Matney,+Allison



**Plot Summary** "The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for" In Sara Shepard's mystery, //The Lying Game,// the difference between life and death is the only thing that separates these long lost twin sisters from each other. When Emma's foster brother shows his mother a video that leaked, of who looked like Emma, killing someone, she sets off for the longest journey of her life. After contacting a girl named Sutton through facebook, who looked exactly like her with the same necklace her real mom had given them, she was kicked out of her foster home and took a bus to Sutton's home town to meet her. She waits and waits ... until no one comes. Or so she thought. She was fake kidnapped and taken to a party with Sutton's friends. When Sutton's friends did not recognize that it wasn't Sutton, the trouble began. No one believed Emma when she truthfully said that she wasn't Sutton, not even the cops! That all changed when Emma got a note from the killer saying that if she was to tell any one of Sutton's death, she would be next. As the mystery unfolds, the killer is revealed, but will Emma survive the role of playing Sutton? Or will her life be suddenly taken by her sister's killer?

**"About the Author" ** Sara Shepard, was born in 1978 to two loving parents. She was born and raised in Pennsylvania. As she then went on past high school, she received her MFA at Brooklyn College in 2004. Her first book was called,//The Visibles/All The Things We Didn't Say//, written in May of 2009. Although, one of the many successes in her writing career has been her teen novel, //Pretty Little Liars//, which is now one of ABC's hit television shows. This book is based off of her childhood and teenage years growing up in Pennsylvania. //The Lying Game//, is Sara's second book in this series coming after//, Pretty Little Liars,// which has also just become an ABC television show. The show is based off of last years, //Pretty Little Liars//, "PLL" phenomenon//.// Sara now lives in Philadelphia with her dogs and her husband while continuing to write her infamous series of novels and she now plans ahead for more successful writing pieces in the future of her career.

**"Other Works by Sara Shepard"** Some of Sara's other works include....

//Pretty Little Liars//, //Flawless//, //Perfect//, //Unbelievable//, //Wicked//, //Killer//, //Heartless//, //Wanted//, and many more!

**Social Issue Relevance ** The social relevance in this book that many teens can relate to is the act of lying. Not only is Emma lying to save her own life, but she is lying to figure out who it was that took her long lost twin sister's life, Sutton Mercer. The consequences of lying may vary depending upon how bad a lie is. Many teens are caught up in lying to their parents daily which has become a problem that they now face head on. A little white lie can be harmless, but a lie like Emma's could result in death. These troublesome types of lies are not only true in books or made up stories, but they can happen in real life as well. In the article below, we may see the various things teens were found lying about. One of these many lies include lying about who they are with. When Emma's best friend from home asked her how her visit with Sutton was going, she had to lie and say that it was going great. After all, she didn't want to be killed! This little white lie saved Sutton from further trouble just as it does to may other teens across the world. When a parent asks their child where they were and who they were with, the child tends to lie to avoid the consequences that their parents may give them. Emma carries on for a long time in pretending to be Sutton and she is lying every day as she forces herself into Sutton's lie. She constantly has to lie to Sutton's foster parents to cover up for her being unaware of certain things happening in the life of Sutton Mercer. As you can see, lying has become an epidemic or as some may refer to it, an outbreak, that is not just shown in books, but also in the real world around us. Lastly, statistics show that 91% of all americans confessed that they lied regularly. This just proves the rise in lying that Americans tell in our generation and the issue of social relevance throughout our country. For more information on this topic, click here ...    [] Other Sources Cited: []

**Dramatization of the Book** If I were making a movie of this book, I would choose the following actors/actresses to portray the characters ...   Emma: I would choose Victoria Justice as this role because she is an experienced actress, yet she is still young and could fit the role of Emma very well.  Ethan: In my head, I picture Ethan as a nice, shy, corky guy with a great personality. In this case, I believe that Michael Cera could master the role that Ethan plays in this story with his overall appearance and acting ability.

**About the Reader** I am Allison Matney, a freshman at Gahanna Lincoln High School. I was born on June 5, 1997, by my loving parents, Rob and Nancy Matney, along with my brother, Austin. I have lived in Gahanna, Ohio all of my life with several generations of family here as well. I am a dancer and I run Cross Country for the Lady Lions Cross Country team here at Gahanna which was recently the first girls cross country team at Gahanna to win the OCC title, in which we are very proud of. My motto is, live life to the fullest. Being a happy person is something I take pride in and I look at life as a once in a lifetime opportunity because thats what it is, plain and simple. I do enjoy reading at times when I am able to get into a good book, but other than that, I'll pass! Although, when it comes to writing, I would love to have a future career as a magazine editor or something along those lines. Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." That is what I plan on taking out of life, having the courage to do what I love. <3