Barbara Stewart

Young Adult Author

About What We Knew

“When I was little, I imagined a monster: Scaly hands. Pits for eyes…”

When Tracy and her best friend, Lisa, were kids, stories about a man-a creep who exposes himself to little girls-kept them out of the woods and in their own backyards. But Tracy and Lisa aren’t so little anymore, and the man in the woods is nothing but a silly story. Right?

But someone is in the woods. Someone is watching. And he knows all their secrets, secrets they can’t tell anyone-not even each other.

Monsters don’t exist.”

Lisa’s just being paranoid. At least that’s what Tracy thinks. But when a disturbing “gift” confirms her worst fears, it sets the girls on a dangerous journey that takes them beyond the edge of the woods. They swiftly learn however that reality is more terrifying than the most chilling myth, and what they find will test the bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love.

“Once upon a time, two girls were lost in the woods.”

In Barbara’s Stewart’s What We Knew, Tracy and Lisa can’t destroy the evil they’ll face, but can they stop it from destroying each other?

Reviews

“The end result is not only tragic, but also tells an entirely different story of secrets and deception; readers come away understanding that there is always more than meets the eye… The characters are rough around the edges-they smoke and drink. They also take care of one another and will ring true to teens. Older readers looking for a book that unravels the truth in an unconventional way will enjoy this urban legend.”

School Library Journal

“Stewart weaves a story of mystery, fear, and the strains that growing up puts on friendship in this psychological tale. Best read with the lights on, this narrative asserts that the truth is often far scarier than childish myths, and far more likely to hit close to home. Stewart’s suspenseful creepfest explores the nature of paranoia, the limits of loyalty, the pursuit of vengeance, and the ways that friendships change as young people come of age.”

Booklist

“Chilling, realistic, and a suspenseful page-turner! If you’re into books with dark themes and thrilling stories, this is the book for you!”

Books & Cleverness

“The ending is what made this book for me. It felt like such a fantastic payoff and I’d be lying if I said my eyes didn’t start to well up a bit.”

BookReporter

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