The Boy Who Lied
by Kim Slater
Fourteen-year-old Ed Clayton is a liar. It started when his dad went to prison and now he can’t seem to stop. When Ed’s younger brother, Sam, goes missing one day under his supervision, nobody believes him when he says he can’t remember what happened.
Things begin to go very wrong for Ed’s family when his mum loses her job and they have to start using a food bank. Ditched even by his best friend, Ed is on his own trying find out what’s happened to Sam, until he meets Fallon, a new neighbour who’s willing to help him unravel the mystery. The two stumble on a secret even Ed could never have imagined. But nobody will ever believe a liar . . .
Despite this YA novel being a light, fun read, with likable characters, its also a gripping thriller that has a social conscience. The fast-paced mystery shows how one small thing can affect many different people’s lives.
Ed’s memory of his brother’s abduction is hazy, thanks to falling off a climbing frame, but Ed is not one to be believed anyway. He fabricates and embellishes stories because he can’t, understandably, face the truth.
Set in Nottingham, England, this is easy read is a modern retelling of ‘the boy who cried wolf’. You’ll enjoy spending time with Ed, Sam and Fallon as you wonder, can a liar uncover the truth?
About the author
Kim Slater is a multi-award winning Nottingham author whose debut YA novel ‘Smart’ has been nominated for twenty-four book awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 15, the Carnegie Medal 15 and the Children’s Book Award 16. 'Smart' has now won ten book awards. Her second and third novels, 'A Seven-Letter Word' and ‘928 Miles from Home’ have also been nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2017 & 2018 and shortlisted for numerous children’s book awards.
'The Boy who Lied,' her fourth novel, is OUT NOW.