Friday, December 18, 2015

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler



Last week I was doing some Christmas shopping at found myself at Chapters.  Of course I had to see what was new in YA books, because even though I'm not in the classroom right now, I like to keep on top of new books.

What We Saw is an incredible book.  In some ways it reminds me of Some Girls Are, Speak, and The Mocking Birds, however this story looks at the situation from a different perspective.
The main character is Katie, the book opens up with her waking up the morning after a big party.  She doesn't remember much, only that she had been drinking and something happened between her and a boy she has liked for a long time.  When kids at school start receiving texts, Instagram and Reddit posts from the party, Katie starts putting things together.  The kids at school are divided into different camps based on their perception of the events of this night.  Katie has to figure out not only what happened, but what she will do with the information once she discovers the truth.

It is hard to do justice to this book since I don't want to give anything away.  I found this book to be incredibly interesting.  Katie is a great female character who finds herself questioning many things.  Her friend Ben is also struggling with that night, all he wants to do is forget it and not get involved. All of the characters in the story are believable as they are dealing with a party that got out of hand.

Anyone who has read any of the books I mentioned above would love this story.  I wouldn't hesitate to give it to mature readers in grade 8, but I would strongly suggest reading the story first.