What I Saw and How I Lied

Judy Blundell. 2008. New York: Scholastic Press. 288 pages. ISBN 978-0-439-90346-2

Plot Summary: When Evie’s father returns from World War II the family decides to celebrate with a trip to Florida. Being the off-season the hotel is almost deserted, but Evie’s family makes friends with the Grayson’s and Peter, a young man who knew Evie’s dad during the war. Evie is fifteen and is in a hurry to grow up. She falls for good-looking Peter. Peter spends time with her and her mother, and Evie feels that he is falling for her, too. But is Evie right? After a boating accident results in tragedy, Evie must reexamine her previous assumptions and make a consequential decision. Her family will never be the same.

Critical evaluation: This is a story about the end of childhood and the loss of innocence: Evie comes to see her family not just from her viewpoint as their child but as they appear to others. This is a painful realization for her and at the end of the book she is not the same girl as she was when the book began. The plot of What I Saw and How I Lied is not just one-dimensional, however. Themes of anti-Semitism, war crimes and ill-begotten money are all intertwined. The book is well-written and at times is reminiscent of film noir.

Reader's Annotation: What do you do when feelings of justice and family loyalty are at odds?

About the author: Judy Blundell has written over 100 titles for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers under several pseudonyms. Under the pen name Jude Watson, she is the author of several New York Times bestselling and award winning series and media tie-in novels. Her novel, Premonitions, was an ALA Reluctant Readers Best Picks and was chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2004 Best Books for the Teen Age. Judy Blundell lives in Katonah, New York, with her husband and daughter. She states that she tries to immerse herself in the period of the book she’s writing, listening to music that’s appropriate to that time frame. And she limits her reading of anything contemporary to the newspapers. She also uses Google to look at original newspaper articles and transcripts whenever she can, to help immerse herself in the time of the book she is writing. Visit her website at http://www.judyblundell.com/


Genre: Historical mystery, thriller.

Curriculum ties: N/A

Reading level/Interest Age: Grades 9 and up.

Challenge Issues: N/A

Booktalking ideas: What does Evie do when she finds out that her parents are not the people she thinks they are?

Why Chosen: What I Saw and How I Lied is the winner of the National Book Award.