The Trial (2004)

Citation: Bryant, J. The trial. 2004. New York: Random House.
Grade Level: 6th- 12th
Category: Historical Fiction

Read Alouds:
Inside cover, it gives details to the Lindbergh trial.
19-20 A newspaper clipping about the search for the baby.
32-35 Getting a chance to work on the trial and Christmas.
50-53 At Uncle Jeff’s
79-80 The stars arrive.

Summary: This story is Katie Leigh Flynn’s detailing of the Lindbergh trial for her uncle because of his unforeseen accident. Katie has to see the pictures, the defendant, and the prosecutor, and still have an unbiased opinion about everything. Katie had to struggle with her mom to come to the trial, but after all was said and done, she had the best summer of her life dealing with the only thing that has ever happened in Flemington, New Jersey.

Theme: Always expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to the law. Katie saw so much, and yet, she still thought that the world was a perfect place.

Discussion Questions:
1. Richard Bruno was the man on trial. What did the prosecutor have against him?
2. How and why did Flemington change after this trial?

Reader Response: This book was hard to read and would be hard to teach based on Bryant’s style of writing. Each page has a new heading with a new subject matter, and it is very hard to deal with not knowing what has already happened and what is to come. The book also is split into three parts and an epilogue—none of which have anything to do with each other. Although this book has a lot of history in it, I would not choose to teach it under any circumstances. ( )

An interesting narrative choice -- a novel on poem form. I am not sure how the format and the subject mesh. That would be interested to find out. But I enjoyed her poetic style -- she uses line breaks very well. ( )