What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (6 July 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1407114956
• Pages: 262
• RRP: £6.99

Cover: Who could fail to be intrigued by the title What I Saw and How I Lied? Questions spring to mind. What did they see? Why did they lie? Who are they? By the main image on the cover we notice, that the book is about a teenager girl, instantly we think that she is the main character and she sees and lies suggested by the book title. The background is black which enhances the idea of secrets within the book.

Plot: Summer's ending, Evie's stepfather is finally home from the Second World War, and Evie is tired of her glamorous mother treating her like a little girl. Then a mysterious stranger appears; a handsome ex-GI who served with Evie's stepfather. Slowly, Evie realizes that she is falling in love with him - but he has dark secrets, and a strange control over her parents When a sudden tragedy occurs, Evie's world is shattered. Torn between her family and the man she loves, Evie must betray someone. The question is ... who?

Judgement: This book, as suggested by the plot, focuses in some aspects about life after the second world war. When Evie's stepfather comes back all the misteries occur. Evie finds out about her neighbours, her stepfather and a new guy which she falls in love with. At the end the reader is left thinking about the unfairness of life and left wondering, to decide for themselves who was lying and who wasnt. I would rate this book 9/10 as it was unputdownably gripping, thought-provokingly powerful, with a hint of romance. Blundell is one to watch. Her believable characters inhabit a very real world, and she chooses her words with care. This book is not called Why I Lied, remember, but How. Ponder that.