The Book of One Hundred Truths

by Julie Schumacher

"I should probably mention something right now before this story goes any my name is Theodora Grumman, and I am a liar."

It's hard for Thea to write four truths a day in the notebook her mother gave her for the summer. Especially when her grandparents' house on the Jersey Shore is even more packed with family than usual, and her cousin Jocelyn wont leave her alone. Jocelyn just might be the world's neatest and nosiest seven-year-old, and she wants to know what's in Thea's notebook. But Thea won't tell anyone about the secret she has promised to keep--or how she lost her best friend (Truth #12), whose name was Gwen.

Now Thea has to babysit in the afternoons, and all Jocelyn wants to do is spy on people. Neither of them expect to see Aunt Ellen and Aunt Celia at the boardwalk in the middle of the day, or for their aunts to lie and insist they were at work. Could it be Thea's not the only one in the family keeping secrets this summer?

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Friendship

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2006

About the author

JULIE SCHUMACHER grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Oberlin College and Cornell University, where she earned her MFA. Her first novel, The Body Is Water, was published by Soho Press in 1995 and was an ALA Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her 2014 novel, Dear Committee Members, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor; she is the first woman to have been so honored. She lives in St. Paul and is a faculty member in the Creative Writing Program and the Department of English at the University of Minnesota.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid middle-grade story about a girl who has a secret... I thought the secret part was a bit anticlimactic - it was built up to be a big deal, but ended up not. In the main story, Thea goes to her grandparents' for a summer visit, and finds her aunts acting strangely. She and her younger cousin, Jocelyn, decide to try to find out what the aunts are plotting.

The side story, the "one hundred truths", happens because a while back, Thea suddenly became a liar for reasons unknown to her parents. Her mother presents her with a notebook as she's leaving for her trip, suggesting she write down four truths every day. It is through these truths that Thea eventually tells the story of what happened to her that turned her into a liar.

[Sharono Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading smaller books specifically because, as a writer, I know it is so much more of a challenge to tell a story of depth with fewer words. Not all smaller books are successful, though. Many books, especially those written for kids, sacrifice character development and most lose sight of emotional nuances in the small moments.

This book is not one of those books. The characters are fully realized, each moment is a perfect, poignantly realized morsel to savor. Having grown up on the coast, I could almost smell the sea water, feel the breeze on my face, the coolness of the sand beneath the surface on the soles of my feet. I could also feel the shame and panic Thea feels as she finds her carefully constructed web of lies, and her family, unraveling.

I eagerly read this compelling little book and thoroughly enjoyed discovering and uncovering Thea's secrets. It is an incredibly insightful book, focusing on the relationships between people and how secrets and lies can shape or destroy them.

[Giulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I can say about this book is that it was short. A 3-4 day book, I managed to finish it in 2 days. Why? Julie Schumacher did such a great job that I couldn't put the book down.

Theodora Grumman is sent off by her parents to her annual summer visit to her grandparents' house. It's a bit of a change for her, from Minneapolis to a small island off the coast of New Jersey, a town called Port Harbor. Thea has come every year for as long as she can remember, but something is different this year.

Every since February, Thea Grumman is a liar. She lies to everybody; her parents, her teachers, her guidance counselor, her neighbors, but more importantly, I began to think that she lied so she could hide the truth from herself. What truth she had been hiding, I had yet to find out. Her mother, with good intentions in mind—"You might find out something new about yourself."— gave Thea a notebook to write 100 truths over the course of the 3 weeks she would be gone.

At first, I knew this notebook would have some sort of importance over the course of the book (I mean really, just look at the title!), but I couldn't tell what it was yet. It wasn't hard to try and keep that in mind, because Schumacher puts the truths, in order, as Thea thinks of them during her time at Port Harbor.

This is one of the rare books that I read where, while I am reading, I pay more attention to the subplot, than the plot, because it is a bit more interesting. The plot in this book, to me, seemed to be Jocelyn (Thea's younger cousin) and Thea following their Aunt Celia and Ellen, who had been sneaking around and hiding a secret. The subplot was Thea, her notebook, and her lies. She lies, a lot, to her relatives, and throughout the book I tried to figure out WHY.

In the end, it is revealed that she was lying because of an incident that occurred at 'Three Mile Creek' with her former-best-friend Gwen, both of which had been popping up a lot in Thea's truths. I'm not going to say WHAT happened, but I WILL say that I could kind of empathize with Thea; that one event destroyed her relationship with her friend, and changed her completely—it turned her into a liar. I know what that feels like, to have one moment, one little thing, ruin everything (it didn't really turn me into a liar though).

I decided to give this book 5 stars because I think it kept me interested over the course of the 40 hours that I was reading it. It was a bit too short, and a bit too easy, but I think that the plot and subplot would be more familiar to those higher than the reading level I would say it was written for. What I mean is that, if I read this book at the end of the 5th grade, I would have no trouble understanding it, and it wouldn't be a particularly hard book to read, I just wouldn't be able to follow the plot and sub-plot as well as I can at my current reading level.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the story The Book of One Hundred Truths by Jule Schumacher, we meet Theodora Grumman (Thea) and learn she is a self-proclaimed liar. Sent to the Jersey Shore for an annual visit with her grandparents, her mother has asked her to record 100 truths in a blue notebook. Secrets and lies are the main theme of this book. And, it is through the lies and secrets, that Thea learns the truth about herself.



This book isn't the most earth-shattering young adult novel I've read. While the build up to the secrets and lies is big, once revealed they just aren't that compelling. What is disappointing is that the secrets the Grumman family is keeping and the lies Thea tells to protect her secret have the potential to be much more heart-wrenching and life-changing. However, Schumacher doesn't take the story far enough.


Knowing my students and their hate of endings that do not sum everything up and provide a tidy package of an ending, this book would not be one of their favorites. However, I think that young adults would like to read about the relationship between Thea and Jocelyn because everyone can relate to that pesky younger sibling, cousin or neighbor!

[Rylee Bartel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I thought "The Book of One Hundred Truths" was a very good book. It teaches many lessons on many things like: being a liar, keeping secrets, and the most important telling the truth. I really liked this book because it was about a girl that spent a summer at her grandparents and had a tough time, but she survived without anyone finding out any of her secrets.

Plot Summary: "The Book of One Hundred Truths" is about a girl named Theodora Grumman and her summer at her grandparents. Theodora also called Thea in the book spent her summer vacation at her grandparents thinking she would have the whole house to herself. But once she got there she ended up with nothing because almost her whole family was staying at her grandparents for the summer and Thea wasn't even given a room for herself instead her grandma gave all the rooms to her family. The main event in this book was between Thea and her cousin Jocelyn. Jocelyn was younger than Thea and all she wanted was Thea's diary about her summer which also had all of Thea's truths that she wrote down to keep a secret from everyone else since she always lied. Thea just wants her summer to herself after basically giving it all up to her cousin who wants to take her diary from her. But Thea wasn't the only one keep a secret. Her aunt Ellen and aunt Celia sneak out to the boardwalk in the afternoons while they tell everyone that they are working, so who is lying and who is keeping the truths a secret. To find out read the book.

Characterization: The main character in this book is Theodora Grumman. She is sent by her parents to her grandparents house for the summer. All Thea likes to do is lie to everyone, but she writes her truths in her diary that she has. She likes to keep her diary from everyone so no one figures out her secrets as well.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to teenage girls. It is a very good book that teaches the right thing and wrong thing about lying, keeping secrets, and telling the truth. I don't recommend this book to boys because it is more about a girls life not a guys. Also I give this book a five out of five stars because I really liked it and it also taught me a lot.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I encounter a novel set on the Jersey Shore, I drop everything and read it right away. Here, 12-year-old Thea is on her annual trip to visit her fathers' relatives in the fictional but credible barrier-island tourist town of Port Harbor, NJ. Back home in Minnesota, Thea has recently suffered a traumatic experience that resulted in the loss of her best friend. Thea has also taken up lying. Her mother sends her on vacation with a blank book and instructs her to write down 4 or 5 true things every day. In New Jersey, Thea's aunts task her with keeping her precociously eccentric cousin Jocelyn occupied. Jocelyn is 7 and has worries of her own. The forced company inadvertently breaks Thea out of her funk, as she and Jocelyn start to explore the town and its amusement-lined boardwalk (Such a relief for this reader. I'd been worried Thea would never leave her grandparents' house to so much as walk on the beach!). A chance near-encounter sets them on the trail of a family mystery, the solution of which will have unexpected consequences for all. The beach story, and the developing relationship between Thea and Jocelyn, are delightful. The Minnesota backstory, told through Thea's writing down the assigned 100 truths, is less successful, coming across as a device and one that distracts from the very interesting present-tense story. A short, fast but substantial read for preteen girls. And for wistful shore-loving grown-ups.

[Mary Langan]

I haven't gotten very far into this book but so far you can really tell that Thea is very disturbed by her fathers side of the family who she visits over the summer. I can relate to Thea because my fathers side of the family isn't as nice to my parents as my moms side is. I know how she feels when she has to go to their house over the summer. In on part of the book Thea did not have a room to sleep in so she had to sleep "upstairs. Up on the third floor"(Schumacher 8). This is like the time I was at my fathers side of the family and all of my siblings got Christmas presents except me. I felt like the outcast or the forgotten child and it didn't help when no one cared to say that stinks or you will get presents tomorrow. All my siblings said was that presents aren't what Christmas is about, but they were happy with their own presents and didn't get the feeling I did. Also, on my fathers side I have two younger cousins. They are constantly nagging me to play with them whenever I am at my grandparents on Christmas. This is like when Jocelyn nags Thea to hang out with her and do things with her when Thea does not want to. This is very hard because they are younger and when I was younger we would play. But, now that I am older I would rather not play in the basement. Overall, even though I am not to far in the book I am already relating and enjoying Schamacher's work.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just before Thea leaves Minnesota to visit her grandparents at the Jersey Shore, her mom gives her a notebook in which she is to write 4 truths every day. It seems that Thea has had trouble telling the truth recently because of a secret she's been keeping. As the book progresses, we learn more about Thea's secret, and also some secrets the rest of her eccentric, extended family have been keeping from each other.
Good characters, interesting plot, and the secrets keep you reading.
Recommended for 4th-6th graders.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book by another talented Minnesota author.

[Haley Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS

The Book of 100 Truths is the story of a girl named Theodora Grumman and her struggles throughout her summer vacation on the Jersey Shore. Every summer, Thea visits her grandparents’ house on the beach, occasionally with other family members. However, this summer, her entire family is visiting, which throws off Thea’s plans for a great summer. Thea is forced to babysit her younger cousin, Jocelyn, who only wants to spy on her other family members. This leads to finding out something dark about people in her family. Before she left her home in Minnesota for the summer, Thea’s mom gave her a notebook. She said to write 100 truths in the notebook, at least four a day, to hopefully discover something new about herself, or at least prevent her from lying more than she already does. The story of Thea keeping secrets, and later finding out she is not the only one in her family with something to hide, is one definitely worth reading.
The secondary plot in this book makes it so much more enjoyable to read. Jocelyn’s love of spying has lead her and Thea to figure out that her aunts, Celia and Ellen, are hiding something. Thea’s book was her secret throughout the entire summer. She didn’t want anybody to know about what she was writing, so she hid it in her bathroom. Throughout the book, the truths that Thea wrote down in her book are shown in bold on the page. Some of her truths (Truth 12: I used to have a best friend), hinted at her other secret which she later revealed in chapter 19. The suspense of finding out what happened to Thea’s best friend, as well as finding out her aunt’s secret, constantly keeps the reader on edge.
The characters in this book are complex and constantly change throughout the story. Thea, who was an impulsive liar at the beginning of the story, learns throughout the story that lying only leads to worse things. The story of how she lost her best friend, Gwen, is something she kept a secret for almost a year. She swore not to tell anyone and also swore to tell Gwen that what happened to her sister was her fault, even though it wasn’t. Thea also constantly lied to her family while visiting, and after her accident on the trike with Jocelyn, and finally getting the truth off of her chest by telling her entire family about Three Mile Creek, she made the decision to try and tell the truth from that moment on.
Jocelyn, while seeming like the innocent and curious seven-year-old cousin, was much more mature than she seemed. Thea and Jocelyn both had thought the secret that her aunts were keeping from them was that they were planning on selling their grandparent’s house and having them go to a nursing home, called 21 Bay. At the end of the story, Thea finds out that the reason Celia and Ellen were going to 21 Bay was to prepare an apartment for Jocelyn’s mom, who was moving because of a divorce. At first, Thea was scared for Jocelyn, thinking that she would be heartbroken when she found out. She then realized that Jocelyn knew all along. Once Thea and Jocelyn found a letter on the counter about 21 Bay, they spent the entire summer trying to figure out what it was and what their aunts were planning. Jocelyn knew what it was from the beginning. She didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to see the apartment and come to terms with her parent’s current situation.
Out of all of the books I have read, this is one of my favorites. It took a fairly simple setting, which was spending summer vacation on the Jersey Shore, and added so many interesting plots to make the story very fun and interesting to read. The characters are constantly developing, the idea of trying to figure out all of the secrets, with both Thea and her aunts, gives the reader a sense of mystery, which makes the story much more enjoyable. The plot twist at the end of the story was very unexpected and changed the reader’s perspective on some of the characters. Throughout the story, Thea’s thoughts and actions portrayed her aunts as awful people because she thought that they were trying to sell her grandparent’s house. When she found out that they were just trying to help Jocelyn’s parents, she felt a sense of regret, and the reader can finally see what kind of people Aunt Celia and Ellen truly are. The Book of 100 Truths is a wonderful read and one that I highly recommend.

[Simon Pierwola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not many people understand how unyielding and limitless a traumatic experience affects you, notably as a kid. It can take months or, in some cases years to tell someone, even their parents.

That is why I feel that reading The Book of One Hundred Truths is an impeccable way to entertain yourself and, more importantly, teach yourself how and why trauma does its thing. The Book of One Hundred Truths by Julie Schumacher revolves around how Theo, a 12-year-old girl, goes to the beach with her Cousins, Aunts, Grandmas, and Grandpas after a powerful moment in her life. In this novel, Theo learns not every secret stays a secret and some things don’t go according to plan…

This novel is a great work of art, but every book has its flaws and this one does not defy that rule. From the intro to the end of the fifth chapter, it contains primarily setting and has no significant depth to it. You really have to stick with it to the end to truly get to the great part. The occasional “numbered truth” slightly spices it up a bit. However, most truths are at the end. Another thing that could have been improved is character development. Theo’s development is the main theme of the story and is very much polished, but the character development in other characters is small or absent. I would urge anyone willing to persist with this novel, to read it to the very rewarding end.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book four-stars because it was well-written with an interesting cast of characters. Plus any book set on an island is bound to catch my interest.

With that being said, I found this story to be a retelling of a story that's been told many times before. I can think of at least three books off the top of my head with a similar premise. I didn't feel that this was a necessarily special book aside from Thea telling her story using the 100 truths.

As a parental note, while trying not to give much away, the book has at least two moments of peril - both involving children - broken families, a grandparent with Parkinson's - which I must admit was greatly glossed over - talk of smoking and drinking, and, as the description will tell you, lots of deception.

Overall, it was not a bad book. But to me personally there was nothing that made this story stand out among the many other children's books that deal with this same situation.

[Sarah G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and entertaining. It was present day and took place on a small island in Jersey. Thea's mom gave her a notebook to write truths in, one hundred in total. The goal was to discover something new. Thea was going to her grandmas house for a vacation for a couple weeks. She had to take care of her cousin, Jocelyn. She was keeping her notebook and was thinking a lot of her old friend. There was also a secret that Cecelia and Ellen were keeping. Jocelyn and Thea went on many adventures on Granda's trike and spied, trying to find the secret. Thea figures out who she is and more about what happened at the creek that winter day. I loved this book because it didn't drag on, it always had something new happening and making me question. I would recommend this book!

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first read for the Open Books Reading Challenge at the Rochester Public Library. The category for this book was Minnesota Book Award Winner. This book won for YA several years ago. I enjoyed the premise of the book - a girl who lies and is challenged to write 100 truths during her summer vacation. We slowly find out why she is a liar while she is spending her summer vacation babysitting a younger cousin who has issues of her own. The biggest thing I didn't enjoy was that it was a middle grades book rather than YA. I have thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed Schumacher's books geared for teens and if this one was too, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it more.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing wrong with this book it was just definitely made for 8 year old's. I read it though and loved the vibes. It takes place in a summery town where her grandparents live. She has a history of lying so her mom tells her to write truths in this notebook, like the title says. The main girl in this book was so annoying. I hated her so much but I kept on reading for the mystery aspect. I liked the ending and the drama. So if you are like 8, 9, or maybe 10 I would definitely read this book!

[Shyanna C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok not what I really read. The main character is Theodora Grumman and in the novel she is a liar. At first it is really boring but then gets a little interesting about what happened with her
former friend.

[Madina Ahrarova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this book is a mix of adventure and mystery, because in this book there isn't just one person hiding a secret. There's also a second person. Plus, I like how this book is good for my age. Also, I suggest that other teen girls read this book.

[Miranda V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favourite from my tween years. Beautiful story about family and honesty and how people deal with trauma. This book evokes such vivid imagery (especially of the seaside setting and winter flashbacks), strong sense of the characters, and a whole lot of emotions.

[Kellie Rudd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because it was gifted to me by mother who was desperate for me to read and bought me anything that I looked vaguely interested in. I'm finding that as I finally read these books 10-20 years later that I was drawn to sad books. What the heck?

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowzers.
I think the best part of this book was the suspense. The buildup was written so well.
The writing wasn't top-notch, but it was good all things considered.
The topics are all good food for thought. I don't think I'll be forgetting this book anytime soon.

[Carrie Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom gives her a journal to write down 100 truths during her summer visit with her grandparents. The mystery of what happens to her friend unfolds as she writes.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told with humor, a sweet story of coming to grips with pain. The one drawback is the subtle infiltration of the occult via a fortune teller which, thankfully, the main character seeems to pooh-pooh.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lying becomes an easy habit after trying not to reveal a horrible event the previous winter. Good for middle schoolers.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life as a kid and still continues to touch my heart as an adult.

[Fateme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming
A story about truth, secrets and trauma

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Hawa Saho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute little book for a young reader. Good life lessons about how a lie can weigh you down and the truth can feel like lighting a weight off you! Also love the family ties aspect.

[Bridgette B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just picked a random book off the shelf and i didn't imagine that it would be this good! The hole time I was trying to figure out Ellen and Celia's secret while also trying to figure out what happened at 3 mile creek. Really good book.

[Adrienne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, because it pulled you in and made you want to keep reading. Jocelyn was a great character with her bright attitude, always wanting to hang out with Thea. Their two aunts were acting odd and would sneak around. “The Book of One Hundred Truths” is about a girl Thea going to her relatives house in the summer, and everything seems normal until her aunts keep sneaking around with a secret and acting suspicious. Thea wants to know what they are doing, and Jocelyn (Thea’s little cousin) tags along. I recommend this book for 4th grade and up.

[Tatum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good in my opinion the whole book felt really slow to me but the whole story was good. It took me a while till I figured out what the book was about and how Gwen was important to the story. Bur it was really good I am really happy a got a chance to read it!!