Witness

Newbery Medalist Karen Hess (OUT OF THE DUST) is an author who likes trying new things. She has written WITNESS as a drama, with a cast of characters that perfectly populate a small town in Vermont in 1924, just after the Ku Klux Klan has arrived. While the story is little hard to get into at first, this performance by a cast of 11 picks up speed after we begin to be able to identify the characters' voices (a problem the written book doesn't have). Pivotal character Esther Hirsh, a 6-year-old Jewish girl transplanted from NYC to Vermont, is given a sometimes irritating voice that sounds more mentally impaired than young. Still,the overall effect overcomes the drawbacks to pull listeners into the lively action, which includes a Klan shooting,a close call with a train, and the humorous exchanges between shopkeeper Harvey Pettibone and his droll wife, Viola. This listening experience is definitely worth having. M.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 15, 2001
Hesse's (Out of the Dust) powerful, history-inspired novel about the Ku Klux Klan's encroachment on a small town in 1924 Vermont becomes a riveting audiobook as performed by a stellar cast. The story—told in poetry, in the voices of 11 characters—is surprisingly easy to follow; listeners are introduced to each distinctive character voice at the outset and are soon caught up in the strong narrative rhythm, able to discern who's who. Fine showings from Heather Alicia Simms (When Kambia Elaine Came Down from Neptune) as Leonora Sutter, a 12-year-old African-American girl, and Jenna Lamia in the role of six-year-old Esther Hirsh, a Jewish immigrant child, anchor the proceedings and give this production its heart. Colorful supporting characters, some with evocative New England accents, subtly and effectively draw listeners into Hesse's thought-provoking themes. At program's end, listeners are treated to bonus material: a meaty interview with Hesse conducted by author and children's book historian Leonard S. Marcus. Hesse reveals, among other things, her inspiration for the book and her research methods. Ages 12-up. Simultaneous release with the Scholastic hardcover, reviewed in Children's Forecasts, Aug. 20.

Starred review from February 10, 2003
PW
wrote in our Best Books citation, "Hesse weaves together 11 distinct narrative voices to create a moving account of the Ku Klux Klan's encroachment on a small Vermont town in 1924. Told completely in verse, her quietly powerful novel addresses the inevitable loss of innocence that accompanies the fight for social justice." Ages 9-12.