Scholastic Signature
January 2003
$12.95 AU
161p
pb
ISBN: 978-0439272001
fp September 2001
Witness
Karen Hesse
from the book...
Leanora Sutter, Esther Hirsh, Merlin Van Tornhout, Johnny Reeves...
These characters are among the unforgettable cast inhabiting a small Vermont town in 1924 - a town that turns against its own when the Ku Klux Klan moves in. No one is safe, especially the two youngest, twelve-year-old Leonora, an African-American girl, and six-year-old Esther, who is Jewish.
In this story of a community on the brink of disaster, told through the haunting and impassioned voices of its inhabitants, Newbery Award winner Karen Hesse takes readers into the hearts and minds of those who bear witness.
If you have read this verse novel and would like to share your opinion of it with other readers please send your review or comments to YARR-A
The
year is 1924 and the small town of Vermont finds that it is under siege
from the
Klu Klux Klan. Using free verse, author Karen Hesse (also wrote Out
Of The Dust) allows 11 unique and memorable voices to relate the
story of
the Klan's steady infiltration into the conscience of a small community
of
Vermont. At the beginning the Klu Klux Klan's 'All American' attitude,
is
embraced by several important men of the Vermont community, including
Constable
Parcelle Johnson and the all important retailer Harvey Pettibone,
Harvey's wife
Viola and Iris Weaver believe, from the beginning that the arrival of
the Klu
Klux Klan is bad news for the community. As the only African Americans
in town,
12-year old Leonora Sutter and her father try to escape Klan scrutiny,
while
6-year-old, city-born Esther Hirsch remains blissfully unaware of the
Klan's
prejudice against Jews as she enjoys the Vermont countryside. Sara
Chickering,
the lady farmer who has opened her home to Esther and her father, is
torn
between her own hidden biases and her growing love for Esther.
This
is a book of love and trust. This casual style makes it feel as if you
are
reading into the characters private journal. Hesse uses rare dialogue
between
characters, so in the event that there is dialogue, it is easy to read
and keep
pace with. The strong storyline was done so well that I can see it
being
appropriate for children 12 to 16.
Jessica, Year 9, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia
From
the Newbery Award-winning author of Out of the Dust, Karen
Hesse, comes
the story Witness. It is about the childhood of a black girl,
Leanora
Sutter, and a Jewish girl, Esther Hirsh, and the different opinions of
people in
their town when an all-American, redneck racist group called the Ku
Klux Klan
arrives. Reactions from the township to the KKK range from admiration
to fear to
derision and the well-being of both Esther’s and Leanora’s families are
put
at risk. Set after the American Civil War and describing the general
racism of
white cults, Hesse puts the reader into the shoes of different people
in the
story.
This
verse novel was quite good, with a twist at the end. I usually prefer a
different story line, but this book was good. Aimed at older readers
and
students, high school and college, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
Matt, Year 10, Canberra, Australia
The novel I read was called Witness and the author of the book is Karen Hesse. This novel was set in 1924, in a small town in Vermont and a group of people called the Ku Klux Klan cause disaster to the small town. The novel was about how the Ku Klux Klan comes to the town and as soon as they are there they cause fear for the people living in the little town; some characters in the novel are scared for their lives. In the novel, Witness, there are lots of characters but the two main characters are Esther Hirsh and she is six years old and Jewish, the other main character is Leanora Sutter and she is twelve years old and African-American. Leonora, who lost her mother, makes friends with Esther…
I found Witness a little hard to understand and I think that this book is suitable for people that are between the age of fourteen and eighteen. It has much depth and is best for people who enjoy stories set in the past with a factual basis.
Allie, Year 8, Canberra, Australia