Since the 4th grade when I read Wait till Helen Comes, Mary Downing Hahn has not disappointed me with her books. And 4th grade was in 1992. This mystery/thriller put me right back with the characters, as a young girl trying to figure out life...and a little murder. Atmospheric and engaging. Highly recommend. #netgalley #goodreads #whatwesaw #marydowninghahn

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Downing Hahn books bring me right back to my childhood, when I was obsessed with Wait Til Helen Comes. Really enjoyed this one and think lots of young readers will too.

This is a mystery/thriller for middle-grade readers. The two girls in the story, Abbi and Skylar, are best friends who spend their summer days together. When they bike to the other side of town and find a treehouse in a vacant lot, they pretend to be spies and watch what's going on around them. When a man and woman start showing up in the vacant lot and driving away together each week, the girls decide that they need to figure out who they are and why they're meeting and what they're up to. When the woman later goes missing, the girls seem to be the last people to see her. Should they go to the police with their information? Will they be taken seriously? The girls seem really naive and immature throughout the book, which I guess it because they're 12? However, I don't know a 12 year old who would willingly hand over their phone to someone else overnight.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Mary Downing Hahn's newest Middle Grade mystery/thriller. I feel like the last few books Hahn has released had been just average but nothing compared to The Girl in the Locked Room or One for Sorrow. This one was definitely back to what I originally liked about Hahn's spooky books. There were a few awkward parts/inclusions that seemed out of touch with kids that age nowadays; however, the book is still a solid thriller that I look forward to sharing with my library patrons when released.

I have to admit to being a huge Mary Downing Hahn fan reading anything and everything by her that I can get my hands on--What We Saw was a joy from start to finish.
One of the strengths of her writing is that the books appeal to all ages even though they are usually classified as juvenile fiction they are just GOOD stories.
Abbi and Skylar are both likable characters and their summer off from school may change them and their friendship forever.
Highly recommend.
Thanks to #netgalley #clarionbooks and #marydowninghahn for the ARC of What We Saw.

When I was much younger I read and loved Wait Till Helen comes followed by pretty much every Mary Downing Hahn book that had been released. I shared many of them with my oldest son. This book drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It’s a great, thrilling book for middle to high school age students, as well as adults.