rgz Street Team: Sarah, What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Review by Sarah

Evie Spooner is fifteen years old, and her stepfather is back from WWII. Suddenly, she is taken by her mother and stepfather to Palms Beach, Florida. Evie and her family meet Peter Coleridge, an ex-GI who served with her father, and she finds herself falling for him. Evie soon learns some secrets about her family from Peter. Then one day, tragedy strikes and Evie must find herself and figure out where her loyalties lie.
What I Saw and How I Lied is an amazing coming-of-age novel. It includes such difficult topics as anti-Semitism, Greed, Blackmail, Adultery, and Dishonesty. It is told with vivid imagery; the reader can picture everything. The characters are honest and likable. You will love Evie and her mom. The book is also an addicting and suspenseful ride. The setting is amazing; I felt like I was in 1948. The way that it ends allows room for a sequel and I can't wait for Judy Blundell's next book. This book won the National Book Award for Young Adults, so that's another reason to check it out.

***

Thanks, Sarah, for a fabulous review! Don't forget that if you're in the NYC area, you have a chance to meet Judy Blundell on Saturday at the Girls Write Now Winter Reading. (You'll also get to hear high school girls read their own works, and you'll be giving back to a fantastic organization.)

This Saturday: Girls Write Now Winter Reading

Here's something you might want to do with your Saturday: Listen to amazing girls read their works at the Girls Write Now Annual Winter Reading, co-sponsored by the New York Society for Ethical Culture! Join participants in the program for an afternoon with young women writers and the women who inspire them -- including guest speaker Judy Blundell, author of the 2008 National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic).

The evening will feature original collaborative works written and performed by mentor-mentee pairs from the GWN class of 2009. The event is open to the public, and a $10-20 donation to GWN is suggested for admission (though no one will be turned away at the door).

The New York Society for Ethical Culture is located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West on the Upper West Side. I'll be there, so come say hi, readergirlz!

Girls Write Now is a creative writing and mentoring organization for high school girls in NYC. The members are women writers—authors, editors, educators, journalists, playwrights, publishers, advertising and PR professionals, literary agents and more—on a mission to provide a safe space for high school girls to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career and life.

Need more convincing? A good word from The Daily Beast.