Truth & Dare: 20 Tales of Heartbreak and Happiness [Paperback]

Liz Miles (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2011

Truth & Dare is a collection of short stories confirming the truth we all know-- high school is painful--and written for those who dare to be different. These edgy short stories are told from the point of view of the quirky, cool, but not necessarily popular teens, who are dealing with all the pressures of growing up--school, friends, music, relationships, parents, and just plain fitting in.

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Jennifer Boylan, Sarah Rees Brennan, Cecil Castellucci, Emma Donoghue, Courtney Gillette, A.M. Homes, Jennifer Hubbard, Heidi R. Kling, Jennifer Knight, Michael Lowenthal, Liz Miles, Saundra Mitchell, Luisa Plaja, Matthue Roth, Sherry Shahan, Gary Soto, Shelley Stoehr, Sara Wilkinson, Ellen Wittlinger, and Jill Wolfson.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kirkus, 4/1/11
Very positive. With remarkably few exceptions, the short stories in this collection exemplify the best of the form, drawing readers immediately into the lives of characters who confront the hard truths of alienation, love, trauma and sex.

About the Author

Liz Miles is a freelance editor with many years of experience and the author of a number of books for younger readers. She co-founded and is joint director of Wordstone Publishing. She lives in Wivenhoe, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Running Press Kids (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762441046
• ISBN-13: 978-0762441044
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,229,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally something different!!! May 20, 2011

By Chrissy

Format:Paperback

I bought this anthology because I'm a big fan of Emma Donoghue - and now I've found some awesome new authors to read too!! Although the 20 stories in this anthology are often about similar things like sex, embarrassment, comedy and growing up, there's lots of variety as well. The stories are gay, straight, dark, weird and funny. Heidi R Kling's `Head Gear Girl' is hilarious!!! The stories are written in different ways too - one is written completely in Tweets, which is a really cool idea. In all I reckon that this book is different from a lot of the other stuff out there, and celebrates being individual, rejecting conformity - like Gaga says - baby I was born this way!

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book September 15, 2011

By Savannah (Books With Bite)

Format:Paperback

One thing I enjoyed about this book is the variety in it. There is all sorts of love and heart ache in it. Lots of strong characters becoming weak. And weak characters becoming strong. Some stories made me angry while others made me happy. I loved the writing flow of the stories. I also wondered if some of the stories in the book would make it into full books. I would love to see more of how the characters progressed.

One thing I didn't really like is that there are some stories that are really graphic. I would recommend this book for 18+. Overall, it's a great book with loads of new authors I have not heard of. I look forward to reading more of the new authors work as they have caught my eye!

3.0 out of 5 stars Anthology With Something For Everyone June 5, 2011

By Book Sake VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Once again, I love reading anthologies so I can get a taste of authors I'm unfamiliar with and read some additional writings from those I already love. This book has a lot of variations through the storytelling. Sarah Rees Brennan's tale "The Young Stalker's Handbook" was quick, cute, and funny. "Girl Jesus on the Inbound Subway" by Matthue Roth was one that caught me by surprise; I had no idea that's where he was heading with his story. Saundra Mitchell, whom I already love from reading Vespertine, had kind of a disturbing story with "The Last Will and Testament of Evan Todd", but it was done in a very intriguing kind of way. Other stories run the gamut from writing in Tweet form, to crying, to laughing, to loving, and even chocolate brains. Yep, chocolate brains. There is something that everyone can find to love in a book like this.

Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.