Nine year old Mary Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. Now Mary is almost sixteen and has been released from juvenile detention into a group home. She still insists she is innocent, but during her years in detention she remained silent during psychological testing and therapy so no one really takes her seriously.
When Mary is not following orders around the group home, she is attending cosmetology classes and fulfilling required volunteer time at a local nursing home. Her mother visits once every other week, but is more focused on her own craziness than on the rehabilitation of her daughter. The other girls at the home bully Mary, steal her things, and taunt her about her alleged crime. The only friend Mary has is Ted, another volunteer at the nursing home.
It could be said that Ted is more than a friend. Mary feels safe and loved when she is able to steal alone time with Ted. In fact, she is several months pregnant. When she tells Ted the news, he is excited and the two begin planning how they can be together and raise their child. Mary knows that keeping her baby is out of the question unless she can convince people of her innocence. That means convincing her mother to confess the truth about the death of little Alyssa.
In this debut novel, author Tiffany D. Jackson dives into the psychic of a young girl with a traumatic past. Jackson gives readers a frightening look at the justice system, the detention system, and the hopelessness of a girl attempting to make something of herself despite the odds stacked against her. From the facts of the crime to the resulting punishment, nothing is quite as it seems. ALLEGEDLY will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
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