PUBLISHERS' REVIEW: James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the beautiful "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?
MY REVIEW: Quite liked the concept of this book - the chance to reinvent yourself and pretend you're something your're not with the added mystery of someone anonymously knowing who you are.

Suffice it to say: Todd Mitchell has earned himself a new fan.

It took me a while to warm up to The Secret to Lying. It's John Green's fault--the set-up was too reminiscent of the set-up to the delightful Looking for Alaska. This is a completely different book, though, especially after the first few chapters, and by the end, I loved it (dare I say it?) more than either of the John Green books I've read. I eagerly await Mr. Mitchell's next book. ( )

The Secret to Lying has an interesting premise about a young man with poor self esteem (usually reserved for the girls of YA Lit.) and his attempts at reinventing himself when he gets into a boarding school for intellectually gifted math and science students. Unfortunately, his attempts at reinventing himself become dangerous as his self-esteem sinks lower when his allegorical dreams begin to bleed into reality.

Read the rest of my review on Reading Rumpus, a children's literature & reading education website ( )

This kept me guessing all throught the book. Are the dreams real or is he crazy? ( )

James, who was a nobody at his local high school, has been accepted at the exclusive public high school for really bright students. He decides to make up things about his past in order to get noticed. Eventually, things get out of control and he ends up needing counseling for his self destructive behavior. The book starts out one way, then seems to want to be something else. Does James simply want to be noticed, or is he mentally ill? Why does Ellie, the perfect girl who turns out to be anorexic, instantly know his problems even though she refuses to talk to him and is overwhelmed with her own demons? The book needs work but also has a lot going for it -- the author, Todd Mitchell, is a good writer. ( )