conversations.from: human
conversations.value: a description for a book titled The Last Execution about Niels, Denmark, Up-This with the genre: Teen & Young Adult, Literature & Fiction
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 10 Up-This fictionalization of the tragic life of Niels Nelson, 15, who was executed for arson and murder in Denmark in 1853, is startlingly grim. Before being convicted of murder and sentenced to death, Niels lives a marginal existence with his homeless and ailing father. When authorities drag Dad to a poorhouse, he urges Niels to run-so he does. But survival is even tougher alone, leading to a barn fire and a wrongful accusation of arson. The murder charge, however, is true: Niels admits that, in a rage, he killed a sheriff's son with a rock, although not intentionally. Each chapter alternates perspectives from different characters in the village; the hands of a clock move an hour closer to execution in each successive chapter heading. Trapped in his cell, Niels befriends a fly-who sympathizes with the teen-but who is, after all, just a fly. Gallows Hill, the location of the execution, is in the author's hometown of Svendborg, Denmark, in the neighborhood of his sons' school: a chilly reminder of a painful history. VERDICT There may be a place for this short novel in a discussion about capital punishment.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.