Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc

From the Publisher:

Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc’s life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood), Voices offers an unforgettable perspective on an extraordinary young woman. Along the way it explores timely issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices.

My Thoughts:

This was a book I requested this season based on the Fall/Winter Buzz Books for young adults. As always thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced digital copy so I can pass it along. This was published in March, 2019 so it is already available in stores, but let your librarian know that they should buy this. 

As an English teacher, this is an exciting possible mentor text for the middle school classroom. What I look for in mentor texts are evidence of intentional craft that seems seamless as well as a play with nontraditional forms. I also look for readability and a way in for student writers (so not too esoteric and cerebral). As a social studies teacher, I am not sure where in the curriculum this might fit as a text, but definitely as an alternative inquiry paper, this is a great mentor text. Mr. Elliott, in this historical fiction in verse offering gives voice to the questions that intrigue him about this young French martyr. Through his play with medieval poetic forms, he gives voice to Joan as well as the men in power who both helped and hindered her. Most powerful, though, are the concrete poems from the point of view of objects (the sword, the red dress, the armor, etc.). My favorite though is the personified fire that pops up repetitively in the book, using loving familiars towards Joan, calling her "my darling, and towards the end seems to get more frantic, more hungry, more yearning. 

Covering the last days of Joan, this is a powerful way to make history come alive for students.