Wicked Girls

Gr 9 Up—Stephanie Hempfill's novel in lyrical verse (Balzer + Bray, 2010) offers a fresh fictionalized account of the 1692 Salem witch trials through the perspective of three teenage girls. What emerges is a slow but gripping look into the minds of the group and the way their dynamics shift as power is gained and lost throughout the course of the events. From the first fits where they swear they see the spectral world to the final scenes and their eventual undoing, it is easy to see how things quickly grow out of control. Although multiple narrators are used, the voices and accents don't always to match the characters. The girls, who range in age from 12 to 17, all sound too adult. The accents, while affected by the Puritan formality of language, rarely reflect any trace of New England or the British heritage of the colonists. While the free-verse format is clearly defined in the printed text, listeners may need to acclimate to the rhythm of the tale. Pair this audiobook with Arthur Miller's The Crucible and also have students discuss the psychology of group dynamics.—Genevieve Gallagher, Charlottesville High School, VA