  | Lizzie Borden story (I Witnessed) Author: Kraatz, Jeramey | |
| Price: $21.18 | ||
Summary:
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Churchill knows he must put his childish stories behind him and be the man of the house, where his gossip-loving mother and adventurous young cousin in Fall River, Massachusetts, need him. But on the morning of August 4, 1892, Charlie witnesses a horrific act at his next-door neighbors' house, the Bordens. No one believes that he saw one of the Bordens being attacked, not even when Andrew and Abby Borden are found dead later that morning. In graphic novel format.
| Illustrator: | Jayme, Crystal |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/15/24)
School Library Journal (01/01/25)
Booklist (00/03/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 01/01/2025 Gr 7 Up—We all know the rhyme "Lizzie Borden took an ax," which has stubbornly persisted in popular memory since shortly after the grisly 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, despite being blatantly inaccurate—Borden was not found guilty, Abby was not her mother, and there were not as many whacks as the rhyme suggests. Kraatz's and Jayme's well-researched historical fiction examines the case and provides detail and context that is missed by the generally accepted narrative of the tragedy. Told through the experience of Borden's neighbor, 14-year-old Charlie Churchill, this blend of fiction and history is less an indictment of Borden or any other possible murderers, and more an exploration of an event that became a viral sensation, predating memes by about a hundred years. Once she is arrested, the country is divided, and everyone, it seems, has an opinion based on very little information. Readers gain a nuanced view through Charlie as he tries to sort out the events of that horrible day, torn between the sensationalism of it all and his levelheaded mother's gentle admonitions that an opinion cannot be formed without having all of the facts. VERDICT Borden's persistently compelling story lends a perfect background for a graphic novel about sensationalism, murder, media, high-profile court cases, and the effect they can have on communities.—Sarah Maciejewski - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Other - 03/10/2025 Told from the perspective of a neighbor who witnessed the event, this fictionalized graphic novel by Kraatz (the Space Runners series) and illustrator Jayme gives a gritty true crime spin to the real-life story of the 1892 Borden murders. In Fall River, Mass., 14-year-old Charlie Churchill lives next door to the wealthy Borden family. He grows wary of the Bordens after eavesdropping on a tense conversation late one evening between Borden daughter Lizzie and her father. Several nights pass, during which he spies on the Bordens through his window. The morning after surveying what he believes is someone attacking an unknown figure with an axe, he learns that Mr. and Mrs. Borden have been murdered. As citizens are embroiled in the ensuing investigation, Charlie embarks on his own inquiry, gathering clues and dodging encounters with the police, his relatives, and Lizzie. Jayme’s inked illustrations, rendered in a limited, blue-gray palette, give a contemporary feel to the historical happenings while dynamic facial expressions-paired with Kraatz’s conversational yet period typical dialogue-approachably relay the gruesome events. The result is a spine-tingling murder mystery adventure that recalls the I Survived series and will appeal to fans of the genre. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025
