Witness

I loved Witness by Karen Hesse. It’s perfect for someone who wants to read about history or people who are curious about the past. It’s about many characters all with different perspectives and interests. It’s very inspiring, because it explains some of people’s struggles with a racist organization called the KKK. Unbelievably, the KKK still exists today! So it is very educational. Some of the characters are members of the KKK and some aren’t. This book is aimed at older readers; it has some dark moments. A character named Leanora Sutter says, “My daddy says down in Texas a reverend by the name of revealed jesus is preaching so powerful, people are leaving their jobs and their houses and following him from meeting to meeting. My daddy says revealed jesus better get his brave behind up north pretty quick because what he’s doing down there in Texas is sure to get him lynched.” I chose this quote from the book because it shows how the book includes powerful moments that could get someone killed. Even with flaws, it's still a great book. I give it 5 stars⭐.

A memorable, intense, and touching book. Karen Hesse’s book Witness does a wonderful job reminding you the about the intense history of the United States of America. A word Karen Hesse used that I was fond of was “shadow-eyed”. It is easy to read and does not have many words on a page. I would rate it for children 9 and up. I rated it for older children because even though it is an easy read, it is very intense. In 1924 the Ku Klux Klan moves into a small town in Vermont. Karen Hesse does a great job of telling each person's story. Each person has their own perception of the Ku Klux Klan. This intense story helps us understand how people reacted to the Ku Klux Klan. In between every line is a hint waiting to be read.

The book Witness by Karen Hesse is a story with multiple characters’ perspectives on the KKK moving into their town, some for the Klan and some against it. I think this book is appropriate for ages 8+ but it is hard to understand for 11 and under. I would give this book one star for a kid 11 and under because some of the metaphors are hard to understand and some of the clues Karen Hesse is giving you are hard to get. I think for ages 12+ it will be easier to understand so a three star on her book. I’m rating this book three stars because the plot is a hard to follow and she drops lots of small hints. Karen Hesse doesn’t tell you things the easy way, she will say something like “the opening of roses kept bud-tight so many years, it warms this aging soul.” This is an example of her making you figure out what the character means. On the other hand, she writes in a poetic way or free verse and I like that because she emphasizes words to make them stronger. When she writes “seeing those two motherless children in my kitchen before my stove, Esther’s hair draped across Leanora’s dark hand stroking Esther’s face” you can really imagine the scene. I like that Karen Hesse writes that way. She puts images into your head. Her book deals with such an important topic.

13+ Witness by Karen Hesse is a book that takes place in 1924 in a small town in Vermont where the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) moved in. I do not recommend this book for children under age 13 because the way the KKK acted is scary. For example, they burn a cross: “On the hill across the valley I saw a flame rising. But is was no wild fire it was a cross, burning.” I recommend this book for older kids so they can learn about the history of America. ★★☆☆☆ I give the book two stars because it is good for history, but not a very fun book and not very enjoyable.

This book is about a small town in Vermont that is infested by the evil KKK. The book Witness is also about lynching, shooting, burning, and harassing African-Americans and the burning of crosses. This book is a reminder of the American dark past. This book is very sad and is more recommended for 5th grade or higher for reasons like gore and inappropriate stuff like a naughty preacher. There are also some funny things like “wiggle fish.” Another thing I like is that Karen Hesse writes in free verse. I give it 4 stars because it is kind of gory and sad.

Witness by Karen Hesse I liked the book because I learned about the KKK and the 1920s. The book has some language and violence in it. I got frustrated with all the characters in the book. I would give it five out of five because it was very interesting. I think I recommend it for kids in 5th grade and up, ages 10 and up. I think that the reader should like adventure and history. the book is in free verse which is not like poetry it is like sentences with breaks in the middle of the sentences. Karen Hesse uses a lot of compound words, as in this quotation: “the day was cold, bitter, below-zero. Made-you-wish-you’d-been-born-inside-a-fur-coat cold.”

Witness is a very interesting story about slavery and the K.K.K. (Ku Klux Klan). This free verse novel by Karen Hesse, has some violence and is sad so I recommend it to ages 10+. I would recommend it if you are interested in history, because it is about the past. This book takes place in 1924 in Vermont. Leanora Sutter is a Black character. The only white person that touches her is a little girl named Esther, who seems to talk funny, and used to live in New York. I like free verse, because there is less on a page than usual. I liked when Esther said “Vermont is a nice place. They have wiggle fish. That is what I did tell Daddy in New York,” because I like Esther’s funny talk. I give this book a rating of 4, because it is free verse, and it was really interesting, but it wasn’t super duper duper good. It would have been better if I didn’t have to do homework on it, because I was more focused on the homework than the book.

Witness by Karen Hesse is a fast-paced, remarkable story and a little bit sad story about 11 real people from Vermont in 1924 expecting a tough time in history because of the jim crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan and all the racism that white people think about black people. The characters are Johnny Reeves, Leanora Sutter, Sara Chickering, Esther Hirsh, Reynard Alexander, Merlin van Tornhout, Fitzgerald Flitt, Harvey Pettibone, Iris Weaver, Percelle Johnson, and Viola Pettibone. The charters in the story are looking to survive, get money, redeem themselves and go to the klan. I think people will like the book if you want to learn about the jim crow, the Ku Klux Klan or history period then this is the book. I think the book should maybe be rated 8 or 9+. I thought Karen Hesse’s writing was like a poem because it made sense more than other stuff and the way she used the language was very well excluded. My favorite quote is from page 7 saying “In school willie, Pettibone handed me an article torn from the town paper saying “Any person to whom an evening of hearty laughter is poison had better keep away from the community club minstrel show Friday evening at the town hall. all others will be admitted for a night of fun brought to you by 22 genuine faced “coons”, which was rude because 1.you are calling black people a coon.2.no one out of their mind will think that is funny well you’re people thought that was funny and they loved every moment of that show. I would give the book 4.5 because it wasn’t the strong enough to make you cry or make you feel super surprised a book that is super strong like that is “MARCH” by John Lewis.

Witness by Karen Hesse Witness was a amazing book, with scary and sad scenes in it, and some memorable scenes that you just can’t forget. Two of the youngest characters are the main characters, Esther Hirsh (age 6), a Jewish girl, and Leanora Sutter (age 12), a Black girl. The Ku Klux Klan moves to their small Vermont town, and people had to decide how to respond to their presence. I liked the book, but sometimes I couldn’t understand it, and it lacks proper capitalization. There were bad words and lynching and minstrel shows, which were sad. I would give this book four out of five stars, and the readers should be middle-school-aged. I liked when one character told his daughter “You’re already nothing but a wild brown island” because it shows how lonely she was.

I like this amazing historical book. Makes you want to hit the mean characters. This book is written in free verse and there are no capital letters. Perfect for kids or adults who like history and hate capitals. Sometimes in the book there are sad, dark parts. It is set in Vermont in 1924 when the Ku Klux Klan moves in. Nobody is safe especially the two youngest characters, Esther Hirsh and Leanora Sutter. Leanora gets bullied at school and sees a disgusting minstrel show flyer. Esther and leanora experiences violence because of the Ku Klux Klan. I think that this book is good for ages 9+ if they feel comfortable with strong, mean things. I gave this book 4 stars because it shows that it was hard to live in Vermont in 1924 especially if you are not white. Hesse gave each character a different unusual personality.