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Anne grew up in a small town in the US, and spent her childhood getting lost in the woods and telling stories to herself (and anyone else who would listen). After college, her life changed when she moved to Chicago and began teaching English at an inner-city high school. Even after she moved to the UK, Anne couldn’t forget the beauty of her adopted city, with its tenacity, energy, and dazzling skyscrapers curving along Lake Michigan. But she also couldn’t forget her former students’ stories of desperation and violence. A Truth I Don’t Know was inspired by these two sides of Chicago. Anne currently lives in Bristol with her husband. When she’s not writing, she’s happiest cooking, traveling, and curling up with a good book. An excerpt of her novel Adèle, for 9 to 12-year-olds, was published in SCBWI’s Undiscovered Voices 2010 anthology. |
Sixteen-year-old Mali Richards grew up in Roseland, a violent, inner-city Chicago neighborhood. On the streets, a girl has to stand up for herself and never show any weakness. That’s why Mali won’t tell anyone but Mama about her ‘true dreams’ that predict the future. But after Mama’s death, Mali and her brother are thrust into a new life in the wealthy, academic Hyde Park. The streets are tree-lined, quiet, safe. Mali makes friends, falls in love, begins to hope again. Except her next dream changes everything. She’ll have to return to Roseland, confront its violence head on. But will she be able to save her brother’s life?
A Truth I Don’t Know is an edgy, urban novel for teen readers. Part thriller, part love story, it’s about hope when there’s nothing left to hope for, and the power of family.