Lydia Cooper Is a Lie

By: Meaghan McIsaac

Published by Aladdin, 2026-06-30

For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.

A girl who doesn’t know she’s in witness protection accidentally reveals her identity and puts her life in danger in this twisty upper middle grade thriller.

For as long as Lydia can remember, it’s been her and her dad against the world. But while she loves him, her dad is so overprotective. Well-versed in the dangers of the internet from his job in cybersecurity, he refuses to let Lydia be online without heavy parental controls, and social media is out of the question.

One day, when all Lydia’s friends are invited to a movie night at her crush’s house—except her because she’s not in the group chat—Lydia gets fed up with her dad’s rules and makes a social media account. Then an armed intruder shows up at her home. Clearly, there’s more to her family’s past than she knows.

On the run and separated from her dad, Lydia will need to uncover the secrets her dad has been keeping if she wants to reunite with him. But how can Lydia know who to trust along the way when she doesn’t even know who she is?