A sweet and realistic story about friends, family and what truly matters for middle-grade girls in grades five to eight.

Sam Park, Morley's best friend, has suddenly moved away without a word of warning. She's just – gone.

A long-awaited vacation with her favourite aunt is cancelled at the last minute. No one will say why.

Her mother says she's tired all the time and hardly ever comes out of her room.

And where is her real father? Why is everything about him still such a mystery? What's really wrong with her mother? Why won't she tell Morley anything at all about the Dad she longs to know?

Morley Star isn't just disappointed. She feels angry, lied to, left out and betrayed.

As she searches for answers, secrets are, at last, revealed. But could it be that the biggest lies are the ones Morley is telling herself?

Secrets and Lies is the fifth in a heartwarming series of realistic novels that take place in a small seaside town. It's a place where nothing - and everything - happens for real girls with big dreams! A coming-of-age novel series to enchant grade 5 and middle school readers ages 10 to 13.

About the Author

Jacquelyn Johnson writes the kind of stories for girls she wishes were available when she was 11 or 12.

It's such a vivid time of discovery, especially about who you are and how you can shine in the world, she says. "It's the time when you first find your own true voice, and how to use it. That's what this series is all about."

Following careers as a teacher, journalist, and magazine editor, she returned to her first love, writing novels. She lives with her family in a small village near the sea not unlike Seabright, with a little cat surprisingly similar to Morley's Feather.