Stu Truly is the first novel by Dan Richards. Sometimes, first novels leave a good deal to be desired, but that is definitely not the case for Richards. This novel offers a fresh take on the timeless theme of boy meets girl. Stu wants to impress the new girl in school, Becca, and to do so, he tells a whopper of a lie. He spends the remainder of the story trying to keep her from finding out that it’s a lie and trying to keep his family from finding out he told the lie at all. Hilarity ensues.

The story, and especially Stu’s internal dialogue, perfectly capture the sometimes witty, sometimes sarcastic attitude of a middle school boy. The reader is drawn into the story in such a way that they really hope that Stu is able to pull off this charade and please everyone, even when that seems like an impossible outcome.

Richard’s fast-paced writing style drives the story along at a quick clip. Putting this book down is difficult, and it’s easy to look forward to when it’s time to pick it up again. A warning to readers: This book may give you the urge to laugh out loud, which could be problematic if you’re sitting like Stu in a middle school classroom. I can’t wait for the next novel from Dan Richards.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Yellow Jacket

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  18 religious exclamations; 2 derogatory names.

Violence/Gore:  A few instances of minor violence between friends, such as shoving, stomping on feet, etc; a few comic fights between kids; several reference to and brief descriptions of a violent video game involving zombies (none of it graphic); boy considers a few violently humorous things that would be better than class or talking to girls (example: eaten by crocodiles); imagined story (brief, 1 sentence) mentions draining blood from a person; character staples their hand accidentally; character’s nose is accidentally broken (blood is mentioned) and is set by a doctor; character has a few dreams about zombies (not graphic); repeated reference to a comic accident that involved blood (2 times).

Sex/Nudity:  Character contemplates kissing a girl; characters hold hands a few times; characters hold hands and kiss; several times, a character is awkward around a girl he has a crush on (sweaty palms, pounding heart, etc.); characters hug; characters slow dance (holding hands only); character reports that he kissed a girl; parental discussion to child about kissing (3); characters kiss; use of the word “nuts” referring to food is comically misinterpreted to be anatomical; reference to reproductive system being discussed in health class (no details); character caresses another’s hand; characters flirt.

Mature Subject Matter:

None

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Cigars are mentioned; an adult smokes a cigarette.