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All member reviews for What I Saw and How I Lied

mtpleasantmom
parent of 8 and 10 year old
14
 
This book was chosen by my daughter's literature circle at school. My daughter is 9, one of the girls in her group is 9 and one is 11 (Montessori mixed ages). I didn't think twice about it since it was a school book. When the other nine year old's mother called me saying her daughter was in tears over the ickyness of the book, I read a few chapters and was immediately concerned. I came to this website and read the information in the What to Watch section and was completely shocked! It is so not appropriate for a 4th grader! I do not believe in banning books or censorship of any kind, however, age-appropriateness is very important. Needless to say I sent an email to the teacher letting her know my daughter would not be reading any more of this book. This book is definitely for teens and older.
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charlie lou
teen, 16 years old
12
 
its an okay book. though why is it under 15?
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keener_demeanor
teen, 15 years old
13
 
Good Book, for Older Kids
"What I Saw and How I Lied" talks about the war, and how stereotypes and prejudice still existed in the 40's about the Jewish people, and African American people. There was some "iffy" content, but Blundell never went into detail, and it was most definitely NOT the focus of the book. Evie's views of her parents transform from people that she wanted to grow up to be, into people that she began to despise as a result of the things they did. In the end, this is a good book about the consequences that war has, and how a small little mistake, or white lie, or deception by one, or even two members of the family influence, affect, and rub off on other family members. Very real message, and in the end, when Evie may not be the most likeable character, or the best role model, at least she realizes it too.
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timmycuddlebea ...
kid, 12 years old
14
 
i love this book!!!!!!!!!!
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ringtail
teen, 17 years old
13
 
a good book club book
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I love the style Blundell used to compose this novel. The characters are interesting and your thoughts about most of them change as the book progresses. It was very engaging and held my interest up until the last several chapters, which I thought were drawn out too long. The ending was what stopped me from rating this book 4 stars. I wasn’t altogether pleased with the ending, because the reader is left to decide what the truth is behind all the lies and stories. However, some might like this aspect. I would recommend this novel for teens from 13 to 15. There is smoking, but only by adults. Also, there is a little bit of swearing mixed in and two sex scenes. There is discrimination against Jews twice as well.
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WootWoot
teen, 17 years old
16
 
Anybody in teens older
I love this book and I'm really glad that I took the time to read it
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JesusFreak09
teen, 16 years old
14
 
I really enjoyed this book.... It is an amazing vivid picture of what it was like afte rthe war and what people went through to cover the truth she lied to a bunch of people about love her mother and step dad and lied under oath in the end she feels shes done bettter done right but she'll still always be haunted by the love she lost not only for Peter but for her parents and hey grandmother and for herself
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TheMmomo
teen, 16 years old
15
 
Perfect for teens and young adults.
I love this book it is onr=e of my favorites and i see myself reading this book then once. Even though it talks about sex and all adults smoke in this book it is one of the best books i have ver read
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blue.blood
teen, 17 years old
12
 
Great book for 12+
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is full of deatails about what it was like after the war. At some parts the book is kind of depressing, but it gives a realistic view. The message is: be yourself and don't try to grow up to fast.
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Unicornlover
adult
12
 
Perfect for older kids.
I really loved this book. It does have some parts that are not suitable for young adults. But other than that it was a wonderful book and I did enjoy it.
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warrior of dreams
teen, 16 years old
14
 
lies behind secrets.
i personally liked this book(not loved just liked) i liked this book not only for the sexual parts that is contains, but also because it fun and u cant stop reading and there some drama and sure some suspense. the first half of the book may be boring, but hold on cause it does get better.
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RaeRaeX
teen, 15 years old
15
 
Good book for 13+
book was okay. i just finished it and i'm 13. i dont know why its a 15. the role models arent good in the book though because they are always smoking!!
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molly-kate
teen, 15 years old
13
 
perfect love story
i loved the book!!! because it was full of drama and love between evie and peter.
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tabithatwinkle
teen, 15 years old
13
 
Good for anyone into dark mysteries and quite down-to-earth but exciting story lines
To be honest this book disappointed me. It tells the story of a girl trying to grow up too quickly in a predjudice world, all the while set in the post-war era when the memories are fresh but moral is high. There is barely any sex stuff mentioned and there is a tragic twist at the end I soooooooo didn't see coming. In my oppinion the ending was disappointing but the lie was quite an original idea.
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timmphy do
teen, 15 years old
14
 
it was great!!!!!!!
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ladybug2006
adult
14
 
2 thumbs up!
You have to think about the real picture, the underlines of this story and waht your child sees everyday before you can go off and give horrible reviews about an amazing book. Its a life lesson. It gives many points that young teens need to know about and the rights/wrongs. Let everyone make their own opinion on this book. I give it two thumbs up!! It really made me think and after reading it three times i noticed one thing.... What children see and hear now a days makes this story line the bottom of my concerns! My neice is 15 years old and we can carry a convo for hours about this book....
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nejitenluv
teen, 16 years old
13
 
Great For 13 year olds!
This book was very good. Honestly I don't understand why it would be for 15 year old's cause i read this when i was 12 and i thought it was great and i understood it very well.
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