SUMMARY: Two girls spend their summer reading and looking for adventure. They stumble on an abandoned treehouse and spend their time reading their “Summer Reads” when they realize their secret spot is a location for a rendezvous location for a man and woman. What starts out as a fun “Nancy Drew” adventure, where they speculate the couple are Russian spies, turns into a much more sinister and sad tale— one that is more personal than they initially realize.

REVIEW: This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and though this was good, it isn’t as good as “Took”. This does not mean the book is poorly written, or doesn’t have a good storyline, but I enjoyed the spookiness of “Took” over the suspense of this book. For a middle grade reader, I think this book is adequately suspenseful, while lightly hitting on how the home-lives of children can be vastly different: divorce, single parenting, abuse, drugs, etc.

As a middle school teacher, I thought the story was interesting on how the story is wrapped around students, their “love” of their teachers, and the peer relationships/dynamics described in this book that are typical for this age group. If you’re a fan of this author, or would like to add a suspense/age appropriate crime fiction to a child’s library, this is worth considering

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

(Review shared to goodreads, Twitter, and will be on Instagram soon @slowerlowerliving)

The ups and downs of middle grade friendship take center stage in this exciting thriller about a missing teacher and small town secrets.

When best friends Abbi and Skylar find a secluded tree house in a bad part of town, they use it as a place to hide, watch and listen. Finally, there's something to make the Summer exciting. But then they witness a clandestine meeting between a mysterious woman and a man in a dark van. There's an argument and she runs off into the woods. When the body of their teacher is later found, they wonder if she was the mysterious woman. They decide to investigate. But this is real-life, not a Nancy Drew book. The dangers they face are real and soon they are in over their heads. As tensions rise, their friendship frays, and they must make some difficult choices. With murder and mystery set against the backdrop of middle school woes, this is a page turner that middle schoolers will love.

Scheduled to post 9/29/22.

I had to look back at the other Downing Hahn books I've read to see what I thought of them because WHAT WE SAW was not clicking for me. I really liked the other Downing Hahn books, but this seemed off kilter in a few different ways.

The catalyst doesn't happen until 50% of the way into the book. Initially, I thought this was going to be a big "don't do drugs" book because of something that happens before the catalyst. To where I looked up reviews and kept seeing things about the body and the mystery of who killed the teacher. I didn't realize I was going to have to get halfway through the book before I got there. That's pretty slow going for a middle grade novel. Personally, that's pretty slow for any novel, but for a middle grade, especially.

Just within the last month, I've read quite a few middle grade novels that run the gamut of ages. This one, while it has protagonists that are 12, it reads like it's for eight-year-olds. I say that having just read a middle grade novel with nine-year-old protagonists that read more mature than this. So for me it felt tonally off the whole time I read reading it. Like it was writing down to its readers. It grated on me.

I thought the dynamic between the friends was really good, and between them and the boys. I can appreciate that weirdness that can happen when your friend makes other friends, and you feel left out. I felt the sliminess of the boys that no one really likes in school, but everyone's kind of afraid of because they're bullies. I can even appreciate Abbi's crush on Skylar's older brother. These dynamics all felt pretty real to me.

Unfortunately, Abbie as a character is kind of off-putting. I understand why she acts the way she does, but maybe it's the way it was written. She's just crying all the time. Literally all the time. It got to a point in the story where I was just like, "she's crying AGAIN?" I almost feel like the story would have been better from Skylar's point of view. She just seemed like a stronger character with more skin in the game than Abbi, who was a passenger in her own life.

As I mentioned, the catalyst doesn't happen until halfway through the book. Literally. The first half of the book has so much unnecessary filler in it I almost gave up on it. Just unnecessary trips to the mall and the pool and details about what they were reading that ultimately had no bearing on the plot. There was a little bit of setup with the body situation, but it was secondary to what books Abbi and Skylar were reading off their summer reading list. The story felt very listless for half the book as a result.

And the drug thing. Ugh. That whole thing felt very preachy and moralizing, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. It added a completely unnecessary layer of drama to the story that was ultimately irrelevant. I would have rather read more about the girls and how they were dealing with the death of their teacher, like the blurb said I was getting. WHAT WE SAW could have been half the length and it still would have been the same book.

I'm not sure what happened with this Downing Hahn book. They can't all be winners, right? It's bound to happen. But this one really didn't land for me.

2.5

I received an arc of this book from #netgalley in exchange for my honest review so here it goes.
What a great story about friendship in our teen years! I just felt so invested in Abbi and Skylar who are best friends and spend the summer together doing all the fun stuff you do when you are 12 going on 13. One afternoon they witness something that changes everything. As they struggle to decide what is the right thing to do their friendship is tested and nothing will ever be the same for almost everyone in this small town.
Great pacing, nice "twist", something different that I think middle-grade children would really like. Not too scary or gory it's just like Goldilocks said "just right"! It's like a retelling of an Old Nancy Drew case where the focus is on solving the mystery but those interpersonal relationships are also part of the storyline and you are rooting for everything to turn out okay. #WhatWeSaw #NetGalley

I love Mary Downing Hahn's ghost stories, like Took and Deep and Dark and Dangerous. This was well written, and the story kept me engaged, but there were parts that gave me the ick (spoilers below)



The fact that their teacher, who is the man in the affair with the victim of the crime, allows two young girls into his home alone is bad enough. The fact that he takes their phone overnight, gaslights them, and puts them in more danger is worse. Then the whole thing is a addressed as a mistake on par with the mistakes the tween girls made. Quote, “Mr. Boyce made some big mistakes. You and Skylar made some big mistakes too.” The 12 year old children may have made mistakes because they’re…12…but the teacher’s mistakes were a lot larger than that. ANY teacher I know who had that kind of contact with their students would have been fired.

That this isn’t really addressed in the book (Abbi thinks about it for like one line) makes me not want to recommend this to the suggested age group. Especially because Abbi’s mother is the one who says that above quote. Yikes. Mr. Boyce is sort of pathetic and sad in the story. What he does is still ethically wrong.

(end spoilers)

I don't think this is a bad book. I also don't think this is a book that's really written for 8-12 year olds. Would some like it? Yes, definitely. But a lot of them wouldn't get the references to Nancy Drew, John Steinbeck's The Red Pony, or even the parts where the kids hang out at the mall. At least where I live, mall's are pretty much extinct, unlike when I was a teenager and they were the place to hang out. Also, what 12 year old willingly hands over their phone for an entire night and what mother of a 12 year old doesn't notice?

It made the book feel like it was set in the past even though it wasn't. That, added to the things I felt weren't handled well in the book, means that I probably won't be buying this book for my library. It looks like I may be in the minority, which is fine. Mary Downing Hahn is usually a hit in my book, and one miss won't stop me devouring all her other stories.

What We Saw is gripping and engaging with pacing that pulls you in deeper and deeper to the mystery of it all! I read it in one sitting because I just had to know what happened and what was going to happen. The cover has it right when it calls it a thriller.

Can Mary Downing Hahn NOT write a good book?

I have been addicted lately to this 'Newly discovered to me' YA horror author, and it is no wonder why. Hahn usually writes about ghosts or something being haunted....however 'What We Saw' is exactly what the title says.....a thriller mystery, yes, there is not a single ghost anywhere in this book. And it was still a great read.

8th grade and best friends since 3rd; Abbi Dawson and Skyler Freeman are the main characters this time around. Yes, they are a bit older and this is for the older reader this time, being that there is drug use, drug selling and alcoholic and cheating parents; something usually NOT in a Hahn book.

One day during the summer, the girls go against their mothers, and go to the 'other and bad side of town' on their bikes. Upon finding an old tree house, they decide to climb it to read their Summer Reading lists books; when they see two cars with mysterious people that they cannot see in both of these cars. Who are they, what are they doing here on Marie Road in such a strange place? Soon the girls are obsessed with this. They return weekly and they start to take pics on their cell phones, and they capture some very weird goings on. A few days later one of their school teachers comes up missing. Are they part of this strange couple of people? Hmmmm. The girls get so involved with this that their lives take a turn for the scariest end of summer vacation ever! And it is one that will change their lives forever! Highly recommended, however I did not LOVE this as much as her others, and this one did not make me get teary eyed with the wonder of Childhood. Still a good mystery and very well written. This book comes out Sept. 22nd, 2022. It is Hahn's latest book.

4 🔪🔪🔪🔪

Unlike Mary Downing Hahn's best known works, <i>What We Saw</i> isn't a ghost story. It reads a bit like a middle grade version of her YA novel <i>Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls</i>, following two girls as they get wrapped up in a local murder. Abbi and Skylar are in the wrong place in the wrong part of town when they spot two cars pulling up and engaging in something suspicious. Raised on a steady diet of <i>Law & Order</i> and <i>The Americans</i>, the girls immediately think something shady is going on and begin to document it with Abbi's cellphone. But when one of the people ends up murdered, Abbi realizes that they're in way over their heads as things begin to escalate.

While what Abbi and Skylar do is stupid by any objective measure, it's also <i>exactly</i> what a couple of over-excited twelve-year-olds would do in their situation, and the fact that they're thinking Olivia Benson while the adults are all calling them Nancy Drew is pitch-perfect generational warfare. The mystery also had me fooled for a bit, so this is top-notch writing, and the way Hahn blends it with Skylar and Abbi slowly growing apart is very well done. It's also worth noting that Abbi's mother's boyfriend is a beloved figure, not an interloper, which is unusual and positive. All in all this is a solid, worthwhile middle grade read from a master of the genre.

Mary Downing Hahn never disappoints! This was a quick read. A mystery that I didn't figure it out before hand. I liked the fast pace storyline. I only wish I knew why Abbi's mom was so nervous.

Enjoyed this quick murder mystery for tweens. Although I found the story predictable, there were enough red herrings sprinkled throughout to make me doubt my expectations. Middle schoolers will probably not be as quick to make predictions. I appreciated the friendship drama which was pretty realistic. Nice ending.

I appreciate finding a novel that is more Upper MG in category than MG, and there were lots of realistic and interesting portrayals in this novel. The murder of a teacher is a dramatic plot element, but it was handled well and I think students will like this book. The mundaneness of summer was accurately portrayed, and that sense of boredom that comes with it. Enjoyable mystery read.

Skylar and Abbi decide to go on a bike ride and end up finding a tree house. They return often and start to spy on a couple that repeatedly comes and parks and goes off together. One thing leads another and they have a mystery on their hands as the woman returns and runs into the woods and a favorite art teacher goes missing.

This is will be a favorite middle grade novel. It has suspense, a little romance and a mystery to solve. It had me on the edge of my seat at one point and I couldn’t put it down.

While it pains me to say this, What We Saw was a bit of a disappointment. It’s NOT bad—but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have her other works. Still a big fan!

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old best friends spend their summer together playing detective after they realize they’re witnessing a couple have an affair. Soon their detective work becomes possible evidence in a murder investigation.

I felt the book had a slight identity crisis. Felt a bit dated but not intentionally. In the same vein, there were numerous references to Nancy Drew, so please do your kids a favor and fill them in on that classic before they read this. ;)

I believe this is better suited for the older readers in the suggested age range (indicated as eight to twelve) because while nothing is explicit or overly dark, there are several inclusions of topics that combine to warrant a slightly more mature audience. There’s a lot of attention on an affair, a brutal murder, a pothead brother, drug-dealing schoolmates, a meth lab, several references to see-through lace lingerie, the girls (just being silly) taking pictures in their mother’s sexy outfits, and brief run-ins with predatory men. That said, there’s still plenty of innocence in the book as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What We Saw is wasted on children. I say that in the best possible way: Mary Downing Hahn — as she so often does — has written a middle-grade book that will thrill adults.

Inseparable since third grade, rising eighth-graders Abbi Dawson and Skyler Freeman disobey Abbi’s mom and bicycle over to the “bad part of town.” They discover a hidden, abandoned treehouse, and from that perch, the girls begin spying on a weekly clandestine meeting. As any parent could have predicted, things are bound to go awry, and readers will be delighted to go along for the suspenseful ride. As in real life, the ending isn’t strictly tidy, but readers of all ages will stay up too late reading Hahn’s latest.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Clarion Books and HarperCollins Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.

What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Best friends since third grade, Skylar and Abbi are looking to beat summer boredom when the stumble upon a hidden tree house overlooking a dangerous street on the bad side of town. From their lofty view they can spy on all the comings and goings of Marie Drive. They record and photograph anything interesting on their phones and make up stories to explain what they see. BUT when someone in town ends up missing, Abbi and Skylar realize that their data might hold the answer to a real life, scary mystery.
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This was predictable but well written and very on brand for today’s preteens! I love Mary Downing Hahn and would absolutely recommend this book for more mature middle school or lower reading level high school.
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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review prepublication. This book will be published on September 6, 2022!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

***

I didn't know much about this one going in. The cover caught my attention and the blurb furthered that interest.

I cracked it open and was about 1/4 of the way through the book without realizing how far I'd gotten. It's a quick read, but I was also pretty absorbed in the plot.

It's summer. Abbi and Skylar are looking for adventure. They find it and so much more, right on the edge of town, from a seemingly abandoned treehouse. I, very much, identified with Abbi. I saw in her qualities I once had (and some that I still do). Both girls, though, are interesting characters. This is a coming of age story wrapped up in a murder mystery, an excellent read.

A very enjoyable, quick read. A great mix of mystery, true crime & suspense. The main characters are two middle school best friends who immerse themselves in a mystery unfolding over their summer break and they me up getting wrapped up in a tragic murder case. I read this book over a couple days and enjoyed every minute!

What We Saw is a great middle-grade thriller about two best friends whose summer adventures lead them to discover the secrets behind the murder of their beloved art teacher. This is exactly the type of book my middle school students would LOVE! Plenty of drama, action, and murder. I can't wait until this comes out so I can add it to my classroom library.

ARC provided by NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read with a spooky atmosphere, which is perfect for younger readers. This book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As always, Mary Downing Hahn manages to create a wonderfully suspenseful and terrifying story in the shortest amount of pages. Unlike some of her other works, this one is not supernatural. However, it is just as scary. Hahn manages to craft horror that would scare even some adults, while infusing some more mature subjects like murder, but in a way that is appropriate for older children.

The only reason I took off one star was that I felt like the ending was a bit unfinished and the uncertainty about a relationship between Skylar and Abbi was not concluded in a way that felt satisfying. But overall, a very quick and tense read. A must-read for older middle grade readers that love mystery and true crime.