Edie Tells a Lie

A heartwarming middle-grade novel about finding courage, making new friends, being proud of family culture, and learning from mistakes.

Edie lives with her mum—it's just the two of them. Her best friend, Bowie, lives right next door, until Bowie moves to the country.

Edie feels alone and forgotten, but she soon meets Aleki, and she's happy to have a new friend. Aleki has a big family with lots going on all the time. Edie wishes she had a big, interesting family too.

So she invents a story—a lie.

It's only a small story, but it soon grows, and it lands her in trouble. Suddenly, Edie is lonelier than ever.

But then she finds a mysterious letter in an old book. It's written in Polish, the language of her dad's family, and Edie discovers she has a famous great aunt who lived a remarkable life with wild animals in a forest in Poland. Edie is proud of her Polish heritage, and she wants to tell her classmates about her amazing auntie.

But, after her lie, will anyone believe her?

Edie Tells a Lie is a heartfelt story about friendship and family, loneliness, and the consequences of making a mistake.

Praise

'A gentle story of friendship and family.' Books+Publishing

'A tender heartfelt story about making mistakes and facing up to the consequences—filled with humour, hope, and authenticity.' Karys McEwen, author of All the Little Tricky Things