My Big Mouth

From author and spoken word artist Steven Camden comes a novel about lies and consequences, taking place over the course of the final term of Year 6. One night, Jay's father unexpectedly leaves home, and without any answers to his questions, Jay begins to tell a series of lies and increasingly outlandish stories, beginning as an act of self-preservation but soon tipping over into a desperate mission to become and stay 'cool'. But the chain reaction of lies begins to take over . . .

The prose brilliantly written, and the narrative is enhanced and meaning expanded through visual language throughout. Not only Chanté Timothy's greyscale illustrations which accompany the text, but such features as: dictionary definitions of key words relating to the emotional beats of the narrative such as 'chain reaction' and 'guilt'; written lists; dialogue presented as playscript; and at one point, the words "MR LIAR" appear repeated across the top and bottom margins of the page, as if crowding Jay's thoughts. A pacey, relatable and accomplished book.