For an unlikely English class assignment designed to decrease hostilities, Cassie, Emily and Lydia are supposed to become pen pals with teens from a rival high school. E-mails, notes passed during class, letters, and diary entries reveal the characters of these girls and the power of their friendship, while setting the stage for new relationships with their pen pals. At first, the girls don’t take the assignment very seriously, and each has a different intention for her letters. Inevitably, the supposed freaks and monsters at Brookfield High become more interesting than the girls could have imagined, at least for Emily and Lydia. But Cassie’s pen pal writes scathing, hurtful letters that begin to undermine her already fragile psyche. The six teens become involved in pranks and subterfuge, of which they are guilty, and blamed for crimes, of which most are not guilty. The reader is privy to thoughts to which even best friends have no access in a book that balances lighthearted fun with a more serious exploration of personal struggles and the value of friendship. One of the most impressive and satisfying qualities of Jaclyn Moriarty’s narrative is the way she integrates formal language to demonstrate the intelligence of the characters into their informal speech and writing, the humor of which rings true (Ages 14–17)

In this epistolary novel, three Aussie private school girls enter a pen pal program that leads to friendship, love, mischief, mystery, and revenge.

The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program is designed to bring together the two rival schools in a spirit of harmony and “the Joy of the Envelope.” But when Cassie, Lydia, and Emily send their first letters to Matthew, Charlie, and Sebastian, things don’t go quite as planned. What starts out as a simple letter exchange soon leads to secret missions, false alarms, lock picking, mistaken identities, and an all-out war between the schools—not to mention some really excellent kissing.

Praise for The Year of Secret Assignments

“Who can resist Moriarty’s biting humor?” —Kirkus Reviews

“This energetic novel reveals the author’s keen understanding of teen dynamics and invites audience members to read between the lines to discover what makes each character tick. Containing elements of mystery, espionage, romance and revenge, Moriarty’s story will likely satisfy hearty appetites for suspense and fun.” —Publishers Weekly