Things Are Seldom What They Seem Summary
Sandy Asher

Things Are Seldom What They Seem Summary

The first year of high school marks the beginning of many traumatic events for young adults. In Things Are Seldom What They Seem, main character Debbie Palermo's natural apprehension over that first day is magnified by the changes she has seen in her older sister, Maggie, a drama club member who now insists upon being called Margaret. Debbie fears that she will undergo such a personality change as well.

As the novel progresses, Debbie finds that the problems faced by Maggie and by Debbie's best friend, Karen, stem from their relationship with the charismatic drama coach, who Debbie dislikes. When Debbie finds out the coach's dark secret, she is torn between keeping it to herself, which she has promised Karen she will do, or telling a responsible adult so that the problem can be resolved.

Asher focuses on the difficult problem of deciding when keeping a promise goes...

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