The Show Must Go On

October 18, 2021
To keep others happy, 11-year-old June Jackson, who is Black, tells mistruths about everything from liking collard greens to wanting to go to Howard University. Though she feels pressure to live up to her parents’ professional success, June believes that sixth grade (“Prime time. The big leagues”) in her Atlanta suburb will be smooth sailing if she keeps quiet about the stress of getting perfect grades; doing field hockey, debate, and newspaper; and somehow making time for friends. When June enters a carnival fun house two weeks into the school year, a fairy godmother calls her out on her lying and grants her a superpower: the power to only tell the truth. Scared of her new inability to lie, June starts a blog, Honest June, where she can place her “private truths,” planning to
otherwise remain silent. But as building pressures cause further anxiety, June is forced to consider who she is and what she really wants. Wells (the Mackenzie Blue series) and Smith offer a clear message about the dangers of repressing one’s needs and wants to appease others. Occasional b&w cartoon-style art by newcomer Bond centers character interaction. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Illustrator’s agent: Kate Kendrick, Astound US.

July 1, 2022
June Jackson returns with more lessons to learn about half-truths and pleasing people. Eleven-year-old June believes she has this whole truth-telling curse figured out after her explosive revelation to her parents. As long as she can pour every not-so-nice thought into her private blog, she can still appear to be the perfect friend and daughter. This becomes even more important when she realizes her two best friends, Lee and Nia, may have a mutual crush. As June determines how she will navigate this emotional minefield, she tries out for The Wiz, her school's musical for the year, despite her already full schedule. Fearing disappointing her academically focused father again, June keeps her role as Dorothy a secret. Eventually, however, June runs out of ways to avoid telling the truth, forcing her to deal with the fallout of her actions. Just when she thinks she's got things figured out, the unimaginable happens, sending her world into a tailspin. Like its predecessor, this first-person narrative quickly progresses through its diffuse plot as June learns that how you tell the truth matters just as much as the fact of telling the truth itself. The sudden ending comes as June prepares for her next adventure and will leave readers wanting a more satisfying and fully developed resolution. June and other characters are Black. Final art not seen. A heavy-handed echo of its predecessor. (Fiction. 8-12)

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