2008-01-03 Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Does the name Barbara Hall sound familiar? It does to me because she has written and produced a number of my favorite TV shows - Judging Amy, Chicago Hope, and Joan of Arcadia. I knew she had also written some books, but I hadn't read any. THE NOAH CONFESSIONS caught my eye at the bookstore, and then I saw her name and snatched it up pronto!

Lynnie Russo doesn't remember much about her mom, but she's about to learn way more than she ever thought there was to know. Her mom died in what everyone refers to as a "bad car wreck." Having a dead mom puts Lynnie in a special category at her private L.A. prep school. Everyone there is known for something, and this is Lynnie's "something."

A sixteenth birthday in Lynnie's neighborhood means a new car. Lynnie's expectations are not necessarily new, maybe a modest used VW, but definitely a car. Surprise! Her dad hands her a small box. Car keys? Nope, just a cheap looking charm bracelet with birds on it. You've got to be kidding. Where's the car? Dad says there isn't one.

There is something else though. Lynnie's dad also gives her a manuscript. It is a letter written by her mother back when she was fifteen, almost sixteen. It is supposed to explain her mother's life. All Lynnie knows as she begins to read the lengthy letter to some mysterious Noah person; it is not a car.

Barbara Hall takes readers on a journey with Lynnie as she discovers a huge secret about her mother's life. Imagine thinking you know the people who have surrounded you for your entire life only to discover a whole other world full of secrets. THE NOAH CONFESSIONS will suck you in before the end of the first chapter.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"