The Watcher

by James Howe

Book Overview

Perfect Strangers Every day, she sits at the top of the stairs leading to the beach. Always writing in her little notebook. Always watching. Watching the loving big brother, so caring and attentive to his little sister. Watching the handsome lifeguard with his golden tan. But no matter how closely she watches, she can't begin to know the secrets behind the perfect facades of their lives. And they can't begin to know the truth about the strange, sad...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689835337
• ISBN13: 9780689835339
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.2" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Perhaps the best book i've read..

When I went to my local bookstore i picked up this book, read the back, and just bought it never totally taking it seriously..but when actually sat down to read it I was surprised at how wonderful and beautifully written it was. It was definitely one of those books that i picked up and literally could not put down, I had to go to bed before I was able to finish it, but I woke myself up early the next morning to finish the remaining pages..it was amazingly captivating. I'm pretty sure the back cover describes the book better than i could, so i'll just leave the description up to that. I would Definitely reccomend this book..I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like it.

I Couldn't Put it Down

The Watcher is one of the most amazing and beautifuly written books I've read. Words cannot express this book, but I'll try. Margaret is "the watcher", a mysterious girl who is commonly found sitting by the beach, just watching. Nobody really knows anything about her, they think she's just some weird kid. But really Margaret's life is complicated and tormenting. She is stuck in a deep, dark hole and can't escape. Her mind weaves stories of perfect familes and perfect lives, made up of the "perfect" people she sees on the beach. But are these people really so perfect? Margaret is intrigued by Chris, a seemingly care-free lifeguard. To some he appears shallow, even stupid. Really, his life is constanly being tormented by a memory which isn't even there, a memory of his brother which he lost even before he was born. Then there's Evan. Evan lives a seemlingly perfect life. He spends his time with his little sister Callie and his seeminlgy perfect parents. But behind their cheery faces, his family is in great pain. His little sister is constantly worried about her parents fighting, and their parents are constantly trying to hide their unhappiness from their children. How could all these charectars, who seem so different, really be so close? This book is, once again, amazing. The ending is thought provoking and ties everything together. I urge you to PLEASE read this book. It will stay on your mind long after you've finished it.

You should read "The Watcher!"

A tear-jerking novel by James Howe is "The Watcher." Evan is a yong teen-aged boy who fears his parents are going to get a divorce. Chris is a life guard who is desperately struggling to find his place in his family, what he should do with his life, and is still grieving his brothers death. Margaret is an abused, lonely girl, and who tries to be invisible while observing the life around her instead on participating in it.Margaret sits on the beach everyday and just watches all the people. While she watches these people she writes in her little book about what she thinks of them and what she thinks their lives are like. Of course, she always assumes their lives are much better than hers. The two boys both notice her sitting at the beach alone, watching, and writing. What they don't know is, is that she is very abused by her father and needs to be rescued. They can't understand why she just watches and never plays herself. All three of them eventually come together in a horrific and saddening climax in the story. This is a wonderfully written book with an acception of some foul language. I recommend this book to anyone from about 8-12 grade who thinks their life is bad or just needs a good cry.

Wonderfully psycological--really makes you think.

I loved this book. I found it compelling, stunning, and surprising. "The Watcher" is a girl named Margaret who everyone preceves as "a total loner" who is shunned from the rest of the society. During the summer, she watches two specific beach goers, and makes herself become one, in the storybook lives she makes up for them. Soon, she becomes obsessed in her story,as she starts to believe it to be real, and even changes the possesions of those to include her. All the while, the families she views as perfect uncover their own problems, in their own worlds. They eventually accedentally band together to quite possibly save each others lives.This is a very psycological book. Tip: Pay attention to the characters in her fantasy stories, and you will find the book to have deeper meaning. Really think about it. You'll find out what they really mean, and belive me...THEN, it WILL all make sense.An emotionally touching book.

The Best Book

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. It helped me and others to understand that everything in life is not what it appears to be. In this book, for instance, Evan and Callie's family looked like a perfect family, but Jeff and Karen were thinking about getting a divorce. The Watcher also looked like a pretty normal girl , but at her father abused her at home. This book is a very descriptive book. James Howe makes it a lot easier to understand the characters life from their point of view. The way he described the Watcher showed her lack of self-esstem and how lonely she was. I hope that everyone that reads this book will enjoy it as much has I did.