Summary:
This historical fiction book was very interesting, not because it had anything to do with history but because of the twisted turn in how the events took place. This storyline begins with Evie and her friend Margie buying candy cigarettes so they could practice smoking. Evie and her mother Beverly now live with her new step father Joe and his mother Gladys. Joe was leaving for the military and insisted that they move in and stay with his mother. When Joe got back from the military he wanted to take his wife to a trip where they could relax and enjoy themselves, so Joe decided to take his family to Palm Beach. When they arrived at the hotel it was closed, and so they continued on until they came to another hotel that was lighted with a sign that read "Welcome to the Le Mirage Hotel." They went in and saw a couple of people but later found out that no one came to the hotel in the fall. One evening I heard noise outside my window, when I looked it was a group of girls going out dancing all dressed up in evening gowns. Mother wasn't around and I quickly went to her closet to see if there was something I could find that would fit me. My mother and Mrs. Grayson came up just in time to see and with all the commotion they helped me get ready and I left. As I walk in the room there was dancing and people sipping punch, I had wanted to disappear because high school girls were now staring. I noticed the ugliest boy in the room is looking straight at me and wanted to dance with me because no one else in the room had wanted to dance with him. It was none other than the boy that work at our hotel name Wally. I quickly put down my drink and left the dance, and went back to the hotel and sat by the pool, that's where I saw him. He was handsome with dark blonde hair. He came over and asked me to dance, at first I hesitated but when he asked again I put my hand in his. I felt different, it was like a dream and the next day I wondered if it was real, would I ever see him again. I was falling in love with him, and his name was Peter, not know that he and my mother had something going, until the day that they decided to take the boat out. At first I wasn't happy with the decision that my mother and Joe made with Peter that they would go fishing. I don't know what happened exactly but that morning when the storm hit there was no news on my mother, Joe and Peter. I was worried for my parents but mostly for Peter because I had fallen in love with him and hoped for him to come back to me. We had to evacuate from the hotel and Evie was taken to Officer Deary's house to stay with his wife Twyla. There was still no news about her parents and Peter yet until later the next day Officer Deary arrived in wet, grimy and exhausted to tell Evie that her parents have been found but not Peter. Although Evie was happy for her parents she could not stop thinking the worst for Peter, did he fall over board or what, she wondered. A couple of days later as Evie and her parents were getting ready to leave they were stopped by Officer Deary, he had told them that Peters body was located and they needed to be questioned because he was found dead. Although Joe and Beverly were exonerated because Evie had lied in court for the sake of her mother, Evie believes that her step-father Joe had planned the whole charade and had Peter killed.
Biography:
Blundell, Judy. (2008). What I Saw and How I Lied. New York, NY: Scholastic Press
My Impression:
My impression on the story line of this book was very interesting because from the beginning Evie had always loved her mother and was very close to her. It must have been very hard for Evie to have fallen in love with someone for the very first time, yet she later finds out that it was her mothers lover. I'm sure it was hard but because she loves her mother more, she was willing to take the stand and lie about everything she knew and saw, but even with that she had also loved Joe. Yet she made sure at the end that Joe wouldn't get anything he thought he was going to get, especially the money. Evie being young, she surely grew up fast with all the events that happened so fast in such a short time.
Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal
( April 01, 2010; 9780545160919 )
Gr 9 Up-It's 1947 and Evie's stepfather Joe has returned home to Brooklyn after World War II. Life is slowly returning to normal, until the devastatingly handsome Peter Coleridge appears, looking for his old war buddy. Joe, obviously upset by Peter's appearance, decides to take Evie and her mother on a vacation to West Palm Beach, Florida. Evie's family quickly makes friends with another New York City couple, the Graysons, and Joe and Mr. Grayson begin to make business plans. Then Peter appears and Evie, who is almost 16, begins falling in love with him. She doesn't find it easy to spend time with him because her mother accompanies them everywhere. Tensions mount as Joe's hatred for Peter and her mother's infatuation with the younger man grow and put Evie in the middle of something she does not understand. When tragedy strikes and Peter disappears during a sailing expedition with her parents, Evie must determine who is lying and what is the truth in order to save her family. Judy Blundell's National Book Award winner (Scholastic, 2008) translates well to the audio format, with Caitlin Greer perfectly capturing Evie's voice in this intricate coming-of-age novel that is compelling blend of romance, adventure, mystery, and historical fiction.- Janet Hilbun, Texas Women's University, Denton (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Reviews from Bowkers Books in Print
Use in Library:
Being that its a historical fiction book, I would have the students write an essay about their own conclusion of the characters.
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