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Book Review: What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn

Cover art for What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn

 

What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn

Clarion Books, 2022

ISBN-13: 978-0358414414

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook.

(  Bookshop.orgAmazon.com )

 

 

Abbi and Skylar are best friends. Skylar has a way of talking Abbi into doing things she isn’t allowed to do. One day Skylar talks Abbi into riding their bikes to the town limits. They end up at a dead end, Marie Street, near the woods. They discover a treehouse there and claim it as theirs. Jason and Carter, two boys in their grade find, mock, and threaten them but they are determined to make it their hideout.

 

Abbi and Skylar notice that every Thursday afternoon a man and woman, disguising their identities, rendezvous at the end of Marie Street. At first they imagine the two are spies, but Skylar is convinced they are “cheaters”, with the man stepping out on his wife, similarly to what happened in her own family. Abbi takes photos on her phone as evidence.

 

One day the couple in the car have an argument and the woman runs off into the woods. Shortly after, their art teacher, Ms. Sullivan, is reported missing, and is later found dead in the woods. Skylar and Abbi want to turn their evidence over to the police, but don’t want their parents to know they broke rules about where they can go, so they decide to ask a teacher they trust, Abbi’s English teacher, Mr Boyce. Mr. Boyce borrows Abbi’s phone overnight, and when she comes back he tells her not to go to the police.

 

After Abbi discovers Mr. Boyce deleted the photos from her phone, Abbi and Skylar decide to go to the police after all, but without the photos as evidence, the police don’t take the girls seriously. The girls go back to the woods to look for more evidence, and run into Jason and Carter. Spoiler: Carter’s uncle Paul is a violent drug dealer who lives in the woods. Jason and Carter have been selling drugs to high school students for him and witnessed Ms. Sullivan’s murder.

 

Once Abbi and Skylar escape, the police move in, arrest Paul, and find help for the boys, who have been badly beaten. Abbi’s mom decides Skylar is a bad influence, and Skylar finds other friends. She can’t forgive Mr. Boyce for his role in Ms. Sullivan’s death. Abbi forgives Mr. Boyce, and begins looking forward.

 

This was not one of Hahn’s best, and she can really write. Abbi was really underdeveloped, her character overshadowed by Skylar, who wasn’t a sympathetic character. There were a lot of loose threads at the end, and I couldn’t tell what the ultimate aim of the story was, unless it was to demonstrate what a toxic friendship looks like. While the scene in the woods where Jason and Carter defend the girls is gripping, I don’t think this really succeeds as a thriller. Fans of Hahn’s other books may enjoy this, but there are better thrillers for this age range.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Graphic Novel Review: Just Beyond: Monstrosity by R. L. Stine, illustrations by Irene Flores, inks by Joana Lafuente

cover art for Just Beyond Monstrosity by R.L. Stine  

Just Beyond: Monstrosity by R. L. Stine, illustrations by Irene Flores, inks by Joana Lafuente

BOOM! Studios, 2021

ISBN-13: 9781684156979

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, comixology 

(Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )


 

 

Ruthie and Ezra Dillon’s father Matthew and uncle Frankie have purchased the old Hollywood movie studio, Monstrosity, known for the best horror flicks of the 1950s. Matthew’s dream is to resurrect the defunct studio and produce modern horror movies with a nostalgic feel. While Poe, an elderly caretaker of the studio, takes the children on a tour of the grounds, the brothers bicker over the financials of running the business.

 

One of the former film directors eventually starts work on new films for Monstrosity, only to be thwarted at every turn. Matthew and Frankie hire on a new studio manager, Eve, to try to get things in order. During one of their excursions on the studio lot, Ruthie and Ezra discover the old animatronic Wolfescreem, as well as others around the place. When the story shows the tale of the creation and potential destruction of the Wolfenscreem automaton, things in the modern day start to get a little more interesting.

 

The story was great and, while it is meant for middle grade readers, adult readers may enjoy the story as well. The graphic novel is fast paced, and made for a good distraction. The artwork is well-done, and the creature designs are reminiscent of those from the classic creature features, but different enough to make them unique. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Book Review: Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Too Bright to See by [Kyle Lukoff]

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Dial Books, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593111154

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

 

Bug lives in a haunted house, but has only felt, not seen, the ghosts. Bug’s uncle and best friend, Roderick, also believed the house was haunted. Now Roderick is dead, leaving Bug and Bug’s mom behind, grieving.

 

It is the summer before sixth grade and Bug’s friend Moira is determined to make both of them over so they can fit in when they start middle school, but Bug doesn’t feel right about makeup and dresses.  Uncle Roderick may be haunting the house, Bug is having nightmares, and everything feels unsettled, scary, and somehow wrong.

 

With the help of Uncle Roderick’s ghost, Bug finally realizes that he is a trans boy. What’s lovely about Lukoff’s book is that, unlike a lot of coming out stories, where the protagonist faces negativity and bullying,  Bug is supported and loved by the people around him: his mom, his friends, his principal, teachers, school, and classmates.  His struggle is in realizing his identity as a trans boy, dealing with his grief over the death of his uncle, and the many changes that come with entering middle school.

 

All The Bright Places is a haunting, perceptive, optimistic story that all middle grade students should be able to relate to. It handles grief, identity, and growing up beautifully: jts designation as a Newbery Honor title is well-deserved. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski