102 Days of Lying About Lauren

By: Jamie Steinberg

102 Days of Lying About Lauren introduces us to “Mouse,” a twelve-year-old girl who lives in an amusement park. That’s right, she lives in an amusement park. Where would you go if your mother abandoned you there and you had no one else to turn to? Thankfully, Mouse has made a friend there, so she is not completely alone. But what happens when someone arrives at the park that could ruin the life that Mouse has made for herself? You’ll have to keep turning pages on this deeply heartbreaking and heartwarming tale.

Lauren Suszek is dead. At least that’s what Mouse would say if you asked her. She lost the life she knew when her mother abandoned her at an amusement park. Now exists a twelve-year-old pretending to be a sixteen-year-old who “works” at the park (she sweeps here and there so it looks like she’s a part of the staff) and sleeps in the Haunted House of Horrors with her sole companion Pretty Dolly (self-explanatory). That is until she befriends fellow employee Tanner – whose father just happens to be an executive working for the park. It’s been 102 days since Mouse has made the park her home and her ability to go undetected as a resident gets upended when someone identifies her by her given name – Lauren Suszek. Not wanting to be taken in by social services, Mouse does her best to dodge her accuser until a looming tornado closes down the park and sends guests running for shelter. Stuck in the place she calls home with Tanner and the individual trying to out her true identity, Mouse must come to terms with her past while testing the rules she has put in place to keep herself safe so as not to tread on her morals.

102 Days of Lying About Lauren reminds me of a mixture of the books Junkyard Dogs by Katherine Higgs-Coulthard, because of Mouse being left to fend for herself, and The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves #1: Egypt’s Fire by Tom Phillips, as we have a kid that lives in a museum. With this tale, author Maura Jortner does a wonderful job of captivating readers from the first page and truly making you invest in Mouse’s wellbeing. She’s likeable, charismatic, principled and doing her best day to day to survive and thrive. Whether she is attempting to evade detection from Nalo the security guard or lending Tanner a hand with a goodbye gift for a pal or putting her stability on the line to save a life (you’ll see), you’re fully intrigued by Mouse’s adventures.

For those looking for a sweet and young adult book for your kids to read, pick up 102 Days of Lying About Lauren. I read it in a total of two days – it was that cute – but I’m sure with all the pool activities and summer festivities this summer younger readers will make this tremendous tale last longer. I, for one, have my fingers crossed that a sequel or Disney+ film about this story is in the works.