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Tru Untrue: a novel
He's the city kid seeking a new start in the 'burbs. Instead, he makes an adversary of his new teacher and becomes the class clown. She's the quiet kid in his new class with major family issues. A partner project brings them together, but secrets could tear their lives apart.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2020
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9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 7, 2020
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for a short, but powerful read, look no further than this tiny gem of a book—and check out the GORGEOUS cover art, done by the author’s daughter. It’s perfect for fans of realistic non-fiction who enjoy stories about identity, family, and social issues (including race, justice, education, LGBTQ+). And bonus: #ownvoices !
The author’s strong voice is poetic and mesmerizing (the poems that are sprinkled throughout the text are creative and thought-provoking). The author has a keen eye for small details and a gift for metaphor, but besides the strong prose, what made me fall in love with the book were the characters.
Nell and Tru seem to leap off the pages, they are SO real. I feel like I know them. They are complex and nuanced; best of all, their development throughout the actions of the book builds some poignant themes about finding your voice, what makes you uniquely you, (“your special spark”), and not letting others define you. Tru, in particular, resonated with me and tugged on my heart; he reminded me of so many students I’ve taught in the course of my career, especially students of color, the ones the world wants to pigeonhole into a stereotype. I think all readers will be able to empathize and identify with Tru and Nell. I know I did.
Even minor characters, such as classmates, parents, and even the judgmental teacher, Ms. Yashar, reminded me vividly of people I have known or know now. Having worked as an educator for virtually all of my professional life, I can tell you this book has vermisilitude in spades. Reading this book took me literally right back into the classroom (I am now a librarian). In fact, I actually DREAMED I was back in the classroom one night when I was reading this!
Overall, I LOVED the character development, and, without giving away any spoilers, I feel like the trajectory of the plot was markedly realistic. I took away one star only because I wanted a little more resolution for some of the conflicts that had amplified suspense in the book, but overall I felt the lack of resolution of certain conflicts WAS realistic; everything doesn’t wrap up simply and neatly in real life, either.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that this is a self-published work; I can count on one hand the number of self-published ARCs I have both read completely (without abandoning them in despair), let alone read and recommended. I’m not a snob, but typically self-published/vanity works tend to have issues; Tru Untrue breaks the mold. It is the rare self-published work that stands out and is well done. I’ve been told that the author chose to self-publish because she wanted to have complete artistic control, and after reading it, I think she made the right choice. A lot of publishing today pushes authors to focus on something in a specific way that makes it more marketable; this book is free of that influence and it shows. Best of all, this is consistent with the books core themes. There is an authenticity and honesty here that we need more of in YA.
Either way, this self-published work stands on its own merits; it a short and wonderful read—even your reluctant readers will go for this one. I think so many students will be able to identify and empathize with the characters and the situations they experience. I will be ordering copies for our library! Highly recommend.
❤️
If you are looking for a short, but powerful read, look no further than this tiny gem of a book—and check out the GORGEOUS cover art, done by the author’s daughter. It’s perfect for fans of realistic non-fiction who enjoy stories about identity, family, and social issues (including race, justice, education, LGBTQ+). And bonus: #ownvoices !
The author’s strong voice is poetic and mesmerizing (the poems that are sprinkled throughout the text are creative and thought-provoking). The author has a keen eye for small details and a gift for metaphor, but besides the strong prose, what made me fall in love with the book were the characters.
Nell and Tru seem to leap off the pages, they are SO real. I feel like I know them. They are complex and nuanced; best of all, their development throughout the actions of the book builds some poignant themes about finding your voice, what makes you uniquely you, (“your special spark”), and not letting others define you. Tru, in particular, resonated with me and tugged on my heart; he reminded me of so many students I’ve taught in the course of my career, especially students of color, the ones the world wants to pigeonhole into a stereotype. I think all readers will be able to empathize and identify with Tru and Nell. I know I did.
Even minor characters, such as classmates, parents, and even the judgmental teacher, Ms. Yashar, reminded me vividly of people I have known or know now. Having worked as an educator for virtually all of my professional life, I can tell you this book has vermisilitude in spades. Reading this book took me literally right back into the classroom (I am now a librarian). In fact, I actually DREAMED I was back in the classroom one night when I was reading this!
Overall, I LOVED the character development, and, without giving away any spoilers, I feel like the trajectory of the plot was markedly realistic. I took away one star only because I wanted a little more resolution for some of the conflicts that had amplified suspense in the book, but overall I felt the lack of resolution of certain conflicts WAS realistic; everything doesn’t wrap up simply and neatly in real life, either.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that this is a self-published work; I can count on one hand the number of self-published ARCs I have both read completely (without abandoning them in despair), let alone read and recommended. I’m not a snob, but typically self-published/vanity works tend to have issues; Tru Untrue breaks the mold. It is the rare self-published work that stands out and is well done. I’ve been told that the author chose to self-publish because she wanted to have complete artistic control, and after reading it, I think she made the right choice. A lot of publishing today pushes authors to focus on something in a specific way that makes it more marketable; this book is free of that influence and it shows. Best of all, this is consistent with the books core themes. There is an authenticity and honesty here that we need more of in YA.
Either way, this self-published work stands on its own merits; it a short and wonderful read—even your reluctant readers will go for this one. I think so many students will be able to identify and empathize with the characters and the situations they experience. I will be ordering copies for our library! Highly recommend.
❤️
March 20, 2020
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Tru Untrue
Author: Rachelle Jones Smith
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 15 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
8 thought the cover was good or excellent.
14 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘This is a brilliant book. Although I think it was too short for YA, I loved the two central characters. They were all mixed up and felt very real. Also, I know what it like not to get on with a teacher and I thought the author described that part well. The cover looks okay but it didn’t grab me.’ Female reader, aged 15
‘This author is a good writer. She knows how to keep the reader interested by giving them complex characters and a long list of problems to sort out. Although I was a little overwhelmed midway through, I thought the ending was excellent and helped me to understand the novel. My favourite character was Tru. I really felt for him and how badly he was stereotyped by authority.’ Female reader, aged 16
‘A little too sentimental for me but I think the author’s excellent at writing characters. I finished the book which, as it’s not full of monsters, shows it’s pretty good. I think possibly girls will enjoy this more than boys. I’d recommend it to 13 – 16 year olds.’ Male reader, aged 15
‘I would happily read a sequel to this.’ Girl, aged 13
To Sum It Up:
‘A complex, character-led drama. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Tru Untrue
Author: Rachelle Jones Smith
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 15 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
8 thought the cover was good or excellent.
14 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘This is a brilliant book. Although I think it was too short for YA, I loved the two central characters. They were all mixed up and felt very real. Also, I know what it like not to get on with a teacher and I thought the author described that part well. The cover looks okay but it didn’t grab me.’ Female reader, aged 15
‘This author is a good writer. She knows how to keep the reader interested by giving them complex characters and a long list of problems to sort out. Although I was a little overwhelmed midway through, I thought the ending was excellent and helped me to understand the novel. My favourite character was Tru. I really felt for him and how badly he was stereotyped by authority.’ Female reader, aged 16
‘A little too sentimental for me but I think the author’s excellent at writing characters. I finished the book which, as it’s not full of monsters, shows it’s pretty good. I think possibly girls will enjoy this more than boys. I’d recommend it to 13 – 16 year olds.’ Male reader, aged 15
‘I would happily read a sequel to this.’ Girl, aged 13
To Sum It Up:
‘A complex, character-led drama. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
September 9, 2020
We are proud to announce that TRU UNTRUE by Rachelle Jones Smith is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews