Micha is the liar of the title and in the first half of the book, lying is her defining characteristic. Her more outrageous lies are discovered quickly, such as pretending she is a boy at her new school, so she gets used to being called a freak.
But as Micha tells us “if you’ve got a big secret its best to paper it over with little ones” So the source of her unusual speed and strength remains a mystery and the writer maintains a high level of suspense until the secret of “the family illness” is revealed.
The characters of Micah’s classmates, Zach and Tayshawn are very engaging ; although they are the popular jocks they are also sensitive and kindhearted boys. Tayshawn’s grief at Zach’s murder early in the story is very touching .
A minor character takes on huge significance and the writer maintains the early suspense until the end as the search for Zach’s murderer continues.
Authentic teenage characters combined with layers of suspense and agonising choices for Micah make this book well worth a place on the ACBC short list
Shortlisted in CBCA Older Readers category 2010
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