Harmless

by Dana Reinhardt

Book Overview

BONUS FEATURE: Exclusive Author Interview EMMA: Sometimes it' s easier to tell lies than it is to tell the truth.ANNA: We could pull this one off, no problem at all.MARIAH: You' ve told lies before,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385746997
• ISBN13: 9780385746991
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

I enjoyed reading this book. I didn't want to put it down. Excellent plot!

Everyone should at least try this book.

A "young adult" story that transcends young adults

Harmless is a rich, textured story of three young women caught in a terrible lie that spirals out of control. The narrative structure is enjoyable and unusual - first person narration alternating between three main characters, with story detail that overlaps, but retain their unique perspectives. The protagonists' voices are powerful and authentic - even in moments of confusion and fear. Their struggles with identity and the moral consequences of their lie resounds within the larger context of young adulthood. The plot is well-crafted and suspenseful. Overall, Harmless is a wonderful, thoughtful story that transcends young adult appeal to a much broader adult audience. I listened to Harmless unabridged on audio CD narrated by Lynde Houck, Donna Rawlins and Staci Snell. Each woman does a fine job voicing the emotional journey of their respective protagonist.

Excellent Young Adult Novel

Harmless is a novel about three teenage girls, Anna, Emma and Mariah who tell what they think is a "little white lie" to avoid getting in trouble with their parents. As often happens in such situations, the lies stack up as the girls endeavor to stay out of trouble. The lies keep on stacking up until they reach a critical point at which they explode into a full fledged scandal that shocks the entire community. This is a novel that is both believable and realistic. Lies are stacked one upon another until the whole stack finally topples over to reveal the ugly truth. Harmless is an excellent novel about teenagers.

Richie's Picks: HARMLESS

What happens when the stakes suddenly grow so steep that it feels as if there is no turning back, that there is no real option other than to add a few new stories to a house of cards that is swiftly growing into a teetering high rise? "White ones and red ones And some you can't disguise Twisted truth and half the news Can't hide it in your eyes." --The Thompson Twins, "Lies" Anna: "Mom and Dad always made this big deal all the time about what a perfect kid I was and that made it difficult for me to lie to them. They always told me that I was so smart and mature and that I know how to make the right decisions for myself. They tell me that the best part about being my parents is, no, not watching my bad karaoke, it's just sitting back and watching me figure out my way through the world. Well, that's what I was doing, wasn't I? Sometimes figuring your own way through the world means lying to your parents. Sometimes it means taking risks. Making new friends, Meeting new people from different neighborhoods and different backgrounds. Sometimes it means doing things that nobody would ever imagine Anna Banana would do." Emma: "Parents don't really want to know the truth. They just want to know that everything is perfect and that their children are smart and happy and popular and out of danger so they can concentrate on their own problems." Mariah: "Funny. I'd lied to my mother, stolen her money, spent the night with my boyfriend, and managed to get her to feel sorry for me. I was a genius." HARMLESS is the story of three ninth-grade girls who attend a private school in Orsonville, a small town along the Hudson River. For years there have been Anna-and-Emma. When Mariah joins up with them, it appears as if there might be an opportunity for the duo to escape social invisibility. After all, Mariah's got a hot, older boyfriend with a car who attends the public school. And it doesn't take much for the girls to convince themselves that it is time to become the sort of adolescents who might engage in some of those reasonably common teen behaviors that parents wouldn't exactly approve of. Emma: "I wondered if Silas had ever been in my situation. I wondered if he ever lied about where he was spending the night. I'm not sure Mom and Dad would get so bent out of shape if Silas spent the night at some strange girl's house with no adult supervision. There's a clear double standard in our house and it's not just because Silas is older. It's because Silas is a boy, and I get the sense that Dad takes pride in knowing, or at least assuming, that Silas has a way with girls." "The truth is like chasing a phantom The truth is so seemingly random" --Todd Rundgren, "Truth" What happens when things get too out of control? Emma: "This was bad. We couldn't get caught." Anna: "I know what I saw. I may be inexperienced. I may never have kissed a boy or had his hand in my shirt, but I know what I saw." Author Dana Reinhardt does a superb job of crafting the se

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Everyone's told lies. Most lies aren't even that bad. They don't hurt anyone...they're just harmless. One night, Mariah, Anna, and Emma are off at an older boy's house, instead of at the movies like they said they would be. But when their parents show up at the movies and can't find them anywhere, they are caught in their lie. They're okay, but they don't want to be grounded for life. Telling a little lie would be a lot easier than telling the truth, and nobody would get in trouble. So for fear of getting in huge trouble with their parents, the girls concoct a simple story. They were on their way to the movie, walking along the river, when a man attacked Emma. They didn't get a chance to see his face, and they don't remember what he looked like because they were scared. Luckily for Emma, Mariah and Anna threw a rock at the man's head and they were able to get away. The three best friends vow to stick by this story, but they have no idea how much this one lie will envelop their lives. They didn't count on their parents involving the police. They didn't count on everyone at school finding out. They didn't count on the entire community rallying around the girls and calling them "heroes." And they definitely didn't count on anyone being arrested for their imaginary crime. The girls are in too deep, buried in their lie. The lie that was supposed to be their savior now nags their conscious with every waking moment. But will they be able to find the courage to tell the truth? I could really relate to the characters in this book, and see how under a pressure situation, I might have made the wrong decision, too. HARMLESS by Dana Renihardt is the story of how a seemingly small lie can take on a life of its own. But, more importantly, it shows how anyone can make a stupid mistake, and that everyone deserves forgiveness. Reviewed by: Amber Gibson

A chilling teen read

Dana Reinhardt created a splash last year with her charming and brilliant first novel, "a brief chapter in my impossible life." I'm happy to report that her second YA novel, "Harmless," is equally accomplished. "Harmless" is much darker than a brief chapter in my impossible life. In the grand tradition of "I Know What You Did Last Summer," it's the story of a lie and its consequences. Three ninth-grade girls narrate the story and tell the lie--that they were attacked and one of them nearly raped. Each of the girls is insecure and unsure of herself. Anna is a coddled and much-loved only child who has never been popular. Her best friend Emma was transported to their small town--a town anchored by a college and CompuCorp--and misses New York City desperately. Like Anna, she has two loving parents. Unlike Anna, her parents argue, and they moved away from the city a few years earlier because of a sexual harassment charge against her father. New girl Mariah shows up at Orsonville Day School because her mother marries a wealthy man Mariah does not like much. Mariah rebels by hooking up with a public school kid named D.J. When she invites Anna and Emma to a party, the lies begin. At first, Anna and Emma tell their parents that they are at one another's house. When they're finally caught, the lie is told. Reinhardt is particularly skilled at first-person narration. Each girl's voice is so distinct, that I no longer had to read the chapter title by the time I was halfway through the novel. Emma is confused and hurt. Anna is intelligent and self-absorbed. Mariah is angry and desires attention, but is good at heart. What I especially appreciated about "Harmless" is that these girls are recognizable. Yes, they've each had a problem or two, but nothing drastic or unusual enough to explain away their lie. As Mariah says: "I know it sounds crazy now, but that night, making up the lie seemed like the easy way out. A harmless little lie. You've told lies before, haven't you? I ask them. Everyone's told lies. It was just that I was unable to see, right then, that the lie would gather speed and its current would carry it further and further away from me." "Harmless" is highly recommended for teen readers ages thirteen and up. Some sexual content.