Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Deaf teen learns scary truths in suspenseful thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Hearing-impaired, homeschooled, and kept away from members of the opposite sex, Shelby Cooper depends on her mother for nearly everything in her life. After she's struck by a car and sent to the emergency room in Scottsdale, Ariz., Shelby sets off with her mom on a sudden quest to visit the Grand Canyon. Uprooted and confused, Shelby isn't sure what to make of her mother's behavior or of her own strange dreams, which feature a shape-shifting boy named Mark and a cast of talking animals. Gradually, however, she begins to understand that she has difficult, dangerous choices to make in whichever world she resides and that even more upsetting revelations lie ahead.
Is It Any Good?
THERE WILL BE LIES is a tricky thriller with a believable and sympathetic teen protagonist. Author Nick Lake sustains the suspense from first chapter to last, delivering plenty of plot twists while still paying attention to the psychological reality of the story he's devised.
Because Shelby's visits to the Dreaming at first feel unconnected from the main narrative, those scenes feel a little draggy, until Lake makes it clear how high the stakes truly are. He also treats the Native American mythology with respect, capturing the conflicted nature of the trickster god Coyote, and he paints a vivid portrait of the Southwest.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the hearing-impaired are depicted in books, TV shows, and films. What challenges do deaf people face in their everyday lives?
How is Native American mythology used in popular culture? Which lessons do Native folklore try to impart?
What is the role of the Trickster in world mythology? Why do different cultures have different versions of this figure?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Bloomsbury USA
- Publication date : January 6, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 15 - 17
- Number of pages : 464
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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