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The Girl Who Couldn't Lie

By: Radhika Sanghani

Age 9+

£7.99

In stock

"Sweet and funny and full of heart." The i

A fresh, funny story about white lies, brutal honesty and a bangle with special powers, from award-winning journalist and author Radhika Sanghani.

Priya Shah lies. A lot. She pretends everything in her life is perfect, so she doesn't disappoint anyone.

But when she puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba - the one person she was always honest with - she finds herself unable to tell a lie.

Priya is mortified. She tells her dad she hates his cooking, she tells Dan Zhang about her huge crush on him, she shares her best friends' secrets at school. She can't get the bangle off, and she can't stop the truths pouring out of her.

As more things go wrong, and Priya's truth-telling spirals out of control, can Priya learn to be honest without hurting the people she loves?

Details

Extent:: 304 pages
Dimensions:: 190 x 130mm
Paperback ISBN:: 9781805316749
Key Stage:: KS2, KS3
Publication Date:: May 2024
Work Reference:: 9440

Author

Radhika Sanghani is an award-winning features journalist, acclaimed author, screenwriter, influential body positivity campaigner and a 2020 BBC Writers Room graduate.

Radhika writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Elle, Guardian, Grazia, Glamour and Cosmopolitan; was recently featured in Italian Vogue as well as BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and is a regular guest on Sky News and Good Morning Britain. She is also a TedX speaker on body positivity, a yoga teacher and runs a charity initiative with AgeUK fighting loneliness in older women.

Find out more about Radhika Sanghani

Awards

Longlisted

Leicester Libraries Our Best Book 2025

Longlisted

Redbridge Children's Book Award 2025

Press

A hilarious and touching 9+ debut about learning when - and how - to speak up for yourself.

The Guardian

The Girl Who Couldn't Lie is sweet and funny and full of heart.

The i

An amusing teen drama with plenty of heart.

Irish Examiner

A gem of a book!
A thoroughly engaging story with a super cast of diverse characters that modern young teens will be able to relate to, and which will empower them to own and speak their own truths.
I particularly loved the representation of different cultures, the exploration of how freeing honesty can be, and the message that when someone you love dies, their spirit can live on in your heart.

Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

I can't lie! I loved it! It was as if Ms Marvel met Liar Liar.

Maisie Chan, author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths

Activities to try from this book

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Teachers’ resources

Use the discussion notes and activities included to explore the book in your classroom, library or book club. The activities focus on the themes of friendship, family and honesty.

Download Teachers’ Notes