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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Garfinkle, Debra , Patten, April

Rules for Liars

280 pp. | Kar-Ben | February, 2026 | Trade ISBN 9798765639795 $18.99
(3) 4-6 New neighbors Rebecca and Nikki, who serve as alternating narrators, each tell lies to hide what embarrasses them about their family and financial situations. Those lies escalate to stealing (from Nikki’s church collection plate) and to hurtfulness that threatens their blossoming friendship -- Nikki pretends to have lost her father, while Rebecca has actually lost her mother. A welcome look at grief and at how economics and other family circumstances can affect the social lives of already self-conscious preteens, including, in Rebecca’s case, spending expectations involved in a bat mitzvah celebration.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

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