It Happened At A Hanging [Hardcover]

Hattie Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 2003

Sixteen-year-old Jason Becker travels back in time to Flanders, 1568, where he saves a young girl from hanging, by marrying her and fighting against the Duke of Alba and his Council of Blood.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Jason, 16, wants to study art, but his high-powered parents are pushing him to go to law school, and his shallow girlfriend just wants him along while she shops at Saks. He regularly escapes to the Chicago Art Institute, and one day he is transported to 16th-century Flanders and into the scene of Pieter Bruegel's painting Children's Games. Jason is swept along with the Flemish crowd as it swarms to the May Day hanging, and when he learns that by marrying a 15-year-old girl he could prevent her death, he steps forward. After the sham wedding, the teens run for their lives. Catherine is being hunted by the Duke of Alba's Council of Blood because she is suspected of having a list of noblemen who are considered heretics. Though his primary thought is of getting back home, Jason stays to help Catherine to safety. When he does return to his time, he decides that he can't live without Catherine, and he goes back to bring her to Chicago. (One must wonder how and where she's going to live-with his parents?) The book starts slowly and stock characters like the nagging girlfriend and pushy parents make it seem trite, but once the two main characters meet, the story becomes more interesting. Their trials and tribulations will keep readers turning pages. However, the ending is somewhat swift and melodramatic, and a bit over the top.
Cheri Estes, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press; First Edition edition (January 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761325212
• ISBN-13: 978-0761325215
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,881,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Happened At a Hanging, June 11, 2003

By 

Steve Withem (Spencer, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Happened At A Hanging (Hardcover)

This book is an extraordinarily well crafted historical teen fantasy/drama. It has excellent plot development, and the main characters are well developed along with the rest of the story. Having previously read a less than glowing review of this book, I did not have the most positive expectations when I was presented this book for consideration by a colleague. I was reading it with an extremely critical viewpoint and wondering when it was going to fall apart. What I got was a story that kept me wondering what the following pages were going to bring, and I was compelled to read on. I found the author's ability to end a chapter in such a way that leaves the reader with questions that can only be answered in the pages that followed exceptional. This book is a page turner, and I couln't wait. I finished this book in one day. I not only own this book, I cherish it. Hattie Clark may not be a household name, but she will get my endorsement for this work. This book is absolutely on my "gift to give" list.