102 Days of Lying about Lauren

by Maura Jortner (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

After being abandoned by her mother in a most unusual place, a defiant heroine sticks to her plan for staying hidden--even though getting caught could mean saving her life.

Twelve-year-old Mouse calls an amusement park home.

Nobody notices her, and that's the way she likes it. Mouse sweeps the streets and wears a uniform she "borrowed" and sleeps on the top floor of the Haunted House of Horrors. She knows which security guards to avoid, eats the bagel left out each morning for the Ghost of Summer (a popular theme park legend), and even has the taco guy convinced that her lunch is paid for. She has her special hiding methods down to a science.

But one morning, a girl named Cat comes looking for Lauren Suszek. Cat notices her, and Mouse doesn't like it. Mouse cannot let this nosy pest find out who she really is! If Mouse gets discovered living in the park, Mama might come back for her, and Mouse doesn't want that. Or--even worse?--Mama might not come back at all.

Mouse knows she can lose this girl without blowing her cover. She just has to follow her rules. A carefully constructed life in the park is all she needs. Right?

Anchored by memorable characters and an extraordinary setting, Maura Jortner's brilliant debut novel is bursting with grit, humor, and heart.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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Kirkus

A promising story whose central premise demands deeper exploration.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-7--When she's abandoned by her mother at an amusement park, 12-year-old Mouse (also known as Lauren) spends her days pretending to be a park employee, hanging out with her friend Tanner, trying to blend in, and desperately avoiding thinking about her mother. For 102 days, it's been working: she sleeps undetected on the fourth floor of the Haunted House of Horrors, eats the cinnamon raisin bagels left out for breakfast for the park's "ghost," and follows five carefully constructed rules (the most important one is "Pretend to know more than you do"). But when she is spotted by someone who knows her real name and isn't easy to avoid, Mouse can't help but panic. This coincides with a dangerous storm at the park that leaves Tanner injured, and Mouse has to decide between outing herself or helping her friend. A lively voice and ingenuity carry this exciting story that is filled with humor and heart. Mouse discovers that people aren't always what they seem and that sometimes, breaking the rules is the best way to move forward. VERDICT Memorable, original, and engaging. Recommended for all libraries.--Rebecca Kirshenbaum

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Having been abandoned by her mother at America's most famous amusement park, in Florida, tall-for-her-age 12-year-old Lauren "Mouse" Suszek hides in plain sight by posing as a 16-year-old park employee. She manages the deception admirably for the titular 102 days, living at the top of the Haunted House of Horrors and logging her self-imposed "Rules to Live By" and "Lies Told." She even befriends Tanner, a park employee who's also son to the park's CEO, and whose sister bears a striking resemblance to Mouse. But Mouse's luck changes quickly when Cat, a seventh grader who uses a cane, arrives and claims to be Mouse's cousin just as a tornado forces everyone in the park to take shelter. Huddled in an unstable building, Mouse struggles to confront her grief and anger alongside a now-injured Tanner, who is navigating his own tumultuous family dynamic, and suspicious but concerned Cat. Industrious Mouse's colloquial first-person voice layers her feelings about her circumstances with the logistics around her solo survival, resulting in a moving debut from Jortner that retains a sense of adventure while lightly exploring an experience of abandonment. Protagonists cue as white; the secondary cast is racially diverse. Ages 8-12. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency. (June)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Mouse is a main character to root for—with plenty of spunk, humor, and heart. —Ben Guterson, Edgar Award-nominated author of Winterhouse

Hilarious, absorbing, and immensely endearing, here is a story that will have your whole heart. This book is alive with 'Park Magic.' —Chris Baron, author of Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Magical Imperfect

Told with the feel of a classic, 102 Days of Lying about Lauren is a truly special book full of hope, friendship, and heart—all the things you need to weather the worst of storms. —Ally Malinenko, author of Ghost Girl
Maura Jortner
Maura Jortner teaches creative writing and literature at Baylor University. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and a cat that can do tricks. Though she doesn't do big roller coasters, she loves a good haunted house attraction. This is her debut novel.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780823453627
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Holiday House
Publication date
June 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV039070 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Homelessness & Poverty
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Abandoned children
Amusement parks

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