Time Pieces

Narrator Lisa Renée Pitts brings a sincere, ingenuous quality to Valena, the heroine of Newbery-winning author Virginia Hamilton's last novel. Eleven-year-old Valena, soon to be in sixth grade, finds that life is still full of phenomena that are difficult to understand--ghosts in the dark, the Aurora Borealis, a tornado, and the cruelty of racism. Valena's mother tells her stories of their family's past, which help Valena understand her own life and find her strength. Pitts handles each of Valena's confused moments with a fine blend of childish spite and little-girl uncertainty. She does especially well detailing the family's history, from the capture of Tunny Maud, a Pygmy woman taken to America in slavery, to the escape of Valena's great-grandfather on the Underground Railroad. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 14, 2005
Pitts gives a sparkling performance of Hamilton's last novel, which was completed before her death in 2002. As precocious and likable 11-year-old Valena, Pitts is particularly sharp, a fact that will surely draw listeners into this tale that weaves together elements of Hamilton's authentic family history with a coming-of-age story. In the course of one eventful summer that includes a tornado, outings with relatives and a trip to an unusual traveling circus, Valena also hears tales about her heritage from her mother, Harriet. It's Harriet's recollections (referred to here as "reckons") that fill in some of the details of how Valena's grandfather escaped slavery with his mother and traveled the Underground Railroad from Virginia to freedom in Ohio (where Valena and her kin now live). Fans of Hamilton's body of work will recognize familiar themes and elements of her other books. Pitts plays both humorous and poignant tones with equal skill, making this an all-around entertaining listen. Ages 10-14.

June 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -Virginia Hamilton's semiautobiographical novel (Blue Sky Press, 2002) quietly shows how the stories of the past and present complete the picture of a family. Living in rural Ohio, just as Hamilton did, 11-year-old Valena deals with racism, surviving a tornado, and the loss of a pet but also experiences the joys of her first circus and seeing the aurora borealis. As we learn about Valena's summer adventures and experiences, her mother weaves in her family's history of slavery and other stories. Tales of Great-Grandpa Luke and the Underground Railroad intertwine with the legend of a pygmy brought from Africa on a slave ship to create the real strength of the book. Actress Lisa Renee Pitts uses her buttery smooth voice to bring all of Hamilton's characters to life. Listeners are transported back in time with musical interludes that pace the story and are historically pertinent." -April Mazza, Wayland Public Library, MA"

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