Middle school kids are very interested in murder mysteries, so this graphic novel caught my attention. It features a 14-year-old boy who is the next door neighbor of Lizzie Borden. The year is 1892 and soon Lizzie's father and stepmother will be killed with an ax and Lizzie, the spinster daughter, will be accused of murder. Charlie is the next door neighbor (and there was actually a 14-year-old Charlie who lived next door). He knows the family, sees Lizzie try to purchase poison at a store in town, and even sees the shadow of someone lifting an ax. After news of the horrific crime becomes public, Charlie does a little sneaking around to try to find some answers. His mother is called to testify at the trial, and Charlie is at her side viewing the drama that unfolds in the tiny Massachusetts town. Much of the book is based on the well-known facts of the historical Lizzie Borden murder case, but Charlie's story is fictional. Nothing gory here, and kids might need some context to understand fact from fiction, but I think middle school readers will like this.
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