"If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."
High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, ... read full description
reviews
Dec 15, 2011
Hilda
rated it: 
A good book with smooth writing and a thoughtful message.
Many people think Tola Riley as a really strange girl. A girl with too much imagination. A freakish green-haired girl. A girl who has piercing on her nose and maybe some mysterious parts on her body. The hottest news about Tola Riley is, she has affair with her art teacher, Mr. Mymer, and the teacher gets suspended because of their love thing.
People talk about Tola all the time. Classmates mock her. Enemies stalk her. F More...
Many people think Tola Riley as a really strange girl. A girl with too much imagination. A freakish green-haired girl. A girl who has piercing on her nose and maybe some mysterious parts on her body. The hottest news about Tola Riley is, she has affair with her art teacher, Mr. Mymer, and the teacher gets suspended because of their love thing.
People talk about Tola all the time. Classmates mock her. Enemies stalk her. F More...
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Oct 09, 2011
dontouchmychocolate
rated it: 
Although the book had some funny and wonderful phrases/metaphors/similes/descriptions, I found the story too prolonged. Tola (finally!) stood up to herself at the board meeting and then the story seemed to be at a standstill. I waited for the story to come to a conclusion sooner but it went on and on and on......I lost my patience with it that I really didn't care to find out how it ended.
I didn't really understand the necessity of the "comments" bits, wondering what or who More...
I didn't really understand the necessity of the "comments" bits, wondering what or who More...
Aug 21, 2011
Barky
rated it:
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Aug 15, 2010
Aik Chien
rated it: 
A bad apple is often used to describe a troublesome person, coming from the quotation "one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel". It seems, to everyone, that Tola Riley is a bad apple. She has green hair, a great love for fairy tales and art, and is involved in a scandal with her art teacher, Mr. Mymer. Her whole world is turning upside down. Vicious rumors are spreading like wildfire through the school, and an anonymously-created website called thetruthabouttolariley.com is tell More...
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Apr 26, 2010
Treasa
rated it:
Tola Riley, aspiring artist and high-school junior, is obsessed with fairy tales. Unfortunately, her life has become just as messed up as one of the old fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers. Her older sister, Madge, spends her days crying and watching war movies. Her father has married a genuinely evil stepmother and never has time to see Tola or Madge. And the whole school and community thinks that she is having an affair with her art teacher. Tola knows that happily-ever-after endings don
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Jan 06, 2010
AnnaBnana
rated it: 
I wanted to like this book. It's about a high school junior named Tola Riley who everyone thinks had an affair with her art teacher. As a reader, you know that there's more to the story--that Tola says there was no affair, but that she's clearly still hiding something. This part was all fine.
What wasn't as fine was her wholly dysfunctional family, which I found a bit distracting--a depressed sister, a supportive but sick grandfather, a smothering mother, an absent and remarried More...
What wasn't as fine was her wholly dysfunctional family, which I found a bit distracting--a depressed sister, a supportive but sick grandfather, a smothering mother, an absent and remarried More...
Dec 02, 2009
Michelle
rated it:
Bad Apple was fairly predictable in it’s plot in almost all areas with the exception of the most important one — the did she or didn’t she reveal. The back and forth of each step down the path to that ultimate revelation was well done. I personally didn’t know if the affair happened, at what level and who initiated it until the very bitter end and I appreciated that fact. I liked that we got to see small glimpses of the truth but didn’t know that it was. It made that part of the story more i
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Jul 17, 2009
Reading Sarah
rated it: 
A sorta fairy tale.
I believe you can tell a lot about us by the stories we tell about ourselves. Tola's (whose name is from a shortened Italian Cinderella) stories are told through her art. The stories about her are told through the internet and vicious rumors spreading like wildfire through the school. No one believes her, and she's established early on as an unreliable narrator. It doesn't help that the rumors are getting her and her favorite teacher in a lot of trouble. Ther More...
I believe you can tell a lot about us by the stories we tell about ourselves. Tola's (whose name is from a shortened Italian Cinderella) stories are told through her art. The stories about her are told through the internet and vicious rumors spreading like wildfire through the school. No one believes her, and she's established early on as an unreliable narrator. It doesn't help that the rumors are getting her and her favorite teacher in a lot of trouble. Ther More...
Nov 29, 2009
Espe
rated it:
Synopsis: "If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."
High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.
But then rumors start flying a More...
High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.
But then rumors start flying a More...
Apr 01, 2010
Karen
rated it:
I can't understand why some other reviewers have given this book so few stars. I loved the voice of this novel, which reminded me of the narrator's voice in Speak but lighter, with much more humor. The humor drew me in and continually delivered. Like Speak the female teenage narrator (whose name I have now forgotten but it is another language's word for a Cinderella character) is an art student who has become an outcast at her school. She's been accused of having an affair with her art tea
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Nov 16, 2009
Nian
rated it:
Tola Riley's the kind of character I wished I could have written, but could never get down on actual paper. She's definitely quirky, witty, smart, funny, and all the things I enjoyed in a protagonist. Also, there's just this irresistible charm about her flamboyant teenage voice that makes her stand out almost as much as Poe did in Brutal.
I liked the storyline, but it didn't exactly play out to my expectations. The story basically builds up to one single revelation, and it isn't even More...
I liked the storyline, but it didn't exactly play out to my expectations. The story basically builds up to one single revelation, and it isn't even More...
Jan 17, 2010
Sara
rated it:
I picked up this book expecting to like it, since I've enjoyed the author's previous novels, but sadly, this book wasn't even good enough to finish. I think I read about half of it (skimming a lot of that). It's supposedly about the fallout after a teacher and high school student are accused of having an affair, but really the book just dragged on and on about the girl's weird personality and family; chapters were interrupted by "comments" friends and family made about her life, all
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Oct 03, 2009
Mandy
rated it:
Bad Apple was a lot lighter than I expected. It initially seemed to be about a sixteen year old student and her art teacher having an affair, but that turns out to be not quite the truth. Even when I read some of the author blurbs on the back from E. Lockhart and Libba Bray saying how "wickedly funny" this book is, I was kind of like "How will a book about such a topic be so funny?" But it was. It was totally funny.
Tola Riley is a freak at school. She's sardonic a More...
Tola Riley is a freak at school. She's sardonic a More...
Sep 11, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com
Tola Riley is, well, unique to say the least. With her green hair, nose ring, and intense love of art, it is no wonder that she is so misunderstood by her high school peers.
There is one person though who just gets her: Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. While some people might not understand this relationship, Tola is fine with it, as she is so used to being misunderstood.
When her relationship with Mr. Mymer gets blown out of pro More...
Tola Riley is, well, unique to say the least. With her green hair, nose ring, and intense love of art, it is no wonder that she is so misunderstood by her high school peers.
There is one person though who just gets her: Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. While some people might not understand this relationship, Tola is fine with it, as she is so used to being misunderstood.
When her relationship with Mr. Mymer gets blown out of pro More...
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Jan 01, 2010
Aughadan
rated it:
(Note: For me, five stars is generally reserved for the life-changing, absolute favorite type of book, and so four is about as good as anyone can hope for. I'm not 100% sure of the rating for this; I'll probably think on it some more. For now it's four, with the assurance that if 4 and a half were currently an option, that's what it would be.
This is an odd book. I have no other way to say this. The cover blurbs dinThis is an odd book. I have no other way to say this. The cover More...
This is an odd book. I have no other way to say this. The cover blurbs dinThis is an odd book. I have no other way to say this. The cover More...
Jun 04, 2011
Geebowie
rated it:
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Feb 02, 2012
linedwaters
rated it:
Bad Apple is, so far, the cleanest contemporary book I have read. That was definitely a plus.
One thing I really liked about this book was the heroine. Tola was a very strong person. I liked her determination in things. <spoiler>And despite being marked a rebel in family and in school matters, she was an emotional girl. It made her feel real and whole.</spoiler> But she didn't carelessly fight head on too. And contrary to her image, I believe that she was not stupid.
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One thing I really liked about this book was the heroine. Tola was a very strong person. I liked her determination in things. <spoiler>And despite being marked a rebel in family and in school matters, she was an emotional girl. It made her feel real and whole.</spoiler> But she didn't carelessly fight head on too. And contrary to her image, I believe that she was not stupid.
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Nov 05, 2009
Arielle
rated it:
To start off, Tola is accused of having an affair with her art teacher, Mr. Mymer. Except, that isn't the truth. Yet, no one believes her; her entire school goes ballistic over this "rumor" and Mr. Mymer ends up getting suspended from teaching and Tola cant do anything outside of school, her mother makes sure of that.
Tola is the average "weirdo" at her high school; she has a nose ring, green hair, and dresses with a unique sense of style. She is an "art More...
Aug 22, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Tola is different--she likes fairy tales, has green hair, and doesn't care what most people think of her. But when she is accused of having an indecent relationship with her art teacher, Tola acts like any other teenage girl. She reverts into herself as her vocal mother rallies the school board and press and her ex-friends brutalize her online. Tola is cyberbullied and bullied in person and doesn't step up and do something about her. Her teachers think she is lying and her mother doesn't listen.
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May 24, 2011
Cynthia
rated it:
Bad Apple you say? I say good book. I may even say this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Laura Ruby, oh how you slay me with your magnificent writing. In all honesty, I would think Ruby was a sixteen-year old girl. THAT is how good she is. Not very often do I find an author who connects so effortlessly with their characters, but I found one in Ruby. From page one I got the distinct impression that Tola Riley was sitting in front of me telling her story. I enjoyed it far more than I
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Mar 02, 2010
Sharon
rated it:
I have really enjoyed local author Laura Ruby's fiction since seeing her at ALA, and I feel like this may be one of her strongest works yet. Covering some of the same territory she did in "Good Girls," Ruby paints a picture of the extremely likable heroine Tola, who has come under fire for a suspected affair she had with her art teacher. As Tola dissects the many myths and rumors surrounding the incident and gracefully deals with being a high school outcast, she also provides witty and
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Nov 03, 2009
Ann
rated it:
Ages 12+
Another student accuses her of having an affair with her art teacher (an incident weird-girl Tola denies ever occurred). But this isn't a book about illicit relationships, more about family dynamics and the drama that comes with being her high school's resident weird girl. Sort of about cyberbullying, sort of "the things adults worry over/believe," it kept me reading quickly but never really cohered. Maybe it was the flat characters (especially the adults). A good p More...
Another student accuses her of having an affair with her art teacher (an incident weird-girl Tola denies ever occurred). But this isn't a book about illicit relationships, more about family dynamics and the drama that comes with being her high school's resident weird girl. Sort of about cyberbullying, sort of "the things adults worry over/believe," it kept me reading quickly but never really cohered. Maybe it was the flat characters (especially the adults). A good p More...
Mar 22, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
i first tried to read this while writing my dissertation on young adult novels. i gave up about 50 pages in because i couldn't get into it and i didn't have the time to try. with my dissertation done and dusted and a large amount of time on my hands, i gave it another go. still gave up 50 pages in. i couldn't connect to any of the characters and i didn't think the back and forth style between the present and the past suited this plotline. this could have been really good, but it needed more to g
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May 21, 2010
laaaaames
rated it:
Could have been a lot better. I wish I liked Tola more - or at least was more interested in her life. I was interested in the situation, but that's a different story. The fairy tale stuff was a nice motif but I think it could have been woven in more organically and not so hey-let-me-knock-you-the-eff-over-the-head-with-it.
Hated the gimmick of the comments. They didn't function the way they did - so many of those people never would have said those things, at least in a public forum an More...
Hated the gimmick of the comments. They didn't function the way they did - so many of those people never would have said those things, at least in a public forum an More...
Sep 28, 2011
Lexy
rated it:
This book is about a girl named Tola Riley who is basically an outcast. Everyone thinks of her as "the weird girl", but now they all think she's "the weird girl who has a relationship with Mr. Mymer, the art teacher". Everyone seems to spread all these rumors and add more things into them. No one is even trying to hear Tola's side of the story because they're all labeling her as a slut or a victim and trying to keep her protected from the "evil art teacher".
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Dec 09, 2010
Amber
rated it:
Dealing with any subject is difficult but especially one as controversial as a teacher and student relationship. For this reason alone, I was both interested and repulsed by Bad Apple. Then I opened the book and meet a cast of very real and unique characters and a narrator as confused and interesting as she was real. Bad Apple was a treat from page one to the last.
Tola wants someone to understand her. Living with an absentee father whom she takes after, a mentally unstable sister alway More...
Tola wants someone to understand her. Living with an absentee father whom she takes after, a mentally unstable sister alway More...
Jun 08, 2010
Dahlia
rated it:
Rating: 2.5
The only words that come to mind when reading, Bad Apple are random, bizarre, and pure craziness. The connection with the reader was always off. I could never stop to savor the goodness of this book, it was always a bad apple. Fortunately, I got at least some laughs out of it, even they weren't always fully satisfying.
Bad Apple is centered around the Life of Tola, a highschool Junior, art fanatic, and fairytale reader. Rumors of an affair between Tola and her a More...
The only words that come to mind when reading, Bad Apple are random, bizarre, and pure craziness. The connection with the reader was always off. I could never stop to savor the goodness of this book, it was always a bad apple. Fortunately, I got at least some laughs out of it, even they weren't always fully satisfying.
Bad Apple is centered around the Life of Tola, a highschool Junior, art fanatic, and fairytale reader. Rumors of an affair between Tola and her a More...
Apr 02, 2010
Cheryl
rated it:
I definately liked this book, I mean look--I got it read in a day. The last book took me over a week.
High School junior Tola has green hair and loves fairy tales. Everyone seems to think she is crazy. The only person she seems to connect with is her art teacher Mr. Mymer. She hangs out in the art room a lot.
Rumors start and everyone thinks that she and Mr. Mymer had an affair.
Tola is a very lonely person, and I feel sorry for her. Her dad is remarried to a More...
High School junior Tola has green hair and loves fairy tales. Everyone seems to think she is crazy. The only person she seems to connect with is her art teacher Mr. Mymer. She hangs out in the art room a lot.
Rumors start and everyone thinks that she and Mr. Mymer had an affair.
Tola is a very lonely person, and I feel sorry for her. Her dad is remarried to a More...
May 16, 2010
BOOK BUTTERFLY
rated it:
"If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."
Tola Riley loves the fairy tales of Brother's Grimm. Fairy tales are a great escape from real life, and when you're someone like Tola, you need all the help you can get. With her green hair, unusual attire and pierced nose, Tola is used to being the outcast. But life goes from bad to worse when rumors of a teacher-student affair begin to grow and undulate throughout her high schoo More...
Tola Riley loves the fairy tales of Brother's Grimm. Fairy tales are a great escape from real life, and when you're someone like Tola, you need all the help you can get. With her green hair, unusual attire and pierced nose, Tola is used to being the outcast. But life goes from bad to worse when rumors of a teacher-student affair begin to grow and undulate throughout her high schoo More...
Oct 04, 2009
Alea
rated it:
Bad Apple has a perfectly weird sense of humor. For me it just worked. From Tola insisting on referring to her sister Tiffany as Madge to "Madge" being somewhat of a strange character herself. It really just worked for me, the author created a sassy, quirky, and awesome main character in Tola and a handful of other oddballs in the secondary characters.
I really liked the plot as well. Did something inappropriate happen between Tola and her art teacher or did someone lie or b More...
I really liked the plot as well. Did something inappropriate happen between Tola and her art teacher or did someone lie or b More...
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