She Said/She Saw
She Said/She Saw
Select a format:
Paperback ©2011--
To purchase this item, you must first login or register for a new account.
Orca Books
Annotation: When Tegan's two best friends are gunned down in front of her, nobody believes her that she didn't see who did it and doesn't know why.
Genre: [Mystery fiction]
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #5020318
Format: Paperback
Special Formats: High Low High Low
Publisher: Orca Books
Copyright Date: 2011
Edition Date: 2011 Release Date: 04/01/11
Pages: 211 pages
ISBN: 1-554-69335-7
ISBN 13: 978-1-554-69335-1
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2010942099
Dimensions: 21 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 8 Up-This fast-paced mystery revolves around the fallout from a drug-related drive-by shooting through the story of two sisters: Tegan, the only survivor in the car, and Kelly, 10 months younger than her popular sister. The deaths of two popular high school students devastate the community, and it is up to Tegan to help bring the murderer(s) to justice. Although she is interrogated repeatedly by the police and representatives of the victims' families, she cannot provide details of the attack. Initially, most people claim to understand that she may be in some sort of traumatic shock; her inability to recall the assailant's identity leads to shunning by her peers, including her sister. Pressured by the intimidation, Tegan publishes an online video addressed to the killer, which ultimately makes her a target. Although the ending is highly dramatic, the events do not stretch beyond believability. Tegan's mental block is understandable and realistic. The infighting between the families of the two victims, both from different economic, ethnic, and social backgrounds, is tragic and believable. The dangers of buying illegal drugs are presented without overt moralization. Through alternating the narrative between the two sisters, McClintock unveils details about Tegan and the victims that surprise and change readers' initial attitudes about them. Several scenes, including one in which Tegan learns that her mother's job is in jeopardy and a flashback involving an enraged motorist, crackle with tension. A solid choice for reluctant readers. Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

Kirkus Reviews

McClintock, the author of the Ellis Award–winning Chloe & Levesque crime series for teen readers, returns with a slim and shocking stand-alone. Tegan and Kelly are nearly twins, born less than a year apart. They live with their single mom, inhabiting realities so starkly different they barely acknowledge one another's existence—until the unthinkable happens. Tegan's two best friends are shot dead at point-blank range right in front of her. As the investigation unfolds, Tegan's unable to contribute in any meaningful way, either having blocked out the memory of that night or having failed to pick up any details of it in the first place. She becomes the most widely reviled girl in school, and even Kelly isn't sure she trusts Tegan anymore. McClintock lays all the complexities and horror of adolescence bare. She has the two sisters trade turns narrating, with Kelly's narrative written as a screenplay and Tegan's composed as first-person journal entries. The brisk pace, solid character development and inventive structuring make for fast, page-turning reading, and at all wraps up with an unpredictable plot twist and ending. Mysterious and haunting, packed with hard truths about adolescence. (Mystery. 15 & up) 

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)
Wilson's High School Catalog
Kirkus Reviews
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
Word Count: 31,498
Reading Level: 4.1
Interest Level: 7-12
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.1 / points: 4.0 / quiz: 143370 / grade: Upper Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:4.7 / points:7.0 / quiz:Q53360
Lexile: HL650L
Guided Reading Level: Q
But before he got a word out, his eyes shifted from me to the driver's-side window. BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Something stung my cheek. It turned out to be a shard of glass.
Something splattered all over my face and my hair and the front of my coat. It turned out to be blood and brains and tiny pieces of bone.
Someone screamed. It turned out to be me.

Excerpted from She Said/She Saw by Norah McClintock
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Tegan was in the backseat when her two best friends were gunned down in front of her. Was it an argument over drugs? An ongoing feud? Or something more random? Tegan says she didn't see who did it. Or know why. Nobody will believe her. Not the police; not her friends; not the families of the victims; and not even Kelly, her own sister. Is she afraid that the killer will come back? Or does she know more than she is saying?

Shunned at school and feeling alone, Tegan must sort through her memories and try to decide what is real and what is imagined. And in the end she must decide whether she has the strength to stand up and do the right thing.


*Prices subject to change without notice and listed in US dollars.
Perma-Bound bindings are unconditionally guaranteed (excludes textbook rebinding).
Paperbacks are not guaranteed.
Please Note: All Digital Material Sales Final.