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In my middle grade novel TALL TALES (May 2007, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House), 12-year-old Meg Summers wants to make a friend. Yet she and her family have moved once again, this time to a small town called Laketon, and the idea of walking up and introducing herself to a group of girls seems so difficult. What if they laugh? What if they aren't interested? What if they think she's boring?

And so Meg begins weaving stories about herself, tall tales that make her life sound dramatic and interesting. But they also serve another purpose: to deflect any attention to her real family. Her dad is an alcoholic and prone to unpredictable binges and behavior that traumatize the family. She knows she must keep her real family a secret.

Then Meg meets Grace Bennett. She's friendly and popular and interested in books, just like Meg. But how can her friendship with Grace continue to grow when Meg has kept such a big secret? What will she do now that the tall tales she told are coming back to Grace? And then Meg has another problem. What will happen at home now that her dad is drinking more and her older brother is beginning to fight back?

REVIEWS 

"Honest about what it is like to live with an alcoholic parent--the cover-ups, the fear of violence, the denial--Day's first novel delivers much more than a standard problem novel; Meg's lies and secrets are funny and anguished, and readers will respond to the intense family drama and the quick, wild fantasies that Meg spins to cover up her shame."
 – Hazel Rochman, Booklist (ALA)

"Meg's personal emotional ordeal is well portrayed as the reader is allowed into her private confused thoughts. Day juxtaposes numerous themes and issues around two friends who live very differently, yet are burdened with powerful feelings of guilt and grief. Darkened days brighten for Meg and her family when help is finally accepted from responsible adults and a new friendship grows to a trusting and truthful relationship. Realistic, with an auspicious ending."
 – Kirkus

"Day's account captures the intense tangle of emotions felt by family members who have been convinced that they are too powerless to stop abuse on their own."
 – Publisher's Weekly

"Day uses the friendship between the girls and the strong adult support of Grace's family and a favorite aunt to pave the path Meg follows to trust others enough to finally tell the truth about her dad. 'I've been telling the biggest tall tale of my life to myself.' The author's portrayal of a family in crisis is convincingly tragic: '…it's not until mom hands him coffee that I see in his eyes how it will be today and how I should feel.' Although there is no fairy-tale ending, the story is realistic and hopeful with discussable issues appropriate for a wide audience."
 – D. Maria LaRocco, School Library Journal