cuocuo 's review for:

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

3.0

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Although there are many theories, no one knows for certain why, in 1692, young Puritan girls accused their neighbors of practicing witchcraft during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. In Wicked Girls, Hemphill, winner of a Printz Honor for [b:Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath|99375|Your Own, Sylvia A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath|Stephanie Hemphill|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266471846s/99375.jpg|95804], proposes that the girls faked their fits to gain attention and enact revenge against those who had wronged them. The story is told in verse and the perspective alternates between three of the young female "seers": an upper class girl named Ann, Mercy, Ann's servant, and Margaret, Ann's cousin. Each brief, free verse poem is titled and the speaker is identified in italics beneath the title. The resulting narrative reads like Mean Girls set in Puritanical times. Although the setting is historical, teens will recognize the forces that compel the girls to bear witness against their fellow villagers. Hemphill intends to represent the entire year of witch hunt hysteria and, as a result, the book drags considerably in the middle when little changes apart from more squabbling between the girls. Unfortunately, although Hemphill is a talented poet, the verse format often distracts from the story being told. The girls' narrative voices are not dissimilar enough to register, forcing the reader to rely on the identifications at the beginning of each poem and halting the flow of the story. The cover doesn't have much shelf appeal but teens are likely to enjoy the book once they are encouraged to read it. Further biographies on the main characters and a bibliography of recommended sources is included after the novel's conclusion. Hemphill also provides an author's note explaining her research process, her intentions, and some of the liberties she took to serve the story she wanted to tell.

Although certainly appropriate for public libraries, Wicked Girls is especially recommended for purchase in high school libraries. It would serve as a good inspiration for writing or drama classes, similar to [b:Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village|607931|Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village|Laura Amy Schlitz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176254732s/607931.jpg|594437], or a good counterpart to Arthur Miller's [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166805388s/17250.jpg|1426723].