The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney (Devon Delaney, #1) by Lauren Barnholdt

Apr 22, 2013 Patricia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ugh. I did NOT like this book. Each page filled me with anxiety. I read it because my 10-year-old daughter LOVED it and wanted to share it with me, but I despaired for my daughter as I read it. After I finished it, we had a good, long chat about it, and I feel much better and more at ease.

This is the story of Devon Delaney whose parents were having a rough patch the summer before her 8th grade year at middle school. Mom and Dad sent Devon and her sister to stay with Grandma for the summer, while...more

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May 31, 2012 Hannah S added it

In the book, The secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, Devon is a mousy middle school girl with one best friend and a wacky family. Then, while spending last summer with her grandmother, she made a new friend, Lexi, and presented herself as a completely different person. She wore lip gloss, boasted of her popularity and cute boyfriend, and adopted the nickname “Devi.” (Barnholdt 41) The book opens on the first day of school. Lexi has now transferred to Devon’s school, and Devon m...more In the book, The secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, Devon is a mousy middle school girl with one best friend and a wacky family. Then, while spending last summer with her grandmother, she made a new friend, Lexi, and presented herself as a completely different person. She wore lip gloss, boasted of her popularity and cute boyfriend, and adopted the nickname “Devi.” (Barnholdt 41) The book opens on the first day of school. Lexi has now transferred to Devon’s school, and Devon must come clean or risk embarrassing herself further. Of course, things become much more complicated before resolving into happiness for all. The story has a familiar pattern of a girl owning up to mistakes and learning an important lesson: lying is bad. But the plot takes some unexpected twists getting there. Clothes and hairstyles are described in painstaking detail, with brand names and stores listed. Friendship is expressed through buying matching cashmere sweaters and belts. Devon’s first-person narration is filled with contemporary adolescent chatter. Its fast pace, simple dialogue, and vivid visual descriptions make it an appealing choice for reluctant readers.
The secret Identity of Devon Delaney is a fun, fast-paced book. It does a nice job of contrasting the lives and interactions of the “popular crowd” (Barnholdt 37) at Devon’s school with those of the not-so-popular kids. Devon and her best friend, Melissa, are not exactly riding the top rung of the social ladder, and its amusing to read how Lexi, the new girl, shows up at school and slides seamlessly in with the A-list crew. Devon is stunned by the ease with which her new friend does that. It’s something Devon had dreamed of doing, but never knew where to start. I enjoyed this book and was satisfied by the ending, but by about mid-way through the story, I wanted to scream at Devon. She kept burying herself deeper and deeper in lies in order to keep her initial falsehoods concealed. If she had simply admitted to Lexi what had happened in the first place, everything would have been fine. But things just went from bad to worse, with Devon's decisions getting more and more ridiculous as time went on. That was my biggest complaint about the book, although perhaps making the reader scream with frustration was intentional on the author's part. It helps show how even one little lie can spin out of control.
I would give this book a 4 stares out of 5 stares rating because sometimes I got a little annoyed with the author. She kept making the things going on worse and worse for Devon. I would recommend this book to girls readers between the ages 9 through 13. I highly recommend it for that audience, especially for readers who enjoy a funny story that reminds us about how important it is to stay true to who we are. Over all I thought it was funny fast moving book that remind me to always be myself. (less)

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Jun 06, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt is a fiction book about a girl, Devon Delaney, who tells lots of lies. This all started when Devon was living with her grandmother for the summer and she accidently told her “summer friend”, Lexi, that she was really popular back home and dating Jared Bentley, the most popular guy at school. Devon didn’t think that anything bad would happen if she tells those lies, but she’s wrong. Lexi moved to Devon’s town and went to her school. Devon k...more

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May 01, 2011 Sarah K rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney
Did you ever tell a lie that you thought was so little that you think it wouldn't cause a stir? Well, in the book "The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney" by Lauren Barnholdt, the main character Devon Delaney told a "white lie" during the summer to a new friend she made. However that itsey, bitsey, teeny, weeny lie DESTROYED Devon's life at school...
One Summer day, Devon and her sister was told from their parent's that they were thinking about seperating. Devo...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Francesca rated it 5 of 5 stars

“I mean how lucky am I knowing one of the most popular girls at my new school before I even start?” This quote shows Lexi’s personality. Lexi thinks Devon {main character}, is popular, however, Devon is not popular. She lies to try to be cool and liked but she creates many problems for herself. Devon’s friends also started disliking her because she keeps lying to them. Devon realizes that she should not lie, and she should be herself. Will Lexi and Melody forgive Devon or is it too late?
There ar...more “I mean how lucky am I knowing one of the most popular girls at my new school before I even start?” This quote shows Lexi’s personality. Lexi thinks Devon {main character}, is popular, however, Devon is not popular. She lies to try to be cool and liked but she creates many problems for herself. Devon’s friends also started disliking her because she keeps lying to them. Devon realizes that she should not lie, and she should be herself. Will Lexi and Melody forgive Devon or is it too late?
There are three main characters in this story (Lexi, Devon, and Melody). Lexi is a new girl who was popular at her old school, and knew Devon from summer camp. Devon is a girl who tells a lot of lies, and knows Lexi because she went to summer camp with her. Melody is Devon’s best friend. Devon and Lexi hang out with the in crowd at the mall but at school Lexi hangs out with the in crowd, and Devon tries to fit in. Devon is a selfish and self-centered which gets her into problems that she cannot get herself out of. Devon continues to lie but soon she feels guilty about lying, and tries to fix her mistakes.
There are two themes to this book. One is don’t lie, and the other is be yourself. Devon has a hard time not lying. She is a nice person but because she wants to be popular she forgets who really cares about her {Melody, her best friend}. Devon just wants to be like her friend Lexi who is pretty, wears cute clothes and everyone has a crush on her. Lauren Barnholdt, the author of this book uses good imagery to make the characters come to life.
Lauren Barnholdt the wonderful author of this amazing book grew up in Syracuse, New York. When Lauren is not writing books, she is watching television, playing Dance Dance Revolution, or reading. The style of this book is lying, and trying to be popular. The point of view is first person because when the author is talking about the characters she says I.
I would recommend this book for people ages ten to fourteen-years-old. Also, if you are in middle school then some topics in the book will make more sense to you. This book is also very life changing, and very inspirational! When reading this book you the reader should put yourself in the place of all the characters and try to understand how they felt. I am sure that every middle school student can relate themselves to at least one character in the book. This will help you become more interested in the book.
I hope you have learned a lot about The Secret Identity of Devon Delany. I also hope you will read this book! I know that you will love this book, and will not be able to stop reading it. This book is very interesting. A lot of things that happen in this book could happen in real life. If you the reader want to learn more about this book then you have to read it!

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Dec 04, 2009 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Review by: Ashley
Devon Delaney leads two lives in the realistic fiction novel, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney. Sneaker and hoodie-wearing Devon gets a huge suprise when her BFF over the summer, Lexi, gets transferred to her school; which is great, except for the fact that Lexi thinks Devon is really a popular girl, with a gorgeous boyfreind. As Devon makes a desperate attempt to hang out with the populars, she gets more and more...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Nadia Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

The secret identity of Devon Delaney is a novel written by Lauren Barnholdt. It is the first book in the Devon Delaney series. This novel is about Devon Delaney a girl who has karma with her. It all started when she was living with her grandmother for the summer and she lied to her summer friend called Lexi that she was dating the most popular guy in her school called Jared. When Lexi moved to Devon’s school the karma passed to Devon.

Devon was partnered up with Luke who was Jared’s best friend....more The secret identity of Devon Delaney is a novel written by Lauren Barnholdt. It is the first book in the Devon Delaney series. This novel is about Devon Delaney a girl who has karma with her. It all started when she was living with her grandmother for the summer and she lied to her summer friend called Lexi that she was dating the most popular guy in her school called Jared. When Lexi moved to Devon’s school the karma passed to Devon.

Devon was partnered up with Luke who was Jared’s best friend. Since Devon was partnered up with Luke that meant Devon tended to hang out a lot with Luke and his friends who are Jared, Kim and Lexi. This caused Devon and Mel’s friendship drift apart. When Lexi accidentally told Kim about Devon dating Jared (which was not actually true), Kim started being mean to Devon.

One of my favourite parts of the book is when Devon said sorry to Mel. Devon went to Mel’s house and apologized. She told Mel why she hadn’t told her what had happened to her in the summer. She told Mel that she had to stay in her grandma’s house just incase her parents were going to get a divorce. Devon told Mel that she hadn’t told her not because Lexi was a better friend but because Devon didn’t want people feeling sorry for her. She just had to get away so she lied to Lexi about having a hot boyfriend and popular.(252) Since they forgave each other they talked about Brent who Mel liked and they were friends again. I really like this part because true friendship should not break up so it's really good that Devon and Lexi became friends again.

At the end of the book Luke talked to Devon about their project. But when Devon was going to go away Luke said that he talked to Lexi in the morning and said that actually that Devon had a crush on Jared last year but this year she liked Luke more than she did last year. When Luke knew that Devon had a crush on Jared he was sad but since he came to know that Devon liked him he felt bad that he had ignored her. Luke kissed Devon in the end. (262)

I recommend this book to pre teens and upwards because it’s all about crushes and kissing. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about crushes and loving people.

I rated this book 5 stars it gives a lot of details on how the characters are feeling.
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Jul 20, 2009 Parisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens_middle-readers, year-2009, borrowed

I was strolling the Barnes & Noble Young Readers section for a book to read when I saw THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY. The cover intrigued me (I am all about judging books by covers) so I settled down next to the shelves and began reading.

THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY is about a girl named Devon who can't stop lying. It all started with a summer vacation at her Grandma's house where she made friends with a girl named Lexi and told Lexi that she was popular and dated the most po...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Vina Crystelline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, read-in-2011, reviewed, teenlit, 4-stars

Pelajaran yang aku dapat dari buku ini, sekecil apapun kita berbohong dan sesepele apapun masalahnya, suatu saat kita pasti akan kena batunya.. Demi menutupi kebohongan kecil tsb, akan tercipta lagi kebohongan-kebohongan kecil lainnya yang pada akhirnya akan menjadi satu masalah besar.

Seperti tokoh Deavon yang pada awalnya 'hanya' berbohong sedikit pada Lexi, teman musim panasnya. Dia mengaku kalau dia gadis terpopuler dan dia berpacaran dg Jared, cowok paling populer disekolahnya. Semuanya ber...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars

So. The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney, was, lets just say one of my FAVOURITE books from all time. This book is about your 13 (12?) year old girl who goes through Grade Seven with problems. I personally don't think the age group had fit perfectly but getting back to the point...
Devon had spent her summer at her grand mothers house due to some parent problems. During her time there she met Lexi; cool, pretty, and also Devons bff during the summer. Devon lied to her, thinking she would never se...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Karina Lang rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Day: Thurs. 17
Time: 2hours 30min
Pages: 159-182,190-242

Kim tells Devon she knows she lied to Lexi. When luke walks Devon home, he holds her hand. On monday, Luke holds Devon's hand again, but she lets go because she is supposed to be Jared's girlfriend. When Luke asks her out, she says she has to babysit Katie. Mel gets mad and Devon because she didn't talk to her about everything that is going on with Luke. At lunch, Devon drags Lexi so nobody can hear them and tells her Jared broke up with her...more Day: Thurs. 17
Time: 2hours 30min
Pages: 159-182,190-242

Kim tells Devon she knows she lied to Lexi. When luke walks Devon home, he holds her hand. On monday, Luke holds Devon's hand again, but she lets go because she is supposed to be Jared's girlfriend. When Luke asks her out, she says she has to babysit Katie. Mel gets mad and Devon because she didn't talk to her about everything that is going on with Luke. At lunch, Devon drags Lexi so nobody can hear them and tells her Jared broke up with her by IM (instant messaging). Lexi got really mad with Jared. Then, Lexi leaves the bathroom and Kim comes in. She tells Devon she knows that Luke likes her and if Devon goes out with him, she will tell everyone the truth. Devon goes to the library and tells Mel what just happened. Mel gives her some advice and Devon goes back to the cafeteria. She asks Lexi if Kim likes Luke, but Lexi doesn't know. She tells Devon she can ask Kim. Then Lexi tells her that Matt O'Connor and her went to play DDR and he had been very sweet and kind with her. When Jared comes to talk to Devon, Lexi throws a mean look to Jared when she is leaving. Then Jared tells Devon that he is going to tell Lexi he likes her because being mean to her is not working, and Lexi and Matt like each other. Devon says he can't do that, that she will ask Lexi what he thinks about him. Luke comes to Devon's house that night. He asks her if she said she said she couldn't hang out because she actually had to babysit Katie or because she doesn't want to hang out. The phone rings and saves Devon from having to respond his question. Its Mel, but she gets mad at Devi and hangs up. Luke tells her not to worry, that her and Mel will work it out. Then the phone rings again. This time its Lexi. She asls Devon if she wants to go to the mall tomorrow so she can get a haircut just like Devon's. Then she tells Devi that Matt has not IMd her, and he said he would. When they hang up, Devi turns around and her mom is in the kitchen; she doesn't look happy. After she sends Luke home, she tells Devon that she is grounded for two weeks from the computer, telephone and going out, since she is not allowed to have people, especially boys at home when she is alone with Katie. The next day, Mel doesn't come to school, and Matt is flirting with Kayleigh Trusco. Devon lies to her mom and says she is going to stay after school to make ups a test, but she is actually going to the mall with Lexi. They buy new matching sweaters and then Lexi gets her hair done just like Devon's. She tells Devi that Matt kissed her the other day by the busses. Then she tells her that she talked to Jared and he was very sweet to her. Jared said that Matt moves from girl to girl, and that Kim goes after guys she thinks other people like. When they are leaving, Lexi sees Matt and Kim holding hands. In the car, they talk about that; Lexi is very mad. Then they get to Devon's house and drop her off. The next day, Devi waits at Mel's locker. When Mel gets there, she tells Devon she is mad because she didn't tell her that she spent summer with her grandma because her parents were thinking of getting a divorce. Then she walks away, mad. At lunch, Luke sits down next to Devon. He asks her if after they finished the project they can go watch a movie. Devon lies because Kim is hearing, even though she does want to go. She tells Luke that her mom doesn't really let her date, but then Luke sees at the top of the social studies notes page it says DEVON LOVES JARED FOREVER. Devon had written it one time during lunch, to convince Lexi that she loved Jared forever, but she had meant to cross it out. When she got home, her mom got mad at her because she found the receipt of the sweater and the belt. She sent Devon to her room. The next day, Lexi comes crying to Devon because Kim is telling everyone that Lexi went after Matt because she knew Kim liked him. Then Kim comes holding hands with Matt. Matt kisses her in the cheek and leaves. Kim asks Lexi if she wants to hang out after school, but Lexi is very mad and tells her that she can't pretend like nothing happened when she stole her boyfriend. Then Kim tells Lexi that she should actually be mad at Devon, and Lexi gets confused. Kim tells everybody the truth. When Devi goest to Jared's house to film the social studies project, nobody talks to her. At school, nobody talks to her either. When she gets home, Katie tells her she has to apologize and everything will be fine.

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Mar 19, 2012 Eden Shraiberg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade

I read this book 3rd Quarter.

I thought this book was good but not AMAZING. I enjoyed the story and plot very much. I thought the book was a really good length because it is almost 300 pages but it doesn't drown the story on and on, where I just want to finish the book already.

This book was about a girl named Devon, who over the summer goes to live with her grandmother. While she was there Devon hung out with a girl named Lexie. Devon told Lexie that she was really popular and had a boyfriend at...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Jubilee Aba rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt is a very dramatic and love story about this girl name Devon who lies her way through the popularity crowd. Devon lied to her friend Lexi that she was dating this popular guy named Jared and that she was the popular girl in her whole school. But when Lexi moves to her school her whole world was about to calpse. When Devon was put to be partners with Luke she notice she was starting to have feeling for him knowing that Luke is best friends...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Dapantalone rated it 5 of 5 stars

One girl, two lives... what could go wrong? Well, Devon Delaney is probably one of the world's biggest liars. When Devon goes to spend the summer with her grandparents, she makes a friend named Lexi. Devon tries to impress her by claiming that she has a gorgeous boyfriend and is really popular. When Lexi transfers to Devon's school the lying begins. Devon's "boyfriend" ,Jared, begins to develop a crush on Lexi, who likes hime too, except for the fact that Lexi thinks he is "off limits". Can Devo...more

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May 26, 2010 Mr rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 30, 2012 Claire Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Devon Delany has gotten herself in to quite a fib. Last summer she told her friend Lexi that she was dating Jared, the most popular guy in the entire school. Lexi moves to her school and she keeps lying to keep her friends and her reputation, later she becomes more popular and popular because of her lies. She starts disliking Jared and becomes more interested in the nice guy called ‘Luke’ especially when Jared accidentally insults her and Jared starts liking Lexi. Her ‘friend’ Kim, tells everyo...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Annie added it

This book has a protagonist Devon Delaney. She moved to her grandmothers house over the summer because of her parents fighting. She met this girl there and thought she would never see her again so Devon told her some lies. For example she said she was in a relationship with the popularist boy in school, and another one was she was in the popular crowd at school which she never talked to them at all. When Devon moves back in with her parents and then it was time for the new school year but who d...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Jazmine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I chose this book, "The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney" because it sounded mysterious after reading the title. In this book, Devon tells a summer friend of hers a small lie, but then was standing in front of Devon's class. Devon starts to lose friends from her harmless lies that she started. One of my favorite quote is when Devon's friend, Lexi, tells her "If you risk nothing, you risk even more" because she is encouraging Devon to talk to a guy that she lied to but liked. I think the author's...more

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Mar 02, 2010 Jodysegal rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: tweens

Shelves: middle-school, realistic-fiction, romance, tweens, psc

2.5 When Devon discovers that the girl she pretended to be last summer is about to come crashing into her real life, she does the same thing she did all summer long: she lies. She lies about being part of the popular crowd and lies about secretly dating the school's hottest boy, and then she lies some more, to everyone- including her parents, best friend and new friend, just to keep all her lies afloat. Will anyone want to be Devon's friend anymore, when all her lies catch up to her? How can she...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Kaylee rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Savannah

It was a good book, except the point that it said stuff like O My gosh minus the gosh. A girl (devon) goes on a summer vacation and tells her vaca bff that she was dating the most popular guy in school (lie) and that she's totally part of the A-list group (complete lie). She thought these were just little white lies that wouldn't matter, until her summer bff, Lexi, showed up in front of her math class, having just moved there. Devon (now known as Devi to the A-list and Lexi) is torn between tell...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids, middleschoolers, willing-to-trade

Summary from Goodreads:

Mom says karma always comes around to get you, and I guess it's true. Because last summer I was a total liar, and now, right in the middle of Mr. Pritchard's third-period math class, my whole world is about to come crashing down.

That's because while Devon was living with her grandmother for the summer, she told her "summer friend," Lexi, that she was really popular back home and dating Jared Bentley, only the most popular guy at school. Harmless lies, right? Wrong. Not whe...more Summary from Goodreads:

Mom says karma always comes around to get you, and I guess it's true. Because last summer I was a total liar, and now, right in the middle of Mr. Pritchard's third-period math class, my whole world is about to come crashing down.

That's because while Devon was living with her grandmother for the summer, she told her "summer friend," Lexi, that she was really popular back home and dating Jared Bentley, only the most popular guy at school. Harmless lies, right? Wrong. Not when Lexi is standing at the front of Devon's class, having just moved to Devon's town. Uh-oh.

Devon knows there's only one way to handle this — she'll just have to become popular! But how is Devon supposed to accomplish that when she's never even talked to Jared, much less dated him?! And it seems the more Devon tries to keep up her "image," the more things go wrong. Her family thinks she's nuts, her best friend won't speak to her, and, as if it's not all complicated enough, Jared starts crushing on Lexi and Devon starts crushing on Jared's best friend, Luke. It all has Devon wondering — who is the real Devon Delaney?

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This isn't a new book. I realize that. But since I am new to book blogging, I have had to go back quite a few years to find books I've wanted to read. Which is part of the reason I have almost 1300 books on my TBR list. This one was published in 2007. And it really was a very fun read. It's definitely a tween/middle-grade novel, and I didn't really know that until I started reading, and at that point I sighed and was disappointed. I decided to forge ahead anyway. I've got no problem reading fantasy middle-grade novels like Harry Potter and Fablehaven, but this was realistic fiction and I honestly felt pretty stupid reading about middle-schoolers with crushes. I debated whether I was going to review this one or not. But since it was such a quick read I figured, what the heck? Might as well. I read it in less than a day. And I'm pretty sure that none of you will read it anyway. But that's okay. I got it for 99 cents from Alibris and it was money well spent because I enjoyed it.

I can honestly tell you that middle-school was never like this for me. If it had, my life would have been a whole lot easier. Middle-schoolers can be the cruelest kids on the planet and my 6,7, and 8th grade years were my worst of my childhood. But this isn't about me. This is about Devon Delaney and how much of a screw-up she is. And wow, is she ever.

At first, I kind of understood why she lied to Lexi the way she did. Lexi was her summer friend and after summer was over, she thought she would never see her again. Lo and behold, this did not happen. But no surprise there, we wouldn't have had a story to read otherwise. Lexi shows up at Devon's school as a student and then things go from bad to worse as Devon tries to lie her way out of every situation instead of telling the truth. She ends up alienating practically everyone and of course, everything is resolved and the book ends happily. There are no surprises here. It's a tween book all wrapped up in a little perfect package with a pretty bow. And that's okay. There's plenty of realistic-life books out there for pre-teens to read. I won't remember it forever, and I probably won't ever read it again. But it was a fun and easy read. It just wasn't memorable. And it's funny, but I never remember being this interested in boys in middle-school. I had crushes, sure, but my life certainly didn't revolve around boys. My time was spent just trying to find ways to stay alive. So maybe that's why I can't relate so much. There was a little bit of a disconnect for me. But I do enjoy reading books like this. They are a good escape from time to time. Anyway, that's all I got. Pick it up if you want, but don't buy it from Amazon. Get it from Alibris. Much cheaper.(less)

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Jun 08, 2010 Ms. Patterson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recently, I was discussing YA fiction with an acquaintance and we ended up talking about the "big lie." You know, how the teen tells what he/she thinks is a tiny white lie to make life easier in the short run, but ends up causing a whole lot of trouble in the long run? Well, THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY is one of *those* stories.

Devon is staying with her grandmother for the summer, and while there, meets a fabulous new friend, Lexi. In order to get Lexi to like her better, Devon makes up...more

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Oct 24, 2008 Paige rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Can Be Funny. Very suspenseful. Girls especially!...also crushes/falling in love....

Recommended to Paige by: Got it at our school book fair

This book was really great!! It's about how Carma always comes to get you when you lie.Can be funny at times...
It's about a girl named Devon who had to live with her Gramma in the summer because her parents were angry with each other and they needed time to themselves to sort out their problems. She made a friend there named Lexi and Devon lied to her and told her that at her school she was the most popular girl in the whole school and that she was going out with Jared the most popular and hotte...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

What happens at your grandma's house, stays at your grandma's house, right? Well, that's what Devon Delaney thought when she spent the summer before seventh grade away at her grandmother's. She figured there would be no harm in telling her new summer friend, Lexi, that back home she was popular and dating the coolest guy in school. After all, Lexi lived far away and would never know the truth. Plus, it gave Devon the chance to spend two whole mo...more Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

What happens at your grandma's house, stays at your grandma's house, right? Well, that's what Devon Delaney thought when she spent the summer before seventh grade away at her grandmother's. She figured there would be no harm in telling her new summer friend, Lexi, that back home she was popular and dating the coolest guy in school. After all, Lexi lived far away and would never know the truth. Plus, it gave Devon the chance to spend two whole months living out the fantasy of being part of the A-list crowd, calling herself "Devi" and wearing lots of cute new clothes.

But Devon's real life comes crashing down the following school year when Lexi moves to town unexpectedly. Devon knows she has to come clean and confess to Lexi, but she keeps putting it off. In order to keep Lexi from finding out the truth, Devon has to pretend to be the popular "Devi" and make up even more lies to explain why she barely speaks to her gorgeous "boyfriend," Jared. Meanwhile, Devon's real-life best friend, Melissa, is getting fed up with Devon spending all of her time with the new girl, Lexi. Is it possible that Devon is trying so hard to be popular that she'll end up with no friends at all?

THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY is a fun, fast-paced book. It does a nice job of contrasting the lives and interactions of the "popular crowd" at Devon's school with those of the not-so-popular kids. Devon and her best friend, Melissa, are not exactly riding the top rung of the social ladder, and it's amusing to read how Lexi, the new girl, shows up at school and slides seamlessly in with the A-list crew. Devon is stunned by the ease with which her new friend does that. It's something Devon had dreamed of doing, but never knew where to start.

I enjoyed this book and was satisfied by the ending, but by about mid-way through the story, I wanted to scream at Devon. She kept burying herself deeper and deeper in lies in order to keep her initial falsehoods concealed. If she had simply admitted to Lexi what had happened in the first place, everything would have been fine. But things just went from bad to worse, with Devon's decisions getting more and more ridiculous as time went on. That was my biggest complaint about the book, although perhaps making the reader scream with frustration was intentional on the author's part. It helps show how even one little lie can spin out of control.

Finally, THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY seems like it would appeal primarily to girl readers, and the book cover says it's geared to readers ages 9 through 13, which seems about right. I highly recommend it for that audience, especially for readers who enjoy a funny story that reminds us about how important it is to stay true to who we are. (less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Klaudias6 rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book stood out to me and just as I read it, the same thought came to mind ---- Wow! This book is amazing! ---- It really grabbed my attention and sucked me in... This book also helped me with a similar problem I had. It is great!

In Lauren Branholdt's Four Truths and a Lie, the character was in a similar situation, but quite a different one too! Although they had similar conflicts, they both rang out to me. I would recommend this book to a realistic fiction lover. :)

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Apr 18, 2010 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book it has middle school drama ! Devon has told a lie about her so called popular boyfriend who may come to her school. She even lied her way into the in crowd or popular people clique!Just goes to show you karma can come back to haunt you! What comes around goes around like devon's lie.Most teen girls can relate everyone wants to fit in and be the popular girl. This was fun read and it makes me excited to read the sequel devon delancy should know better!

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Oct 13, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile

This was a very cute tween read- not the best I've read but entertaining. Devon has told a horrible lie: she's claimed to be popular and dating a really popular boy to a new summer friend. And then the summer friend ends up at her school. Devon has the choice of letting the friend know she lied or trying to cover up her lie. She pretends to be popular and she even pretends to be dating the popular boy. Will she be successful or will it all backfire?

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Dec 19, 2012 Cierrab6 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Started reading the book, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney because I saw the cover of it and wanted to read it and see if I would like it. It turned out I didn't really like it. And it wasn't as interesting as I thought. In the book the girl named Devon came back to school after summer break and her old friend moved by her school and was on her school now. Devon doesn't like her anymore and wasn't hoping she would forget her but she didn't.

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Mar 15, 2009 Carter rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 01, 2009 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, girl-stuff, teen-romance

This is a book I would recommend to any girly/semi-girly teenager who just has no idea what to read next. Devon completely changes her identity and has to face the problems that go with it. This book teaches you not to lie, and shows you how important it is to find your true self...and be that true self! An amazing book that is truly hilarious and shows the ups and downs of every friendship!

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/811192.The_Secret_Identity_of_Devon_Delaney?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348285452l/811192.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/811192.The_Secret_Identity_of_Devon_Delaney?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt[/url]

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney (Devon Delaney, #1)

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The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney (Devon Delaney, #1)

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