“Pitts gives a sparkling performance…As precocious and likable eleven-year-old Valena, Pitts is particularly sharp…Pitts plays both humorous and poignant tones with equal skill, making this an all-around entertaining listen.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Description
Time Pieces is a quietly beautiful coming-of-age story from a master storyteller.
Eleven-year-old Valena, her family, and dog live in rural Ohio, where she and her cousin Melinda share experiences that include seeing the aurora borealis, surviving a tornado, and going to an amazing circus.
Yet Valena lives in both the present and the past as she struggles with racism in her daily life and listens to and learns from her mother’s tales of her family’s proud history. Moving backward and forward in time, these pieces of Valena’s life blend to form an extraordinary portrait of the ties that bind her family together over generations.
Drawing from her own family history, Virginia Hamilton has deftly woven together moments in time, creating a seamless and poignant masterpiece.
Praise
“Pitts gives a sparkling performance…As precocious and likable eleven-year-old Valena, Pitts is particularly sharp…Pitts plays both humorous and poignant tones with equal skill, making this an all-around entertaining listen.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Narrator Lisa Reneé Pitts brings a sincere, ingenuous quality to Valena…[She] handles each of Valena’s confused moments with a fine blend of childish spite and little-girl uncertainty.” AudioFile
“[Hamilton] has a superb ear for dialogue…The simplicity and directness of the language serve the subject matter beautifully.” School Library Journal
“Deftly written…A remarkable story of the importance of family ties and taking pride in one’s heritage, skillfully narrated by Lisa Reneé Pitts.” Children’s Bookwatch
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Dec 31, 2004 |
| Release Date | January 1, 2005 |
| Release Date Machine | 1104537600 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Children/YA, Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life |
Author Bio
Virginia Hamilton (1936–2002) grew up in rural Ohio among an extended family and generations of storytellers. Her grandfather, Levi Perry, was brought by his mother from Virginia slavery to Ohio via the Underground Railroad. She received nearly every award in the field of children’s literature, including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Newbery Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the Coretta Scott King Award.
Narrator Bio
Lisa Reneé Pitts is an accomplished actress in theater, film, and television, appearing in The Practice, The Shield, and Law & Order. A native New Yorker, she holds a BFA in theater arts from Rutgers University and resides in Burbank, California.
Overview
Time Pieces is a quietly beautiful coming-of-age story from a master storyteller.
Eleven-year-old Valena, her family, and dog live in rural Ohio, where she and her cousin Melinda share experiences that include seeing the aurora borealis, surviving a tornado, and going to an amazing circus.
Yet Valena lives in both the present and the past as she struggles with racism in her daily life and listens to and learns from her mother’s tales of her family’s proud history. Moving backward and forward in time, these pieces of Valena’s life blend to form an extraordinary portrait of the ties that bind her family together over generations.
Drawing from her own family history, Virginia Hamilton has deftly woven together moments in time, creating a seamless and poignant masterpiece.
Reviews
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