club. The questions were simple and the membership included the kids one wanted to be friends with. Kiley started the club and she invited three friends to join giving it a total of four members--Kiley, Josh, Anne and T.J. There are all kinds of misunderstandings among them as well as mishaps along the way. It is about fifth graders and written primarily for that age group. It is an easy read and it is realistic. Most books for this age group tend to be fantasies so this is a bit of a change of pace. The book is a lesson about being true to oneself and the way that the characters are drawn helps to teach that.

This book is about a quartet of fifth graders trying to understand their place in their families, their school, and the world in general. It reads fast, the chapters are short, it is believable, and I was both touched and laughed aloud. The reading level is suitable for fourth grade and up. As a retired fourth grade teacher, I would love to read this aloud to a class. The chapters end on cliffhangers. The characters are in situations that would lend themselves to discussion and teachable moments. There is even a quirky pet in the mix, and the ending is happy, but not sappy. This book will be enjoyed by listeners or readers from eight up.

I ordered this book for my daughter. She is an advanced reader and just loved the book! She thought that it was a very good book. She thought the writing was interesting, and she did not get bored reading it. Because the book has no pictures, she thought it would be appropriate for 3-5 graders. The book is about a group of children who have to answer her 50 questions about themselves. Turns out one girls wants to find out another's secret. She thought the tell-all club was a bad idea, but loved the book nonetheless!

The action of this story concerns 4 12-year old fifth graders: Kiley, who decides to start The Tell-All Club so she can learn the answer to one specific question; Anne, her friend; Josh, a guy who really wishes he were better at basketball; and TJ, a natural athlete who finds himself getting into trouble, often through no fault of his own, and who is really worried about an upcoming class trip. The situations and dialogue are believable, and the action is interesting and depicts the age group well. While the kids are interested in "who likes whom", there is no kissing .... yukk!!! This is not a gritty 5th grade expose, but it is realistic and deals with some issues relevant to the age group, such as making friends, communicating and privacy. Suitable for girls or guys, this book is about 120 pages and would make a good read aloud or a fine novel for independent readers.

This book is light and fun, and encourages the reader to think about how our words and actions appear to others. Kiley wants to start a club, and she invites three friends to join. First, they must fill out embarrassing "tell-all" questionnaires. Question 1: What's your favorite salad dressing? Question 18: Who is your BFF? Question 46: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? T.J., Josh, and Anne submit their answers, and Kiley shares some of the results. The four kids of the Tell-All Club have misunderstandings and mishaps, but everything wraps up nicely in the end. It's a "School Story" in the same vein as The Homework Machine by Guzman and Frindle, by Clements, but a bit shorter and easier to read. The book deals with crushes, but there is no kissing or hand holding for the 5th graders in the club. The publisher's info recommends this for ages 9-12, but it's short (125 pp) and an easy read- I'd peg it for average readers aged 7-10.