Liar Is Out!

We are only one week away from the release of Leviathan. But the big news at Casa Larbfeld today is the release of Justine’s new novel Liar!

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As you might guess, Liar is about a girl who doesn’t always tell the truth—not even to the reader. It’s one of those books in which the whole story (indeed, the whole world) gets flipped upside down in your hands every few chapters or so.

Of course, it would seem uxorious and self-serving to heap praise upon my wife’s novel, so instead I will direct you to its three starred reviews:

“Dark, gripping . . . an engrossing story of teenage life on the margins.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Readers will get chills paging through Larbalestier’s suspenseful novel . . . with a masterfully constructed unreliable narrator [they] will be guessing and theorizing long after they’ve finished this gripping story.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The chilling story . . . will have readers’ hearts racing. In the end readers will delve into the psyche of a troubled teen and decide for themselves the truths and lies.”
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Want to know more? Click here for more reviews, here to read an excerpt, and here for more info from the author.

Also out today is the paperback edition of Justine’s previous book, How to Ditch Your Fairy, with this amazing new cover:

HTDYF

Hammers! We loves them!

Note that Liar is a slightly older book than How to Ditch Your Fairy. It’s officially for 14-up.

In addition, you may wish to note that Leviathan has also received three starred reviews. So, like, nyeh.

51 thoughts on “Liar Is Out!

  1. I really want–no, I NEED this book!!!!
    I love that there’s a Black girl on the cover. She’s gorgeous, and there just aren’t enough of them around.
    Scott, you and Justine are amazing writers, and I look up to you.
    I can’t wait for Leviathan! Meanwhile I’ll try and get my dad to drive me to Borders so I can get LIAR.
    🙂

  2. Three cheers for Liar! It looks totally awesome – and I love the new cover, too. I’m having a green-and-black phase myself … very nice! And I remain super-jealous that she got THREE starred reviews. That’s like the triple crown, it is …

  3. yay!ill have to read it
    AND AHHHHHHH you’re/Scott-la IS COMEING TO MY FRIENDS SCHOOL!
    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE LUCKY!

  4. Ah i want to read liar so bad and how to ditch your fairy was an AWESOME book!!!! I can’t wait for your new book either Scott-la!! When it comes out i will be sure and read it SUPER FAST!!!!!!!!!!

  5. GAH! I bought Liar on Sunday and because Australian covers seem to suck massively lately I am kicking myself that I didn’t order the American cover that looks so much better. I’m glad they got rid of the white female model and gone with the darker girl like it’s SUPPOSED TO BE!
    Now I’m stuck with the ugly white cover (which will be dirty by the time I finish reading it no doubt) with ugly red blood title 🙁
    It’s interesting and I didn’t mind it at the time but gosh…that one is so much better
    Though…to be fair to Australia, my home, I do like the Aussie cover to HTDYF
    Even though I do love hammers 😛

  6. I HAVE to get those!

    what is really funny is that i was looking at books like two weeks ago and i saw liar and decided that i really wanted to get it but saddly it wasn’t out
    so i pull up the this page and see the cover and get really excited
    wondering if you knew the author or read the book and reviewed it or something like that
    i read the summary(nothing knew, already read it)and i finally reach good part, the opinion. and then, of course i realise why its there…
    she’s your wife! you can say i felt stupid
    oh well, sorry! i just had to tell you guys that!

  7. oh goodness lucky 13!

    uuuggghhh i have to wait til LEVIATHAN comes out before i get to buy LIAR cuz my mom only wants to make one trip to the holy bookstore! that means im gonna have to decide wich one to read first!! help me!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😐

  8. I do love me the new HTDYF cover. It is SO fitting. Also, super excited to read Liar! (And Leviathan!) Though my bookcase are groaning under the weight of my TBR pile at this point. Too many good books – I can’t keep up.

    Ooo, and congrats to you BOTH on the three stars! 🙂

  9. wow….another awesome looking book that i’ll have to read eventuallyy. there are just too many and not ENOUGH TIME!!!! seriously school just takes up too much time…i think if you read alot then you shouldn’t have to go and anyone who doesn’t read…well then that just sucks for them! who’s with me??? 🙂

    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!! <3

  10. Viva La Smoke!: Im with ya!!!
    (I still need a cool name any suggestions?): Just add la or wa to ur first name, or like Viva La Smoke! just make ur name have something to do with ur favorite things (but one of them must have something to do with uglies)
    I loooove the #13 its my favorite!!!! lol

  11. hey hey dont forget your name doesnt HAVE to have anything to do with UGLIES. i mean helllooooo what about MIDNIGHTERS and PEEPS??? SO YESTERDAY!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😀

  12. (i still need a cool name, any suggestions?) is now....(read on oh yeah i used to be tabby-wa which is short for tabitha but i thaough it was boring)) says:

    go thirteen again!( i don’t see how its unlucky! its way to cool for that!)
    i guess ill be…
    Boss
    (has it been done b4? tell me so i can change it i have to be… special)
    and i agree! i need more time! i’ve got a humungus pile of books waiting to be read! just add liar on top!

  13. (i still need a cool name, any suggestions?) is now....(read on oh yeah i used to be tabby-wa which is short for tabitha but i thaough it was boring)) says:

    I actually used to be tabby-la

  14. I am so excited for Leviathan! I was at the bookstore today and I checked the shelves, hoping they accidentally put it out early. No such luck. And there was no trace of Liar there! I’ll have to go back and *demand* that they pull their copies out of the basement.

  15. wow, only one week!
    *adds Liar to book list*
    I can’t wait, this fall is like book-release-smorgus-board!
    : D

  16. person who needs a cool name: im usuallyy good at coming up with like kick ass names but that’s for me…i’d have to know what you’re into to come up with something totallyy perfect for you! so give me more details…and i’ll think. haha or not and just come up with one on your own. it’s more fun that way! 🙂

    ok…UGLIES RELATED TOPIC!!!! ok so in World Cultures today we were learning about how they dress in the Middle East and one of the names for what the women wear around their head is SHAYLA!!!! i was like…woah…and got reallyy excited except i couldn’t share that with anyone else coz like i said im all alone in my little corner of PA.

    Jessie-wa: i think we should totallyy petition something like that for all the schools in the world.. like you go to school for still a certain amount of years so you can learn all the basics and then if you love to read you say that at a certain time and they have to monitor how many books you read so that the people who just say they read to get out of going to school can’t get away with that kind of thing. i think that totally works!!! it’s a brilliant plan!!! 🙂

    CAN’T WAIT FOR LEVIATHAN!!!!

    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!! <3

  17. i want to buy liar and leviathan at the same time. i feel the books will be more special that way. so, alas, i wait a couple of days.

  18. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Now I have another book I NEED to read!!!! But I’m not sure thats a bad thing. Oh well! Can’t wait to read it!

  19. i still need a cool name…:it doesnt have to be related to uglies, but most every scott fan has read uglies. ive read midnighters it rocked, but i think uglies was better!
    Viva La Smoke!: we NEED to do that me and im pretty sure only ONE of my friends likes reading as much as i do! so that might not fly with some of my friends but it good with me! lol
    bye!!

  20. OMG! New books coming out of my ears! LIAR looks fantastical! There’s another book that also had a not-quite trustworthy nararrator, “ts Not All About You, Calma!” by Barry Johnsburg. One of my faves… and “Double Exposure” by Brain Caswell will make you second guess all your assumtions.
    6 DAYS TILL LEVIATHAN!! Woot!

  21. Viva La Smoke!: THATS A KICK ASS PLAN! WE SO NEED TO DO THAT. I LOOOOOVE TO READ I READ SOOO MUCH! I LOVE GREENDAY ALMOST AS MUCH AS SCOTT! SO THATS AL LOT OF LOVE. U DONT EVEN KNOW, WELL MAYBE U DO, BUT HE’S MY FAV AUTHOR OF ALL TIME! EVER EVER EVER EVER!!
    lol sorry spastic moment, and problem with caps lock. i only meant to make the first sentence caps, but after i typed it i didnt wanna retype it.

  22. Jessie-wa: i think that’s the whole reason we should petition for that to happen coz then you wouldn’t have to go to a crowded school. there could be like certain schools in each state just for readers and like you could analyze the books and stuff. or like just one in the whole U.S. or one for each like favorite author like all the people on this site go to one school and you can like switch authors each month and they teach you writing techniques and tell you the books they read and then we read them too. o my god just thinking about this is making me excited. WE DEFINITELY NEED TO GET A PETITION FOR THIS!!!! 🙂

    Lily-wa: wow we have ALOT IN COMMON!!!! haha Scott Westerfeld is my FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIME TOO!!! and GREEN DAY is just nine kinds of AMAZING!!!! haha i went to their concert over the summer it was totallyy awesome like it made me feel all bubblyy actually more like icy! 🙂 and yeah the plan for readers only school is totally kick ass if i do say so myself 😉 haha.

    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!! 🙂

  23. ping to ( i need a coolname, any suggestions? ): here’s a few things to remember:
    1. it HAS to end in-la/-wa
    2. or something midnighters/peeps re-lated. like a tridecalgoism ( did i spell that right? or anythiong vampire-y.
    3. do u do fanfic? ’cause if u do, b your protag. I was “crimson” for a while… that would b fawesome too… hope u find the right name!

  24. (i still need a cool name, any suggestions?) is now....(read on oh yeah i used to be tabby-wa which is short for tabitha but i thaough it was boring)) says:

    go green day! I love green day! 21 guns is awesome! the last night on earth my favorite!

    thx for all the help!
    ive read midnighters and uglies(still need to read peeps)

    i thought i would be boss cuz a shay
    but i want to know if its icy enough

  25. wow…i didn’t know there were so many GREEN DAY fans in the world…there are like none in my school! and if there are none are as obsessed as me. haha it makes me smile to know that other people have such great taste in music. hahah 🙂

    tell me a story into that goodnight…
    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!! <3

  26. HAHA Scott-la! It must be so fun to compete with you wife over writing books! Just wondering since I haven’t read all the comments yet, what’s with the Green Day stuff? And, since we’re all on the subject of bands,
    PARAMORE ROCKS! GET THEIR NEW cd “Brand New Eyes” ! I LUV ITw/all my heart! I stuff the album in my pillowcase and sleep on top of it!!!!!!! (yes, I know i have a problem) BYE PEOPLES!!!! 😀

  27. Viva La Smoke!: i really wanna do that! but how r we gonna make a petition for that? lol! I love greenday too!!!need a cool name: alice-wa said it had to do with peeps or midnighters, but it just has to do with one of his books
    on a completly different topic- me and lily-wa actually know each other she’s one of my bffs so we’re always talking and we’re always on a t like the same time so if our comments are always next eachother thats why. i was the one who told her about scott and told her about this site. bye

  28. Jessie-wa: besties 4 life! luv ya
    Viva La Smoke!: sooo much in common, such a good plan! ive read the uglies series 5 times! lol i think i obsessed! not like u guys arent! lucky!!! u got to go to their concert?!?!?!?!?!?!
    need a cool name: ok just think of ur fav name, like i like the name amber so that could be my name, amber-la. just think of something scott-la-ish and ur favorites! cept i looove the name lily its dorable!
    im so bored and when i spell stuff rong just ignore it when i type i dont pay attention so bye everyone!!! i used a lotta exclamation points

  29. Jessie-wa: no clue how we’re going to do that but trust me i WILL think of something!!!! 🙂 maybe we can get Scott Westerfeld to help us…or someone. i don’t know but im going to think of something…i promise. haha

    Lily-wa: i know we have soooo much in common and yes i do come up with great plans! haha. and yes i am totally obsessed with the uglies series too actually with all of scott’s books. haha. i’ve read the series bout five times too. it’s soooo good i can’t help myself! haha. and yes i did go to their concert! and i still can’t believe it which is reallyy sad considering i went in July. haha and i soooo wanna go to one again. they are awesome performers and Billie Joe Armstrong…well need i say more??? haha. 🙂

    Other Tally: GREEN DAY is just amazing so why not talk of them? haha. and i was gonna go to a Paramore concert but it’s like at a bar/club place in Philly and that kinda made up my mom’s mind. also the tickets for them are more expensive than Green Day and this might upset some people but GREEN DAY is much better than Paramore…just saying.

    Jessie-wa and Lily-wa: it’s soooo cool that you guys are like best friends and both like the series. none of my reallyy good friends like it like me so that’s the main reason im on here to talk with people who are like me. 🙂 being on here doesn’t make my obsession seem as bad lol. 🙂

    tell me a story into that goodnight….
    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!! <3

  30. Viva La Smoke!: ya we need to talk to scott bout it, but he doesnt reply to emails! its annoying! lol. it makes everyones obsession not as bad cuz everyone on this site loooooves scott maybe not as much as some people though. me and lily-wa dont really talk about scott that much around people they’ll think we’re crazy and obsessed. well we are the obsessed part but whateva. greenday is sooo much better than paramore! what time is it where u live??? right now its like 7:12

    in other news i have strep throat and i better be better by monday im going on this camping trip thingy. and its gonna be soooo much fun but i will not be happy if i have to miss it.

  31. Jessie-wa: awww ur sick, that sux! feel better. u better be better by monday it wont be as fun without my bestie and we’re in same cabin bus everything. txt u l8er
    Viva La Smoke!: ive only read the uglies series (5x) and midnighters. whats ur fav scott series? ya me and jessie-wa dont really talk bout scott in public people are like why do u like those books so much they suck. and we’re like no they dont u havent even read them. but that sucks that ur best friends dont like scott that much.
    school starts at 7:50 but im getting on the bus now so bye

  32. Jessie-wa and Lily-wa: yeah i understand about people thinking you’re obsessed and crazy….happens to me all the time even from my own family. 🙁

    Jessie-wa: hope you feel better. and i think you’re really far behind pennsylvania or we’re really ahead or something. i don’t know the time difference…i’ll find out sometime haha. 🙂

    Lily-wa: favorite scott series….UGLIES. i like midnighters too but like the last book kinda depressed me but it was still really good. 🙂

    tell me a story into that goodnight…
    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!! <3

  33. Viva La Smoke!: me too i love the uglies series soooooooo much! i like the midnighters series but its just not my favorite. i feel bad for beth she lost her sister and can never see her again.
    Jessie-wa: thats good u feel better and how did u figure out the time zone difference

  34. Jessie-wa: cool! i’m like living in the future and you are like in the past. i think it’s head-spinning when you think of time zones that way. hahaha. 🙂 but that also means that i’m in school before you which kinda sucks but whatever hahaha.

    Lily-wa: i know i hate how jessica has to leave her sister and her family. it really struck me though coz i have a sister who is 3 years younger than me which is the same as jess and beth so yeah it was really intense for me. 🙁

    tell me a story into that goodnight…
    GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!! <3

  35. Viva La Smoke!: lol! ive read midnighters too and i think its so sad when jessica and beth see eachother cuz jess says shes not coming back. i would be beth there i have a sister thats 3 years older than me.
    Lily-wa: i looked it up on google

  36. Viva La Smoke!: ya i have a sister thats younger than me too not 3 years 4 but close enough. it was so sad. i agree with jessie-wa its sad when jessica says shes not coming back. scott should make another midnighters book! i wanna know what happens and like it could be about them traveling and finding other midnighters and fighting more darklings and ya like that. well u know what i mean if youve read those books then u know what i mean the last line is just taunting me!
    Jessie-wa: duh wow bubblehead moment! lol who would actually do a bunch of math to figure out a time difference anyone would just look it up
    i cant type today i went back like 5 times to make it correct or at least nearly correct well bye

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