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Testify
Before you judge me, there are two things you should know about why I did it.
Shana Tremain is a good kid. She knows right from wrong and shes never been in any serious trouble. But when her best friend, Carrie, comes to her for help, Shana agrees to break the law to save Carrie from a molester. She even feels good about it for a while.
Then trouble starts. Someone in their group of friends is stealing from the others. As she searches for the truth, Shana uncovers evidence that raises a terrifying question: Has she made a horrible mistake?
Faced with the reality of what shes done, Shana finds herself trapped in a web of her own lies and deceit. Can she convince the right people that shes telling the truth now? Either way its clear someone is going to pay a terrible price for her crime.
Shana Tremain is a good kid. She knows right from wrong and shes never been in any serious trouble. But when her best friend, Carrie, comes to her for help, Shana agrees to break the law to save Carrie from a molester. She even feels good about it for a while.
Then trouble starts. Someone in their group of friends is stealing from the others. As she searches for the truth, Shana uncovers evidence that raises a terrifying question: Has she made a horrible mistake?
Faced with the reality of what shes done, Shana finds herself trapped in a web of her own lies and deceit. Can she convince the right people that shes telling the truth now? Either way its clear someone is going to pay a terrible price for her crime.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Valerie Sherrard
36 books65 followersI was born in 1957 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and grew up in various parts of Canada. My dad was in the Air Force so the family moved often, and was sent to live in Lahr, West Germany, when I was eleven. It was there that a teacher encouraged me toward writing. I didn't rush into it, though. It wasn't until 2002 that my first book was released, but since then I've had several dozen books for young people published.
One reason I chose to write for children and teens was my experience in working with them. Over the years I fostered about 70 teens in my home, and I also worked as the Director of a group home for teens in my community for more than a decade.
One reason I chose to write for children and teens was my experience in working with them. Over the years I fostered about 70 teens in my home, and I also worked as the Director of a group home for teens in my community for more than a decade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
January 22, 2013
Testify By Valerie Sherrard.
This novel is about a teenage girl that lied in court while testifying about her best friend being sexually molested by her stepfather.
Her best friend had begged her to testify and lie because she was worried about being molested.
The main character is the teenage girl and her name is Shana protagonist. Her best friend Carrie believe it or not is the antagonist in the book.
In this book Shana has a group of friends including: Hailey, Carrie, Jen, Kaity. Hailey figures out Carrie's secret, that she lied about her stepfather and starts acting weird when Carrie wins the trial and her stepfather gets arrested. Carrie being as smart and devious as she is, started to suspect that Hailey thought she lied about the sexual molesting with her stepfather due to what Carrie told Hailey one morning. Carrie told Hailey that if she was uncomfortable with the border renting a room to help with rent money regarding the whole house, then Hailey can just say he sexually molested her. Hailey strongly felt uncomfortable after that conversation with Carrie. Carrie was indeed correct. When they were all at Shana’s house Carrie framed Hailey and said that she was stealing. To prove it Carrie stole a brooch from Shana and her other friends and placed the brooch in Hailey’s cell phone pouch. When Carrie came to prove it and dump out her bag, the brooch was found in Hailey’s cell phone pouch.
Carrie planned all of that just to get Hailey out of their group so Hailey can’t tell anyone what Carrie did.
When Hailey tried to prove to the group that she was innocent only Shana listened. After that Hailey proved to Shana Carrie was EVIL.
Then Carrie found out and started sabotaging Shana her so called BEST FRIEND.
All of Carrie’s evil schemes other than the one’s i’ve mentioned broke the group a part. So one day Carrie called Shana crying really hard and weeping and apologizing so hard and asking Shana to come over so that she can go to the police saying her stepfather was innocent and telling her mom the truth. Shana of course with her kind heart ran to Carrie’s house. They talked for awhile and then when Shana went to go get a water bottle for Carrie and came back Carrie had disappeared after a couple seconds Shana gets hit on the head and blacks out. When she wakes up she finds herself tied up from her mouth, her hands, and her feet her head is also bleeding a little. Carrie comes up to her with a gasoline tank and tries to set her on fire and make it look like she took her own life at Carrie’s house to frame her Carrie. Carrie’s plan fails because Shana records everything Carrie said before Shana was in flames and sends it to her friends and her friend Jen calls the police first. Carrie was of course stuck and tried to escape but failed and got charged and arrested and everything was back to normal. Also her stepfather was found innocent and freed.
I felt that the antagonist was a really good choice of character. I feel that Carrie is a true evil villain and deserves everything that happened to her. Overall i can not add or thing of anything more evil then what this teenage girl has done to her innocent people who are supposed to be her friends.
I really enjoyed this book and all the conflict and mystery that happens in it. I recommend it to anybody alive and suggest reading other books by Valerie Sherrard as well.
By: Esraa Ghanem
This novel is about a teenage girl that lied in court while testifying about her best friend being sexually molested by her stepfather.
Her best friend had begged her to testify and lie because she was worried about being molested.
The main character is the teenage girl and her name is Shana protagonist. Her best friend Carrie believe it or not is the antagonist in the book.
In this book Shana has a group of friends including: Hailey, Carrie, Jen, Kaity. Hailey figures out Carrie's secret, that she lied about her stepfather and starts acting weird when Carrie wins the trial and her stepfather gets arrested. Carrie being as smart and devious as she is, started to suspect that Hailey thought she lied about the sexual molesting with her stepfather due to what Carrie told Hailey one morning. Carrie told Hailey that if she was uncomfortable with the border renting a room to help with rent money regarding the whole house, then Hailey can just say he sexually molested her. Hailey strongly felt uncomfortable after that conversation with Carrie. Carrie was indeed correct. When they were all at Shana’s house Carrie framed Hailey and said that she was stealing. To prove it Carrie stole a brooch from Shana and her other friends and placed the brooch in Hailey’s cell phone pouch. When Carrie came to prove it and dump out her bag, the brooch was found in Hailey’s cell phone pouch.
Carrie planned all of that just to get Hailey out of their group so Hailey can’t tell anyone what Carrie did.
When Hailey tried to prove to the group that she was innocent only Shana listened. After that Hailey proved to Shana Carrie was EVIL.
Then Carrie found out and started sabotaging Shana her so called BEST FRIEND.
All of Carrie’s evil schemes other than the one’s i’ve mentioned broke the group a part. So one day Carrie called Shana crying really hard and weeping and apologizing so hard and asking Shana to come over so that she can go to the police saying her stepfather was innocent and telling her mom the truth. Shana of course with her kind heart ran to Carrie’s house. They talked for awhile and then when Shana went to go get a water bottle for Carrie and came back Carrie had disappeared after a couple seconds Shana gets hit on the head and blacks out. When she wakes up she finds herself tied up from her mouth, her hands, and her feet her head is also bleeding a little. Carrie comes up to her with a gasoline tank and tries to set her on fire and make it look like she took her own life at Carrie’s house to frame her Carrie. Carrie’s plan fails because Shana records everything Carrie said before Shana was in flames and sends it to her friends and her friend Jen calls the police first. Carrie was of course stuck and tried to escape but failed and got charged and arrested and everything was back to normal. Also her stepfather was found innocent and freed.
I felt that the antagonist was a really good choice of character. I feel that Carrie is a true evil villain and deserves everything that happened to her. Overall i can not add or thing of anything more evil then what this teenage girl has done to her innocent people who are supposed to be her friends.
I really enjoyed this book and all the conflict and mystery that happens in it. I recommend it to anybody alive and suggest reading other books by Valerie Sherrard as well.
By: Esraa Ghanem
December 18, 2012
I thought that this book was amazing. in the beginning i was starting to understand why Shana(the main character) had lied in the court to help her best friend, Carrie, who was going to court because she calmed that her step-father, Joe, had molested her. As soon as problems started to happen in their little group i had started to wonder if this whole testimony against Joe was a lie. Some of the problems that had really surprised me was when Carrie had said that she was going to talk to one of her friends she had framed of stealing when she never did. She had said all of these mean things about every girl but the mean thing she said to Shana was something that Shana had only told one person and that person was CARRIE!! After all the things Shana thought were true were false, & she and Hayley(the girl that was framed) had realized that everything that Carrie said, did, wanted, and more was always a lie. In the end i was just shocked at how Carrie had turned out to be & how stupid Shana had been to lie in a court to back up her "best friend" when she never saw anything. I am still in shock at how that amazing book ended and how amazing this author is. But most of all i am very impressed at the ending of the book.
October 31, 2012
RED MAPLE NOMINEE This is a quick read that really grabs you quickly. The dynamic between the female characters in this book is rather interesting. It will make for some interesting discussions about "truth" and honesty. A few surprising twists keeps the reader on their toes in this short quick novel. If you have reluctant girl readers this is a great book as it moves quickly and is not all that long or difficult.
September 18, 2017
I thought this book was amazing. I thought it was good because the way the author wrote the book leaves you wondering after every chapter. Something I thought was a little confusing at times was that so much was going on in the book at once so sometimes it was hard to follow. My favourite character was Shana because she always a sweet girl and always did what she thought was right but she makes a huge mistake and I think that's what makes her so interesting.
February 8, 2013
Did not enjoy the ending; the way the conflict was solved.
November 19, 2017
This book was excellent. Whenever I read books it bugs me because I always end up predicting what happens and it becomes less interesting but this book was very shocking and all over the place yet very easy to understand. The plot was great and overall 4/5.
August 31, 2017
Testify is about a girl named Shana who testified in court for her best friend Carrie. Carrie told Shana that Carrie’s step father joe sexually abused her but that was not true and somehow Carrie convinced Shana to lie in court to send joe to jail. Shana didn't want to send a innocent man to jail but Carrie begged her. Carrie only did this because she does not like her stepfather. Carrie won the case and Joe was sent to jail. Shana made a horrible decision for helping Carrie because she betrayed her. Shana has a group of friends which are Carrie,Hayley,Jen and Krysti. Carrie first betrayed Hayley because Hayley knew that Carrie was the reason why Shana’s boyfriend broke up with her but Shana didn't know that, so Carrie showed fake evidence that Hayley stole their jewelry. That made everyone stop talking to Hayley. But Shana found out that Carrie was the one stealing she tried to prove that to her other two friends but it didn't work at it backfired and everyone hated Hayley and Shana, Hayley and Shana found a way to prove to Jen and Krysti that it was all Carrie’s fault and now the group is back together except for Carrie. In the end Carrie was charged for beating up Shana and for sending joe to jail but joe was set free. Therefore I really liked this book and it showed that even your best friends can betray you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2017
Grade-B+
When Shana agrees to lie on the witness stand to say she saw her best friend's stepfather molesting her, she feels like she's saving Carrie. But soon after, Shana begins to have doubts. Is Carrie capable of such a lie, and if she's capable of that, what else might she do?
TESTIFYING was a fun read, despite the seriousness of the subject. Shana is a likable character, much too trusting of her best friend, even after the evidence mounts. Her naïveté, at first understandable at some point turns to cluelessness as she continues to fall for Carrie's manipulations. I knew something about Carrie was off, as the story progressed, she became more of cliched. I enjoyed the writing and pacing, I wish Valerie Sherrard had included an additional 50 pages to add more meat to the story and delve deeper into the characters. She created a nice voice for Shana's narration.
Themes: friendship, sexual abuse, honesty, cliques
TESTIFY would probably best appear to Tweens and younger teens as older readers might be see this novel as implausible. At 128 pages, I finished the book in about 2 hours in one sitting.
When Shana agrees to lie on the witness stand to say she saw her best friend's stepfather molesting her, she feels like she's saving Carrie. But soon after, Shana begins to have doubts. Is Carrie capable of such a lie, and if she's capable of that, what else might she do?
TESTIFYING was a fun read, despite the seriousness of the subject. Shana is a likable character, much too trusting of her best friend, even after the evidence mounts. Her naïveté, at first understandable at some point turns to cluelessness as she continues to fall for Carrie's manipulations. I knew something about Carrie was off, as the story progressed, she became more of cliched. I enjoyed the writing and pacing, I wish Valerie Sherrard had included an additional 50 pages to add more meat to the story and delve deeper into the characters. She created a nice voice for Shana's narration.
Themes: friendship, sexual abuse, honesty, cliques
TESTIFY would probably best appear to Tweens and younger teens as older readers might be see this novel as implausible. At 128 pages, I finished the book in about 2 hours in one sitting.
January 15, 2013
I found that it had a unique story-line. I feel that Carrie has such a strong character but might of been written better. More information of why she was like that. Did something happen in her childhood or is it generic? Maybe she is just whacked. She thinks that she has everything planed so perfectly yet a fifteen girl, who has no detective training, figures it out. Real smart she is!
January 9, 2013
I thought this book was great in had so much excitement in it andi also thought that the character Carrie was very crazy and i don't understand why she would do it i mean it is a crazy idea. Anyway i thiught it was great and anyone that didn't read should read it as awesome!!
January 30, 2017
One of my favorite books that I read in middle school.The further you get into this book, the more the plot thickens and you don't know who to believe. The ending was crazy, I was at the edge of my seat!
February 6, 2016
This book is really short but keeps you off your seat the whole entire time.
Just read this book soooo good.
Just read this book soooo good.
July 15, 2023
(2016 me:) i had to read this book in my High school but even if it was quite a short story, i felt a lot of feeling when i read this book ! a good memory in my mind !
March 25, 2013
This is a pretty good mystery book that's also teen fiction which is a good mix up. I really like the plot of this book, it's all twisted up and unexpected. I never thought that a person can be mean to her friends, the way that Carrie was being mean to her friends. Why would she even pretend to be friends with her, if she didn't like her in the first place. She's a person that just uses people for her needs, like she used Shana to testify at the court for her. I really think that Shana is really brave, turning against her best friend and standing up for what's right although it can lead her into some serious trouble. I really like Shana's character. And I really like Shana's parents, they're really encouraging and they stood up for their child, so I think they're really good parents. I also really enjoyed the ending of this book, it was a quick ending, but I still liked it. For a second in the ending, I thought that when Carrie called Shana she actually meant what she said, about like being sorry for everything. But it turns out that it was all a lie, a trick, to get Shana to her place so that she can kill her.. I really don't get how she could do that. I can't believe a girl at age 15 (i think) can kill her friend because she said she was going to set her body on fire. I don't understand how someone can do that to their friend. But Shana was really smart and she recorded everything, and got away safely. Although I gotta admit this whole time, Carrie was actually pretty smart too in a evil way, planning everything before so that she can frame Carrie and Haley (another victim of Carrie).
I picked up this book, because it was a red maple book, and when Mr. Gould gave us a brief summary, I thought it was pretty interesting. I never thought that things could get so out of hand in this book though. I thought it was be less exciting, but this book was really fun to read.
I finished it because it was amazing. One chapter lead on to the other and I had to continue because I really wanted to know what would happen in the end. Again it was really surprising what Carrie did to her friends. I also noticed something about my reading habits; I think I like to read books that are short, maybe not necessarily short, but has short chapters, and a good plot so each chapter leads on to the next and next and it never gets boring.
I recommend this book to everyone, especially people who like crime or mystery. Because this book is a really fun read to all teens, because it deals with a possible real life situation.
I picked up this book, because it was a red maple book, and when Mr. Gould gave us a brief summary, I thought it was pretty interesting. I never thought that things could get so out of hand in this book though. I thought it was be less exciting, but this book was really fun to read.
I finished it because it was amazing. One chapter lead on to the other and I had to continue because I really wanted to know what would happen in the end. Again it was really surprising what Carrie did to her friends. I also noticed something about my reading habits; I think I like to read books that are short, maybe not necessarily short, but has short chapters, and a good plot so each chapter leads on to the next and next and it never gets boring.
I recommend this book to everyone, especially people who like crime or mystery. Because this book is a really fun read to all teens, because it deals with a possible real life situation.
June 25, 2015
Find this review and others here: http://reviewsofyabooks.blogspot.ca/
Introduction
Shana Temain and Carrie are best friends. So when Carrie comes to Shana saying that she is being molested by her stepfather, Shana knows that Carrie is telling the truth She will do whatever it takes to help her. Carrie convinces Shana to testify in court. Shana's testimony states that she saw Carrie's stepfather molest her. Which of course is a lie, but for a while Shana doesn't care about her lie. Especially after Carrie's stepfather ends up in jail. Now Shana just can't wait for everything to get back to normal with her group of friends. Unfortunately, that's not what happens. Carrie accuses Hayley, another one of Shana's friends of stealing. Everybody believes Carrie, but soon Carrie reveals some pretty nasty things that she claims Hayley said. Shana just wants to find out the truth, so she goes to talk to Hayley. As secrets become revealed, Shana begins to doubt how trustworthy Carrie really is.
Characters/Relationships
I liked the characters in this Testify, although, it didn't tell you a lot about any of the characters besides Carrie, Shana, and Haley.
There was no love story involved in this book. It does tell you about a past relationship that Shana had and how they broke up though.
Cover
The cover to this book is a girl looking down, hiding her face. The cover is plain ans simple but very pretty.
Dislikes
The book didn't go into very much detail about anything, if I remember correctly, It didn't even give a description of what the characters looked like, If it did it was very small. Like what the general weight of what the characters were. I don't really know what the characters were supposed to look like, but in my mind, I pictured Carrie, with very short brown hair, and I pictured Shana, tall with black hair.
Conclusion
Overall, Testify was a good book. Boys could read this book, although it only really has a few male characters. Most boys can't get past that though.
Introduction
Shana Temain and Carrie are best friends. So when Carrie comes to Shana saying that she is being molested by her stepfather, Shana knows that Carrie is telling the truth She will do whatever it takes to help her. Carrie convinces Shana to testify in court. Shana's testimony states that she saw Carrie's stepfather molest her. Which of course is a lie, but for a while Shana doesn't care about her lie. Especially after Carrie's stepfather ends up in jail. Now Shana just can't wait for everything to get back to normal with her group of friends. Unfortunately, that's not what happens. Carrie accuses Hayley, another one of Shana's friends of stealing. Everybody believes Carrie, but soon Carrie reveals some pretty nasty things that she claims Hayley said. Shana just wants to find out the truth, so she goes to talk to Hayley. As secrets become revealed, Shana begins to doubt how trustworthy Carrie really is.
Characters/Relationships
I liked the characters in this Testify, although, it didn't tell you a lot about any of the characters besides Carrie, Shana, and Haley.
There was no love story involved in this book. It does tell you about a past relationship that Shana had and how they broke up though.
Cover
The cover to this book is a girl looking down, hiding her face. The cover is plain ans simple but very pretty.
Dislikes
The book didn't go into very much detail about anything, if I remember correctly, It didn't even give a description of what the characters looked like, If it did it was very small. Like what the general weight of what the characters were. I don't really know what the characters were supposed to look like, but in my mind, I pictured Carrie, with very short brown hair, and I pictured Shana, tall with black hair.
Conclusion
Overall, Testify was a good book. Boys could read this book, although it only really has a few male characters. Most boys can't get past that though.
March 31, 2013
This book had an interesting concept, and some interesting elements but there simply wasn't enough. The technical details throughout the book are well thought out and planned, yet any specific details concerning the exact how or why is unknown.
Testify tried to keep the reader in the dark too hard, and yet never revealed the information that was being hidden. The entire book the reader was being talked down to, and never actually there. This sinificantly cut off the reader from any emotions and character development. Also any details that are revealed are revealed in a random order that makes no sense, yet the reader is still treated as if they're in the dark.
Character development in this book was seriously lacking. With the close-knit group of friends I expect to know some of their mentality, yet none of this is present. The mentality of the characters would have been extremely interesting for the reader to know considering the circumstances and easy to gain considering the fact that they are all really close friends.
Also I feel that details would have been nice to know. As so much of this book relies upon the criminal process it's be nice to know which Province/Territory they were in. Then an adventurous reader could look up and research the facts if they were curious.
However it wasn't an absolutely terrible read. There were no clues on how and I had no idea until the characters realized themselves. I didn't hate this book, but it definitely wasn't a great book. Testify had an interesting concept and plot, but I feel that the author bit off more than they can chew.
I don't like the big font either.
Testify tried to keep the reader in the dark too hard, and yet never revealed the information that was being hidden. The entire book the reader was being talked down to, and never actually there. This sinificantly cut off the reader from any emotions and character development. Also any details that are revealed are revealed in a random order that makes no sense, yet the reader is still treated as if they're in the dark.
Character development in this book was seriously lacking. With the close-knit group of friends I expect to know some of their mentality, yet none of this is present. The mentality of the characters would have been extremely interesting for the reader to know considering the circumstances and easy to gain considering the fact that they are all really close friends.
Also I feel that details would have been nice to know. As so much of this book relies upon the criminal process it's be nice to know which Province/Territory they were in. Then an adventurous reader could look up and research the facts if they were curious.
However it wasn't an absolutely terrible read. There were no clues on how and I had no idea until the characters realized themselves. I didn't hate this book, but it definitely wasn't a great book. Testify had an interesting concept and plot, but I feel that the author bit off more than they can chew.
I don't like the big font either.
February 3, 2012
Single white female for middle school/YA audiences, Testify follows Shana as she discovers her best friend Carrie is a master manipulator who's always two steps ahead of everyone. Too bad Shana agreed to testify against Carrie's step dad, saying she witnessed him molesting Carrie when she didn't actually.
Although a good story, I didn't like Testify as much as Accomplice, the tone felt younger than I think it was actually meant for. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, since it was the same age group and style as Accomplice, but maybe it was because of the BFF girlfriend group. Though it also might have been some of the stylistic choices. I wasn't crazy about how often Sherrard referred to Shana's mom as the true crime buff. Although pertinent I didn't feel I needed to be reminded about it quite as much as I was.
If the ending hadn't been as sensational, I think Testify would have been an excellent book dealing with that weird BFF girl group dynamic that can get so ugly in school. But then I suppose it wouldn't qualify as a thriller, just a coming of age story.
I didn't love Testify, it had it's moments but it wasn't as thought provoking as Accomplice, or as gripping as I would have liked for a thriller. Still it wasn't a bad book, just not my favourite from this particular author.
Although a good story, I didn't like Testify as much as Accomplice, the tone felt younger than I think it was actually meant for. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, since it was the same age group and style as Accomplice, but maybe it was because of the BFF girlfriend group. Though it also might have been some of the stylistic choices. I wasn't crazy about how often Sherrard referred to Shana's mom as the true crime buff. Although pertinent I didn't feel I needed to be reminded about it quite as much as I was.
If the ending hadn't been as sensational, I think Testify would have been an excellent book dealing with that weird BFF girl group dynamic that can get so ugly in school. But then I suppose it wouldn't qualify as a thriller, just a coming of age story.
I didn't love Testify, it had it's moments but it wasn't as thought provoking as Accomplice, or as gripping as I would have liked for a thriller. Still it wasn't a bad book, just not my favourite from this particular author.
April 17, 2014
Are you sure if you can really trust your best friend?
This story follows 6 friends, specifically Shana and Carrie. Shana is truly a decent kid, always tries to do the right thing. Shana will do whatever it takes to help her best friend Carrie, even if it involves going against what is right. In this case, Carrie really doesn’t like her stepfather, so she makes up that he molested her. Although Shana wasn’t actually a witness, she chooses between losing her best friend or testifying something she didn't actually see. After court, the girls expect the end of it…which they are far from. A huge web of lies start forming after. They discover someone in the group has been stealing each others items. Who is it? You’ll have to read to find out!
Testify is a truly astonishing read! The characters are very relatable and the book is generally hard to put down! The author Valerie Sherrard leaves every chapter with a different juicy cliff hanger which makes readers exceptionally captivated.
I suggest this book to anyone who is in for a very interesting quick read! The 144 pages go by so quickly. This book involves suspense, drama, and yes the occasional comedic moment. This book kind of reminds me of the TV show Gossip Girl. Both include scandals, protecting bestfriends and huge web of lies. If you have watched Gossip Girl I strongly suggest reading Testify and vice versa
This story follows 6 friends, specifically Shana and Carrie. Shana is truly a decent kid, always tries to do the right thing. Shana will do whatever it takes to help her best friend Carrie, even if it involves going against what is right. In this case, Carrie really doesn’t like her stepfather, so she makes up that he molested her. Although Shana wasn’t actually a witness, she chooses between losing her best friend or testifying something she didn't actually see. After court, the girls expect the end of it…which they are far from. A huge web of lies start forming after. They discover someone in the group has been stealing each others items. Who is it? You’ll have to read to find out!
Testify is a truly astonishing read! The characters are very relatable and the book is generally hard to put down! The author Valerie Sherrard leaves every chapter with a different juicy cliff hanger which makes readers exceptionally captivated.
I suggest this book to anyone who is in for a very interesting quick read! The 144 pages go by so quickly. This book involves suspense, drama, and yes the occasional comedic moment. This book kind of reminds me of the TV show Gossip Girl. Both include scandals, protecting bestfriends and huge web of lies. If you have watched Gossip Girl I strongly suggest reading Testify and vice versa
September 6, 2011
This is an excellent book about a teen who lies to protect a friend from what she believes is sexual abuse from her stepfather. The relationships amongst the group of young girls are particularly well done. The story moves along at a great pace, and never lets you down. It doesn't take long for Shana to discover that her friend Carrie has lied to her - and about more than the abuse. Carrie is the only character who is a little over-the-top, but she is really so interesting and scary that it doesn't matter. Besides, I may just feel that way because I am older and went to a Catholic school when I was a girl, where we all seemed to behave ourselves rather well. Standards seem to have changed in the interim, and "mean girls" abound.
The moral dilemmas Shana has to face are exceptionally well-handled, the structure is great - I enjoyed the moral complexity of the girl's situation, and found how she handled it realistic and moving. The author really doesn't put a foot wrong in this incredibly well-told tale.
The moral dilemmas Shana has to face are exceptionally well-handled, the structure is great - I enjoyed the moral complexity of the girl's situation, and found how she handled it realistic and moving. The author really doesn't put a foot wrong in this incredibly well-told tale.
November 27, 2011
I wanted to read this one after seeing a write up in the book section of the paper where it got a great review.
This was a really quick read as it is meant for a younger audience than what I am, yet I still totally enjoyed it.
Friendships of young teen girls are fascinating yet very scary. It takes so little to make someone an outcast. There's always a "queen" who makes the rules and everyone takes direction from.
Shana belongs to a group of girls with Carrie as her best friend. After testifying on Carrie's behalf in court resulting in Carrie's stepfather going to jail, Shana begins to wonder if things were as they seemed.
When she tries to right a wrong, things escalate with Carrie, people turn on her as they did with Haley, again at Carrie's direction. Carrie is just not a nice person and seems one step ahead of her. It's a hard decision for a young girl to want to do the right thing, but no one wants to be friendless either.
I would definitely read another of this author's, meant for a younger audience or not.
This was a really quick read as it is meant for a younger audience than what I am, yet I still totally enjoyed it.
Friendships of young teen girls are fascinating yet very scary. It takes so little to make someone an outcast. There's always a "queen" who makes the rules and everyone takes direction from.
Shana belongs to a group of girls with Carrie as her best friend. After testifying on Carrie's behalf in court resulting in Carrie's stepfather going to jail, Shana begins to wonder if things were as they seemed.
When she tries to right a wrong, things escalate with Carrie, people turn on her as they did with Haley, again at Carrie's direction. Carrie is just not a nice person and seems one step ahead of her. It's a hard decision for a young girl to want to do the right thing, but no one wants to be friendless either.
I would definitely read another of this author's, meant for a younger audience or not.
April 8, 2013
This short teen novel is about a teen, Shana, who is just trying to be a good friend. Her best friend Carrie confided in her that her new stepfather was abusing her, but she needed help to prove it. Shana was so upset about this and convinced by Carrie's emotional confession that she agreed to testify in court that she had seen him touch Carrie inappropriately, even though she hadn't seen anything.
Afterward, when Hayley, another friend in their group, is accused of stealing by Carrie, Shana begins to wonder. She talks to Hayley, and begins to question Carrie, but is confused and upset by what she discovers. She decides to come clean about her perjury, but has she just put herself in danger?
This is a very interesting story that encompasses a few issues. One of them is the nature of truth and how one person can tell lies so often she actually starts believing them herself. Another is the power of gossip and innuendo, and how that can destroy a reputation so easily. A third is about social media and how careful one has to be about what one reads and believes.
A really good read.
Afterward, when Hayley, another friend in their group, is accused of stealing by Carrie, Shana begins to wonder. She talks to Hayley, and begins to question Carrie, but is confused and upset by what she discovers. She decides to come clean about her perjury, but has she just put herself in danger?
This is a very interesting story that encompasses a few issues. One of them is the nature of truth and how one person can tell lies so often she actually starts believing them herself. Another is the power of gossip and innuendo, and how that can destroy a reputation so easily. A third is about social media and how careful one has to be about what one reads and believes.
A really good read.
April 10, 2013
Testify by Valerie Sherrard
This book is about a girl named "Shana Tremain" who would do anything to he best friends, especially her best friend,Carrie. When Carrie asks her to go to court in protecting her from her dad who she said to be a molester, she does it and felt good about it for a while. Then, on of their line of friends are lying and stealing from each other from one of their friends.But, Shana doesn't believe a thing about it and starts investigating the truth of it only made it more terrifying. She is now trapped in one of their friend's lies and deceits that only she can figure it out. Can she save Carrie's dad from the true enemy before times run out.
I chose this book because it was a Red Maple book and it was a short book from it to read.
I read this book because it was an easy Red Maple book to read and it was an interesting book to read about lies and deceits of one another.
I would recommend this book to anyone who hadn't read this red Maple book and to anyone who likes book with mystery and deceits.
This book is about a girl named "Shana Tremain" who would do anything to he best friends, especially her best friend,Carrie. When Carrie asks her to go to court in protecting her from her dad who she said to be a molester, she does it and felt good about it for a while. Then, on of their line of friends are lying and stealing from each other from one of their friends.But, Shana doesn't believe a thing about it and starts investigating the truth of it only made it more terrifying. She is now trapped in one of their friend's lies and deceits that only she can figure it out. Can she save Carrie's dad from the true enemy before times run out.
I chose this book because it was a Red Maple book and it was a short book from it to read.
I read this book because it was an easy Red Maple book to read and it was an interesting book to read about lies and deceits of one another.
I would recommend this book to anyone who hadn't read this red Maple book and to anyone who likes book with mystery and deceits.
April 17, 2013
I loved this book! I started off feeling extremely sympathetic for Carrie, but that changed at the book went on. Shayna is best friends with Carrie, and as the book progresses her thoughts start to change. I think that Shayna was very strong throughout this whole book, because if I was in her situation I don`t really know what I would do. She was quick thinking. I would recommend this book to anyone who would find intrest in a book with mysterty, drama, and a bit of thriller. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what`s happening!
March 10, 2013
Shana thinks she did the right thing breaking a law to save Carrie from a molester. But when problems begin to unfold between Shana and her group of friends, she starts to question whether or not Carrie was telling the truth. As her suspicions grow stronger, she decides to find a way to right her wrong and prove Carrie guilty.
But Shana must be careful with who she trusts, for Carrie is always one step ahead of her.
I picked up this book because it is one of the ten Red Maple books this year.
I finished this book because I wanted to find out if Shana and Hayley's suspicions were correct. I also wanted to see how far Carrie would go to keep Shana quiet.
I would recommend this book to everybody who likes to read books from Red Maple and people who like to read about betrayal and friendships.
But Shana must be careful with who she trusts, for Carrie is always one step ahead of her.
I picked up this book because it is one of the ten Red Maple books this year.
I finished this book because I wanted to find out if Shana and Hayley's suspicions were correct. I also wanted to see how far Carrie would go to keep Shana quiet.
I would recommend this book to everybody who likes to read books from Red Maple and people who like to read about betrayal and friendships.
January 30, 2013
Shana is testifying for her friend Carrie in the courtroom because she "saw" Carrie's stepfather molest her. The only problem is she didn't see a thing(as in "she lied"). Soon after, their things start mysteriously disappearing and Carrie blames Hayley their friend. Shana starts doubting that the stepfather actually molested Carrie and starts to fix things.
I picked up this book because it's a Red Maple book.
I finished this book because I wanted to know what happens next every time Shana is presented with a problem, how she reacts, and how detailed Carrie planned everything (I mean seriously how did she always know?).
I would recommend this book to Rebecca because she loves random facts (like laws mentioned in this book).
I picked up this book because it's a Red Maple book.
I finished this book because I wanted to know what happens next every time Shana is presented with a problem, how she reacts, and how detailed Carrie planned everything (I mean seriously how did she always know?).
I would recommend this book to Rebecca because she loves random facts (like laws mentioned in this book).
May 5, 2013
This story is about Carrie's step-dad being accused for abusing her and Shanna was told to lie at the trial as being a witness. Carrie's step-dad was found guilty and Carrie seems to be really happy about it. But things began to go wrong when one of Shanna's friend Hayley was accused for stealing jewelry until Shanna found out that it was Carrie behind this. Soon, Shanna became one of Carrie's "victims" and Carrie lied to the police about the things that Shanna did to her.
I chose this book because it was a nominated book of red maple 2013.
The reason I finished this is because I want to find out if Carrie's step-dad will have his name cleared and that why does Carrie do these things.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read good stories but not too long.
I chose this book because it was a nominated book of red maple 2013.
The reason I finished this is because I want to find out if Carrie's step-dad will have his name cleared and that why does Carrie do these things.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read good stories but not too long.
February 2, 2013
I read this book as one of the staff advisors at my school. Overall the story was a decent storyline and when I take into account the fact that this books is geared to 12-14 year olds it is easy to see that the storyline would be perfect for that age. To me the story was pretty predictable and the ending made me actual laugh out loud at how the cell phone was used. That said, again, for the age range the book is intended for, it works very well for the story. The whole concept of this story did sort of scare me a little because I could completely see this happening to some of my students - way too easily. With just over 100 pages, it is definitely a quick and easy read.
May 18, 2016
Shana has told a lie. What makes this significant is that she told the lie in court to support her friend, Carrie. The thing is, she is discovering that Carrie may not have been completely truthful with her. When she feels that she should rectify the situation, things begin to spiral out of control.
I picked this book up because it is on this year's Red Maple list.
I finished it to see how Shana's plan would turn out.
I would recommend this to Zarina. I think she may like the character of Shana.
I picked this book up because it is on this year's Red Maple list.
I finished it to see how Shana's plan would turn out.
I would recommend this to Zarina. I think she may like the character of Shana.
December 10, 2012
With Shana's help as a witness Carrie's step father is accused and sentenced for molesting her. Then things change. What Shana begins to suspect about her best friend Carrie surprises, shocks and then frightens her.
The story moves quickly from the court through the unravelling of Shana's friendship with Carrie and reveals a series of unexpected events that lead us to a believable resolution.
recommended: 13+
Subject/ Theme: realistic, friendship, honesty
Note: Reference to underage drinking
The story moves quickly from the court through the unravelling of Shana's friendship with Carrie and reveals a series of unexpected events that lead us to a believable resolution.
recommended: 13+
Subject/ Theme: realistic, friendship, honesty
Note: Reference to underage drinking
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