Trial by Journal was a cleverly put-together book. Kate Klise has a unique style that children love where she combines newspaper clippings, journal entries, pictures, secret notes, memos, etc. to make a story. It is definitely a fun way to read a story. Also, Kate Klise tends to use puns in some character names; examples in this story include Perry Keet, Rhett Tyle, and Anna Conda. This gives the people an extra funny twist. 

The plot of the book is amusing. A sixth-grade child is put on a jury to decide the fate of a suspected murderer, so it brings a lighter note to what could be a sad story. The sixth-grade girl is a quirky, determined, funny tomboy who gets the surprise of her life in this story. Trial by Journal is packed with hypnotists, disguises, entertaining artwork, and creatures of all sorts–therefore, the nearest nine-year-old will love it. It would make a good gift to a young girl who likes mysteries (since the protagonist is a young girl who solves a mystery). If you enjoy the style as much as you probably will, you can always seek out Kate Klise’s other books, because she writes other clever ones as well. 

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  It is reported that a character kills and abuses animals; it is reported that an adult abducts a child; it is reported that an adult killed a child; an adult plans to feed a child to an animal; an adult threatens to kill children; an adult says that they enjoyed killing a child; a small animal is hit and killed by a vehicle; an adult is discussed as being a suspect for killing an 11-year-old child; a character is threatened with the death penalty; adults discuss whether or not they should kill a child; someone mentions idea that a child be fed to an animal; adults discuss whether a child was killed by an adult character; adult threatens to kill a child by feeding to an animal.

Note:  The book is humorous in nature so much of the violence is related in a humorous fashion, rather than in a serious tone.

Sex/Nudity:  An elderly adult mentions they went skinny-dipping several times, non-detailed; two adults are caught kissing by a child.

Mature Subject Matter:

Implied death, cruelty to animals, parents mourning the loss of a child, murder threats.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None