Review: Secrets of Truth and Beauty - Megan Frazer

Where I got it: Inter-library Loan
Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover Rating: 3 stars (I really like the cover but I'm not sure who these people are supposed to be.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: July 7, 2009
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Page Count: 347 p.

Dara was a cute little 7-year-old. Cute enough to win the title of Little Miss Maine(even though it was a talent contest. Dara's talent was and is singing. She just doesn't think she's quite so cute anymore, and definitely not little. After winning Dara started to gain a lot of weight and is now quite large. After she makes an autobiography project out of clips and voice overs of her pageant, things start to go downhill. Nobody got that the project wasn't meant to be just about her and it was more a comment on culture. When her guidance counselor and family pull her out of school and tell her she needs to go to counseling, she decides it's time to meet her sister. The sister she only found out about because one day she stumbled upon her birth certificate. Her sister lives on a goat farm and makes cheese. She lives in a house filled with many different people, who might just be who she needs to feel more like herself again.

This book wasn't bad at all. It just wasn't something I was really into. It was definitely a great book for other teens though, who may be struggling with identity issues. There were a few places in the book that didn't sound quite right; either a sentence was funny or the voices didn't seem authentic, but all in all this was an enjoyable read. If you do decide to read this you may want to brush up on your music however, as there are many older musical references such as The Mamas and the Papas, that some of you younger folk might not get. *laughs* I really liked how strange the family dynamics were with Dara, her sister and their parents. It gave you a different family setting then one you would normally read about. There were many things I wanted resolved or at least some sort of further development on, but I guess you can only really find out so much from one book and one person's point of view. The ending was your typical happy ending. Moral infused conclusion brought to you by the main character. But it ended the book well enough. It was a good empowering book that I would recommend you pick up at some point and read.

First Line:
"It started with Mr. Fitz."

Favorite Line:
"'Nein!' he yelled at the goats. 'Sprechen sie Deutsch!'"