1
2
EmailFaceBookTwitterInstagram

Bad Apple

For Tola Riley, life is not a fairy tale, it only feels like one. She’s got evil classmates, a runaway dad, a wicked stepmother, a possible Prince Charming, and her very own troll. But it’s only when someone accuses her of having an affair with her art teacher that her whole world turns into something out of Grimm’s. Because the person accusing her is her own mother.

“If I really wanted to open up, I’d confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am.”

High-school junior Tola has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she’s crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.

But then rumors start flying and Tola is suddenly the center of a scandal. The whole town is judging her—even her family. When Mr. Mymer is suspended for what everyone thinks is an affair, she has no choice but to break her silence. Fairy tales won’t help her this time . . . so how can she tell the truth? And, more importantly, will anyone believe her?

Praise

“Visual artists will love this homage to creativity, and teens outside the status quo will find a kindred spirit in plucky Tola.”
Booklist
“The protagonist, who is unconventional, insightful and full of angst, charms, and readers will be hoping for her success.”
Kirkus Reviews
“A creatively constructed story with a modern-day scandal.”
Publishers Weekly
“Artists, compassionate teens, and readers who enjoyed Good Girls will laugh, hurt, and roll their eyes along with this witty individualist of a heroine and her friends and supporters.”
School Library Journal
“There’s wit and cleverness as well as sympathy in both the writing and in the touches of fairy-tale allusion.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review

Sign up for Laura's Newsletter

Note: this is a private list—your email address will not be shared,
and you can unsubscribe at any time.