Do Not Read This Book

Those who disobey the injunction in Moon's title will find themselves sharing the 'life and secret thoughts' of Finch Olive Penny, recording, as in a series of first person diary excerpts, the events of the months immediately preceding her first term at secondary school. Superficially, Finch's tone is confident and casual - there are distinct echoes of a Jacqueline Wilson heroine - but it cannot mask completely her anxiety when her single parent mother embarks on a new relationship. In coming to accept this development, Finch is to learn some sad truths about her own father's identity and, more generally, about the pitfalls of lying. Although essentially lighthearted, this is a book which delivers rather more than its style and presentation promise.