I just know that after reading this book I'm going to be fighting a hyperfixation on Lizzie Borden. This was well told and informative. The illustrations are a perfect match for the story. I really appreciated all of the case facts and real headlines throughout the story. While it's about a very gory murder, it's tastefully done and appropriate for older middle grade readers.

What a great way to introduce this important case to younger readers. This would be totally appropriate for middle school readers! I love the art and the variety of page layouts, especially incorporating headlines from the newspapers of the time. The main character is a boy, which is a nice counterpoint to all the female characters that populate this story. Excellent blend of informing us on the facts of the case as well as the deeper questions of justice. Lots to discuss here with students. Definitely a must have addition for classroom libraries!

Pub Date: March 18, 2025
Genre: Middle grade horror, graphic novel

“Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother 40 whacks…”

I love the Lizzie Borden case. Her innocence or guilt is ambiguous and I both love and hate that we will never know the true story. This middle grade graphic novel was so fun to read and I really hope the author & illustrator create more “I Witnessed” stories!!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!!

“Lizzie Borden took an axe/She gave her mother forty whacks/When she saw what she had done/She gave her father forty-one.”
Most people know about Lizzie Borden. Jeramey Kraatz gives the story a fresh set of eyes for younger readers whilst giving them actual facts. Charles Churchill was a real boy that did live next door to Lizzie Borden. However, the POV, life, and perceptions in this graphic novel are made up.
Charlie’s neighbors were always a bit odd and kept to themselves. Lizzie Borden takes care of her pigeons and her sister shops for dresses. Over a short period of time, things seem to escalate for the Borden family next door. Lizzie’s pigeons are killed, her family may have been poisoned, and Charlie might have seen her stepmother being murdered. All the hot tea is that Lizzie killed her parents.
I’m still not sure whether Borden killed her father and stepmother. Maybe new evidence or DNA could be revealed to us soon. One thing is for sure, Fall River was never the same.

#ThxNetGalley #JerameyKraatz #IWitnessed:TheLizzieBordenStory

Advanced Reader Copy - Review

As someone fascinated by true crime and unsolved cases, this story was a blast to read. I love how the author took the story of the Borden family murders and turned it into a first hand account from the neighbor or the Borden family. It was amazing to see how the author also included notes about the actual case in the story too! I could not put this book down!

An interesting take on the Lizzie Border story which retains the mystery behind whether or not Border actually committed the crime. Told through the perspective of Lizzie's young neighbor, the story mixes the real facts behind the story with some fictional aspects. A good starting point for those interested in the murders.

A lot like the I Survived Graphic novel series, this book does take a mark darker tone though. Interesting take on the story, and will definitely grab readers' attention with the infamous tale of Lizzie Borden, especially with a lot of students watching or at least aware of the wave of serial killer/murderous shows on streaming channels. I would consider adding this title to the shelves for grades 6-12.

This was a very interesting book. I did find it slow towards the end, but it was interesting to see a historical murder portrayed as a graphic novel!

As someone who grew up in Fall River Due to my father and grandparents living there i was Always interested in Lizzie Borden. The story was always so crazy to me, that even now we still truly don't know the real answers.

When i seen this graphic novel about it with its own fictional twist i had to read it And absolutely was not disappointed. In fact i read it in one sitting. The writing was nice and got to the point. The art style was stunning. Also he characters felt very fleshed out for a graphic novel. (Who doesn't love Lucy let's be honest.) I would absolutely recommend this one! For adults and children wanting to learn about the case of Miss Lizzie. In fact i could even see this book being used in schools or promoted in libraries across Massachusetts and more!

Fourteen year old Charlie lives next door to the Borden family. Their house has always been gloomy and the family members, especially adult daughter Lizzie, always seem a little off. Charlie's mother is notorious for keeping tabs on her neighbors from her window, so it's no surprise when Charlie starts to watch the Bordens from his. One day, Charlie is sure he sees something terrible - and hours later Mr. and Mrs. Borden are both found dead. The book follows the trial of Lizzie Borden (with a few extra-curricular and fictional inserts from Charlie) through the verdict and legacy of the story.
This book successfully walks the line between appealing to young readers who are looking for something spooky in the true crime genre, while also avoiding graphic imagery and detail that would make it a tough sell for an upper elementary audience. It will definitely be popular with readers who seek out the I Survived graphic novels. From the adult perspective, some anachronisms are evident, and the blurring of fiction and nonfiction may be a little tricky to help readers untangle (especially the sections where Charlie intersects with the actual investigation of the crime, which are highly unlikely to have happened in real life).

i don’t typically read historical fiction but it was interesting to see it in the form of a graphic novel. i like that the colors were grim.

I am a huge fan of graphic novels and also true crime. I wasn’t sure if this would hit for me as it’s aimed for a younger audience. However, this book was awesome! I learned a lot from this book and thought it was written well.

On the morning of August 4, 1892, fourteen-year-old Charlie sees a horrifying act unfold at his next-door neighbor Lizzie Borden’s house—something he can’t keep to himself. Yet no one believes what Charlie saw . . . not even when Andrew and Abby Borden are found dead later that morning. 

I have been fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story for as long as I can remember, and read jut about anything I come accross. Nothing like an unsolved murder to grab the imagination.

This graphic novel captures the entire story as realistically as any non-fiction bersion I have read.
The illustrations are very well done as is the telling of Lizzie's and Charlie's story.
The story takes no sides and leaves you to decide if Lizzie was guilty or not. My honest thought is "not guilty" but if nothing else there was reasonable doubt and that is the foundation of the judicial system.
I was surprised to see this was a graphic novel for children, middle age I beleive, and I was wooried it would either be too graphic or sugar coat what is essentially a tragic story. But worries were unfounded as the subject was handled with sensitivity but did not shy away from what actually transpired.

Highly Recommended Published 03/18/2025
Thanks to @Netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

This was fantastic. I didn't know what to expect from a Lizzie Borden graphic novel aimed at middle grade, but I am here to say this was a phenomenal success. I'm not sure if "I Witnessed" is going to be a spin off series of the "I Survived" series I remember from my childhood, but this book was exactly what I was hoping for and more. Who doesn't love a creative take on one of America's first murder trials?

I'm vaguely familiar with the details of the Borden story and I read this start to finish in one sitting. The novel is narrated by the actual 11-year-old neighbor of Lizzie Borden (fictionally narrated, of course- I'm not sure 11-year-old boys in Puritan New England would've kept journals) and absolutely masters the suspenseful tone of a psychological thriller while still keeping the book age-appropriate for a middle grade audience. A hard balance, surely, but one the author does effortlessly (or makes to appear effortless). Not only is Kraatz's art exceptional, but his style works well with the setting and pace of the story to create a graphic novel I recommended to all my librarian friends the moment I finished it.

Peppered with helpful facts from the actual case in distinct speech bubble-esque boxes, this graphic novel also does a brilliant job navigating the lines of fact and fiction within the Lizzie Borden case. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a graphic novel, but I think the medium actually makes the story more truthful to it's folklore roots than if this was written as a typical, words-and-no-pictures chapter book. There is a level of ambiguity created by the story being told as a graphic novel that feels appropriate for a murder case that doesn't have a neat and tidy conclusion.

Like any good middle grade novel, the book also had a lovably foolhardy narrator, Charlie. Highly, highly recommend to anyone looking for a spooky read to start out their 2025 reading challenge.

Summary:

Charlie is fourteen years old, and he just saw something truly unspeakable. It’s the morning of August 4, 1982—the morning that tragedy struck Lizzie Borden’s house. Unfortunately, he can’t get anyone to believe what he saw.

Not until the bodies are found, at any rate. Charlie will have to do everything in his power to ensure his voice is heard so that justice can be found for Andrew and Abby Borden. Who would have thought Charlie would end up in such a situation?

Review:

Before I dive into my review, I just want to point out that I Witnessed is historical fiction. It is based on real events (the Lizzie Borden trial and murders), but Charlie’s story is largely imagined and exaggerated. I’m not sure I would have read the graphic novel otherwise, you know?

Honestly, I was curious to see how I Witnessed would handle such heavy content for young readers. As a reminder, this book is a middle-grade book. And I’m pleased to say they did a great job. They don’t hide away from the truth but don’t relish the gory details.

What I enjoyed was this mystery from Charlie’s perspective. Even though he’s a witness, he’s still not certain of Lizzie’s guilt. Did she do it? Was she framed? The book does a great job of leaving it ambiguous, letting readers decide based on how they’re feeling about the mystery.

Highlights:
Middle-Grade Novel
Historical Fiction
Witnesses & Truth

Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Details

This was such a fun journey through the Lizzie Borden Story from the eyes of her young neighbor. I really enjoyed the historical accuracy and the case facts scattered throughout. Definitely will be recommending this one!

My patrons love true crime, have an obsession with the Borden murders, and, of course, love a good graphic novel, so this book checks off each box. I thought the panels were laid out nicely and were easy to follow. The story is told from a fictional neighbor's POV; however, it does provide facts. I would recommend this for students who enjoy the "I survived" graphic novels. I feel this book could fit into middle school libraries and is perfect for high school. I will be added this to my collection.

True crime is not normally my thing, but as a children's librarian, I was curious what this title would be like before purchasing it for the library. The story was good-while the protagonist was based on a real person, the story was completely fictional. That being said, it seemed very well researched, and facts were included when possible. I appreciate that the author emphasized that the fact is, people are going to make up their own minds as to whether or not she did it, but we only have so much information available to us. I wouldn't have thought of writing something like this, but while it is a story that stands alone on its own, I also feel like it is an interesting book on information consumption and telling the truth from fiction (when it is even possible.) Knowing when to step back and say, "I don't know," is an important skill to learn as much as anything else. Overall, I liked it, and will be comfortable adding it to the library collection.

"I Witnessed: The Lizzie Borden Story" is a middle grade historical graphic novel written by Jaramey Kraatz and illustrated by Crystal Jayme. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Lizzie Borden axe murders from the point of view of Charlie, the young next-door neighbor of Lizzie Borden. Charlie is friendly with Lizzie, but sees and hears some questionable things that make him wonder what really happened. In the vein of "I Survived," this historical graphic novel gives a decent amount of real information under the guise of Charlie's fictionalized point-of-view and has additional informational asides and information in the back of the book.
A recommended purchase where historical middle grade graphic novels are popular.

Lizzie Borden was the first true crime story I ever heard about and it started my interest in the topic. Podcasts, documentaries, books - I am hooked. I was so excited to read this graphic novel and am bummed to say it didn't work for me. I actually didn't finish it. It was way too dense and long and told from too outside the story. We spent too much time with the neighbor and not nearly enough with Lizzie. Great concept but the execution didn't work for me.