Written by E. Lockhart
Published in 2014 by Delacorte Press
Grades 7 & up
ISBN: 978-0375984402
Awards: 2015 Children's Choice Book Award Finalist
Book Review: The Sinclair family spends every summer on their private island in Massachusetts. They are a well-to-do family with their share of secrets and problems. Cadence spends her days with her two cousins and a friend, Gat, whom she falls in love with. During summer 15, Cadence has an accident and can't remember anything about the accident for almost two years.
The author does a fantastic job keeping the reader guessing and in suspense for what lies will be uncovered. Readers will be on the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen next as Cadence spends summer 17 trying to piece together the events that led up to her accident.
Professional Reviews
Kirkus
Publishers Weekly
Teaching Ideas
English: (8.1a) The student will use interviewing techniques to gain information. a) Prepare and ask relevant questions for the interview.
1) In the story, Cadence is trying to figure out what happened to her in summer 15. Students will determine which two of Cadence's family members they would like to interview and create a list of questions they would ask if they were able to interview that person.
Health: (7.1) The student will use knowledge of health concepts to make decisions related to personal safety and wellness. Key concepts/skills include: b) recognition of harmful and risky behaviors; d) development of strategies for coping with disappointment; f) the impact of difficult family situations.
2) Throughout the story, Cadence and her cousins make many unsafe/risky decisions based on their feelings about how the their family is handling the death of their grandmother. Students will analyze the behaviors of the teens and develop strategies that the teens could have used to better cope with the changes occurring in their family.
Family Life: (8.12) The student will describe the effects of alcohol and drug use and abuse on families and peer relationships.
3) The night of the accident, in summer 15, Cadence and her cousins have been drinking when they decide on their plan of action to keep their family together. Students will analyze and discuss in small groups the effect alcohol had on their judgement the night of the accident. The students will explain why their decisions would most likely have been different if they were not under the influence of alcohol.
English: (12.4) The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British literature and literature of other cultures.
(12.6a) The student will develop expository and informational, analyses, and persuasive/argumentative writings. a) Generate, gather, and organize ideas for writing to address a specific audience and purpose.
4) In the story, there are many references to King Lear by Shakespeare. After reading We Were Liars, students will read King Lear to compare and contrast grandfather Harris and his three daughters to King Lear and his three daughters. Students will complete a Venn diagram with the similarities and differences. Students will use the Venn diagram to write a paper about the similarities and differences.
English: (8.4a) The student will apply knowledge of word origins, analogies, and figurative language to extend vocabulary development within authentic texts. a) Identify and analyze an author's use of figurative language.
5) Students will identify and analyze examples of the author's use of figurative language in the text. The students will complete a journal entry giving examples of the use in text, what the author really meant, and how the author used this to help readers create a mental image while reading.
Paired Titles
King Lear tries different ways to determine which of his three daughters will receive the most inheritance when he steps down as king. In the story We Were Liars, there are many references and similarities to the way Grandfather Sinclar treats his three daughters after his wife dies. This title was chosen because it is a classic that aligns with the 12th grade English curriculum. It is also referenced numerous times in the book.
Tighter is the story of a teenager who, one summer, takes a job as a nanny. She spends her summer trying to get over a traumatic school year. While away on her nanny job, she realizes she is seeing people that are not there. This book is current and was on the 2011 Kirkus Best Young Adults Book List. Students will be able to relate the events in We Were Liars to this young adult suspense novel. It also falls within the same age range for interest level.
This story pairs with We Were Liars because the author leaves you wondering which parts of the story are true and which parts are lies. They are both suspenseful novels and keep the readers engaged to find out more. This book is current and was a 2010 Locus award finalist as well as winning many Australian book awards. It is on many best books lists to include Kirkus, YALSA, and more. It will be of high interest to students because of its diversity in characters.
Chime follows 17-year-old Briony on a journey where she learns more about the secrets of her family and herself. This book was chosen because of its relatable theme. It is current and of high interest to teens who are interested in books like We Were Liars. It was a 2011 National Book Award and Andre Norton Award finalist, as well as a 2012 Audie Award finalist.
Wuthering Heights relates to the love story between Cadence and Gat in We Were Liars because like Catherine in Wuthering Heights, Cadence is from a wealthy family and falls in love with someone the family "took in". It was chosen because it is a classic and can be paired with We Were Liars in the English Curriculum.
Further Explorations
We Were Liars book talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exCK7PV-Jfw
Check out this book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG97AYM_X70
An interview with the author, E. Lockhart on the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtE9KMQ48E
Author, E. Lockhart's, website: http://www.theboyfriendlist.com/
Learn more about The Sinclairs, the author, the story, and more on the We Were Liars tumblr page: http://wewereliarsbook.tumblr.com/
In the story, Cadence and her grandfather go to Edgartown to shop and get fudge. Check out the Edgartown, MA website to learn more about the town. http://www.edgartown-ma.us/
This article in the Vineyard Gazette talks about the book and how the story has fictional accounts of a town near Martha's Vineyard and how of the places are not fictional: http://vineyardgazette.com/news/2014/09/25/modern-privilege-meets-timeless-tragedy-we-were-liars?k=vg55a98075b9caa&r=1
References
60second
Recap. (2014, May 13). “We were liars” |
60second book review [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exCK7PV-Jfw
Amazon Books.
(2014, May 14). E. Lockhart on “we were
liars” [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtE9KMQ48E
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). Chime.
Retrieved from http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/MhnOKlPpLpKPmOnm/bdrtop
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). King
Lear. Retrieved from http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/nimMlnpnjniPMOon/bdrtop
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). Liar.
Retrieved from http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/MIonIlnPNqkompnN/bdrtop
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). Tighter.
Retrieved from http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/ShRnnjjpLQgrInkL/bdrtop
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). We
were liars. Retrieved from http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/PgrnjkkOjrJNjNjk/bdrtop
Children’s
Literature Comprehensive Database. (n.d.). Wuthering
Heights. Retrieved http://www.clcd.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/#/bookdetail/1/0/nhrklinMmOkOhLln/bdrtop
Kirkus. (2014,
March 17). We were liars. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/e-lockhart/we-were-liars/
Lockhart, E.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theboyfriendlist.com/
NoveList.
(2015). Read-alikes for we were liars.
Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/novelist/detail?sid=9d020457-f997-45d1-bb7a-7f15cb175c85%40sessionmgr113&UI=UI+10282535&hid=115&vid=3
Publishers
Weekly. (n.d.). We were liars.
Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0385741262
Town of
Edgartown Official Website. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.edgartown-ma.us/
Tumblr.
(n.d.). We were liars. Retrieved from
http://wewereliarsbook.tumblr.com/
Vineyard
Gazette. (2014, September 25). Modern
privilege meets timeless tragedy in we were liars.
Retrieved from http://vineyardgazette.com/news/2014/09/25/modern-privilege-meets-timeless-tragedy-we-were-liars?k=vg55a98075b9caa&r=1
Virginia
Department of Education. (2008). Health
education standards of learning for Virginia public
schools: Grade seven. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/health/k-8/stds_health7.pdf
Virginia
Department of Education. (2010). English
standards of learning for Virginia public schools:
Grade eight. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/stds_english8.pdf
Virginia
Department of Education. (2010). English
standards of learning for Virginia public schools:
Grade twelve. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/stds_english12.pdf
Virginia
Department of Education. (2014). Family
life education: Board of education guidelines and
standards of learning for Virginia public schools. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/family_life/familylife_guidelines_standards.pdf
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