Cheating Lessons: A Novel

Could honesty be the worst policy?Sixteen-year-old Bernadette Terrell is a champion debater who adores books, contests, and winning. When she's named captain of her school's Classics Bowl team to compete on TV against their private school rival, Bernadette is thrilled. This is more than a chance to earn the state title, win money for college, and bring glory to her run-down Michigan town. It’s even more than a chance to make some nonfictional friends. This contest is what Bernadette has trained for her whole life. Winning is her destiny. Or is it? On the eve of the championship match she discovers that someone she trusts has cheated. And Bernadette is the only one who knows. An honors student who’s always been sure of the right thing to do, she wonders just what that might be, now that “winning” has a whole new meaning. And yet—it’s still a contest, and she’s still a girl who hates to lose. A coming-of-age story for teens, parents, and teachers, Cheating Lessons uses suspense and humor to craft a mystery about school cheating, friendship, peer pressure, and values, in which an appealingly smart heroine must decide for herself what battles are most worth winning. Nan Willard Cappo blends classic literature, academic ambition, an ethical dilemma, and courage into a novel that never cheats the reader. **