Don't Tell, Don't Tell, Don't Tell, book review

Shaw, Liane. Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell. Second Story Press, 2016. 272 pages. Trade paper $12.95, 978-1927583-95-1.  E-book 978-1927583-99-9.

Release date: April 2016 in Canada. September 2016 in the US.

Beautifully written and carefully told, Liane Shaw’s Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell effectively portrays the voices of its two first-person narrators. Frederick—a white, male high school junior with Asperger’s Syndrome, narrates much of the first half of the novel . His unlikely friend, Angel—an overweight, Hispanic female high school sophomore new to the school because her family has moved, yet again, narrates much of the latter half of Shaw’s story. Their differences earn both young adults opportunities to suffer at the hands of school bullies. Angel, who encounters Frederick in a corner of the school library while he’s engaged in an IM conversation using the name Kaleidoscope, actively pursues his friendship—beginning by calling him Kal. This confuses Frederick because not only does this nickname imply the violation of his personal space—Angel must have read over his shoulder to see his screen name, but also Kal is not his name. Over time Angel endears herself to him, provides countless social behavior lessons as his self-appointed socialization tutor, and confides in him. Confidences require listening with little talking, making Frederick well-suited to the position of confidante. Unfortunately, one such confidence comes with an oath, thrice repeated, to not tell just before Angel runs away. Her absence stretches beyond the projected several hours—planned to be just enough time to upset her parents—into days. Since Frederick was the last person seen with her, Chapter One opens at the police station where he is being questioned about Angel’s whereabouts. His interior monologue reveals much more to readers than do his verbal responses as Frederick puzzles through the unfamiliar social situation and the requirements of being a friend and of keeping one’s word. When Angel’s mother tearfully appears on the evening news, Frederick concludes that he must find his friend. His search and its aftermath introduce several firsts in his life: the first lies he’s told his mother, his first solo adventure out of town, the first time he has skipped school and the first time he has gone to any lengths for a friend.

Strong narration and powerful storytelling pull readers through the teens’ misadventures, making the novel hard to put down. Issues of self-respect and self-esteem are central to the novel, and issues of family, friendships and bullying are prominent. Appealing to both male and female readers in grades 7 through 12, and an excellent choice for character studies—even into junior college, the novel could also be useful in teacher education classes as future educators learn to work with diverse populations. Buy this book for your local library, and two copies for the secondary school libraries in your area. Include this title on summer reading lists…and let readers be reminded of how powerful an experience reading can provide. (Note: For summer reading, U.S. residents should be able to access the e-book now; the September release date for the U.S. applies to print books.) Highly recommended!

 Full disclosure: I received a free, advance reading copy of this book from Second Story Press in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.