Unusual Present

As a birthday gift for Karen, I offered to construct readers theatre scripts for some of her books. Though they will be performed at an upcoming event, I think they would be great for students in my school to use as well. Beginning with A Time of Angels, I strove to pull threads of Vermont life together while giving enough information about the historical context to performers and listeners. I love the characters in that book so much, so choosing scenes became difficult, especially since I wanted to show Uncle Klaus Gerhard's deep concern for Hannah in numerous ways. Next I worked with Just Juice, and the challenge was how to convey Juice's concern for her little sister Lulu and the secret of her own inability to read. Now I'm working on Witness. It is such a serious story, but I find myself smiling every time I read a passage from Esther Hirsh's voice.

"i did first meet sara chickering
when i had comings here last year
to be a fresh air girl in vermont.

vermont is a nice place.
they have wiggle fish.
that is what i did tell daddy in new york
when i had comings back to him.
i did ask daddy
to have our livings in vermont with sara chickering

for keeps.:

Her observations of the world and her slightly odd sentence constructions charm me. I know I need to include her in this script.