What I Saw and How I Lied

What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell
 
In 1947 Evie Spooner is fifteen years old, living in Queens with her mother Beverly and her stepfather Joe. After returning from the war in Europe, Joe has become a successful owner of a chain of appliance stores. Joe and Beverly make a glamorous couple; he is charming and handsome and Beverly is a sophisticated beauty who turns heads wherever she goes. Having a beautiful mother makes the teen years especially hard for Evie, who "takes after her father" and is struggling to find her identity as a young woman.

After he receives a series of mysterious phone calls, Joe impulsively decides to drive the family to Palm Beach resort for a vacation, where they meet the Graysons, a couple with whom Joe quickly begins to make business plans. Evie becomes infatuated with 23-year-old Peter Coleridge, an old army buddy of Joe's who coincidentally shows up at the resort and distracts her from understanding the impact of the tensions that develop between her parents and the other guests.

After a tragic boating accident and the trial that follows, Evie is forced to take an honest look at the events she witnessed and the character of the adults in her life.

This coming of age mystery is a 2008 winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Grades 7 - 12

-Catherine