The Truth and Lies of Ella Black

Volume XXV / Issue 28 - March 29 / 2019
The Truth and Lies of Ella Black
The Truth and Lies of Ella Black
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The Truth and Lies of Ella Black

Author: 
Emily Barr
Toronto, ON: Penguin Teen, 2019
325 pp. hardcover & ebook, $21.99 (hc.)
ISBN: 
9781770499881 (hc.)
9781770499898 (ebook)
Grades: 
Grades 10 and up
Ages: 
Ages 15 and up
Review by: 
Sarah Wethered
4
Excerpt: 

I close my bedroom door and try to breathe. My head is ringing so loudly, I wouldn’t be able to hear anything else, not even a fire alarm or a nuclear siren if it went off. Maybe one of those things is happening right now. But I don’t care if it is. I roll up my sleeves and look at the tiny lines on the insides of my arms. I’m ashamed of them. I’m never going to let that happen again. They are so small that only I know they’re there.

Be nice, I say to Bella.

BE NICE she replies, imitating me. BE NICE. ALWAYS BE NICE.

Oh, please stop.

PLEASE STOP. PLEASE STOP. PLEASE STOP.

Leave me alone.

LEAVE ME ALONE.

Leave.
me
alone.

LEAVE

I don’t know what is me and what is her.

I put my hands to the sides of my face and scream silently like the painting. All I want is to be normal.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black takes place in modern day Kent, England. Ella has a terrible secret that not even her parents, nor her closest friends, know – that she has an evil Ella inside of her, an entity she calls Bella. Bella makes her do horrible things, and Ella spends most of her time trying to make certain that Bella does not take over.

Throughout Ella’s life, her parents have been very protective of her. One day, her mother arrives at Ella’s school and announces that they will be going away for a while. All of a sudden, Ella is whisked off by her parents to Rio, Brazil, and is not allowed any contact with her previous life. It becomes apparent quickly that something is not quite right, and the secrets that Ella uncovers change her life forever. Ella’s entire life has been a lie, and she may never return home to the life she once led.

Readers of The Truth and Lies of Ella Black will be drawn into the mystery surrounding Ella’s life. The novel quickly moves from England to Brazil; from a middle class area of Kent to the slums of Rio. Along the way, Ella falls in loves, finds out the shocking family secret, and begins to teach English to kids from the slums. Ella must not let Bella take over her life, but she needs Bella to be able to live through the twists in her life that occur when she gets to Rio.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black will appeal to readers who enjoy mystery novels. Further, the novel is action-packed, and readers will enjoy the many twists and turns of the plot. The characters are well-developed, and readers will enjoy the strong female character of Ella whose life may be totally different than what she is used to, but she refuses to give in to her situation and tries to do what she thinks is best.

Highly Recommended
Reviewer: 

Sarah Wethered has been a teacher-librarian at New Westminster Secondary School for 19 years, and she currently lives in New Westminster, British Columbia.