Parents' Guide to

Witness

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Confusing yet compelling tale of racism.

Book Karen Hesse Historical Fiction 2004
Witness Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

7789
7789 Adult
February 17, 2009
age 12+

I twas a challengingbook for the younger kids

I thought that the book as challenging even for some adults.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Life in a small Vermont town in the 1920s is disrupted when the Ku Klux Klan starts making inroads and picking up adherents there. With their usual tactics of threats, intimidation, and cross burning, they create a climate of fear and division, especially for two young girls, one black and one Jewish. But Vermonters, though certainly racist, don't respond in the same way as the Klan has been used to in the South.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (24):

Written in free-verse poetry, divided into five acts, and told from the point of view of a large cast of characters, this is, at times, a confusing hodge-podge. It would make a better performance piece than it does a novel. Many (though not all) of the characters are listed in the front, with photos, names, ages, and occupations, and many readers will need to refer to this list frequently to keep them all straight.

Much of the style, including the rather flat-footed poetry, the lack of capital letters, and the cute but bizarre dialect invented for Esther, the little Jewish girl, seem arbitrary. Nevertheless, the story, revealed in bits and pieces through the poems, is compelling and holds the reader's interest. And somewhere, some avant-garde high school drama teacher is going to make a terrific little theater piece out of this.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about historical fiction. How is reading this book different than reading an actual history book? This book is set in the 1920s -- why is it important to read stories from the past?

  • This book is written in free verse poetry. Is it easier to read a book like this -- or does it make it harder to follow the story? What would be difficult about trying to write a book like this?

Book Details

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