Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Title: Tell Me A Secret
Author: Holly Cupala
Pages: 304

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 22, 2010

Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

What if you were a pregnant teenager? What would you do? These are the same questions that Rand faces when she sees those two lines on her pregnancy test. As these questions plague her, she struggles to face the lies and secrets of her friends, family, and her sister. With nobody to go to, and with no one to trust, she must face her problems alone.

Tell Me A Secret is a striking, powerful, and provoking novel that spotlights a girl's struggle to cope with teenage pregnancy. Realistic and profound, Tell Me A Secret evokes so much emotion and truly portrays the hardships and difficult decisions that teens have to make. Cupala constantly emphasizes that nobody can make that important choice except yourself in this heart-wrenching novel.

Rand's honest and genuine narration exposes the harsh truths of teenage pregnancy and unravels the true psychological and emotional distress of having nobody to support you. As her body changes, Rand has to cope with unrelenting ridicule and disappointment as well as her pregnancy. Readers will be overwhelmed and appalled at how Rand is treated. Cupala bluntly depicts the consequences of teenage pregnancy and conveys how society cruelly looks down upon teenage pregnancy.

Set in a high-school background, Cupala explores first love, family, and friendship in Tell Me A Secret. The significance of her older sister, Xanda, is admirable and plays a large part in Rand's decisions. The well-kept secret that holds Rand's broken family together is revealed and shocks Rand to her very core, but even so, it still cannot break the bond forged between two sisters. Cupala's descriptive, yet mysterious prose alludes a sense of secrecy and lies all throughout the book, making it much more unpredictable.

Tell Me A Secret is an arresting read that brutally portrays teenage pregnancy. Holly Cupala tugs on readers' heartstrings with this touching, emotionally-surrendering novel. She has written a compelling and convincing tale of self-discovery and compassion. (A+)

The Bottom Line: What would YOU do?

---Field Report---
Originality: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Total Score: 97/100 (A+)