The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen by Catherine Lloyd - ESSENTIAL

The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen by Catherine Lloyd Burns. 246 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. $17. 9780374300418.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL.

Cricket Cohen has an exceptionally active imagination that tends to get her in trouble with her parents and teachers. She relates best to her grandmother, Dodo, who is also a great adventurer. With her parents away on a day-trip to the Hamptons, Cricket and Dodo head off on an adventure together in the city. But Dodo gets confused, and things start to get a little more serious, and Cricket will find that sometimes real life is a pretty big adventure all on its own.

I really enjoyed this story. Cricket is an endearing heroine as she marvels at the madness of the world around her and tries to maneuver life as a bright kid with a crazy imagination. The characters are well created and I came to appreciate each one. The story takes a graceful turn into the topic of senile dementia and how families deal with it. I loved that the author included everybody's perspective on Dodo's encroaching dementia--including Dodo's! Overall its a really great story and one I'd definitely recommend.

 Reviewer: TC