Bibliography
Speare, E. G. (1958). The witch of blackbird pond. New York: Dell.
223 Pages
Plot
Kit Tyler is a young girl living with her grandfather in Barbados in 1687. However, when her grandfather suddenly dies, she is left to fend for herself. Remembering that her aunt and uncle live in New England she leaves for the colonies. For the majority of the journey, Kit keeps to herself, befriending only Nathaniel, the captain’s son. But her friendship is short lived upon arriving to Westerfield and meeting her aunt and uncle. Having come before her letter her relatives are surprised by her sudden appearance. However, they take her in expecting her to abide by their Puritan beliefs. Kit initially does her best to help her cousins and relatives but life is so different than what she expected.
Review
Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a historical fiction novel about the early years of the American Colonies and the Salem Witch Trials. Considered a classic novel the story first develops Kit’s character through her experiences with her aunt and uncle. The story does not necessarily focus on the witch trials until the latter half of the novel. Speare does an excellent job creating a historical novel which can be easily read for pleasure. The characters are loosely based upon historical events which allow Speare to flesh out the characters rather than molding them to real people. Like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, The Witch of Blackbird Pond also asks readers to evaluate the paranoia that surfaced as a result of hysteria.
Genre
Historical Fiction
Reading Level/Interest Level
This novel would appeal to readers in 5th – 7th grade.
Similar Content
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes
Personal thoughts
I really liked this book as a kid. The book is a bit dated, but I still thought the book was fun to read. The historical references to the witch trials are not necessarily accurate, but I think it allows readers to get a feel for the characters and a loose idea of the time period. The book is considered a classic in historical fiction, and I wanted to read this over other ones like Johnny Tremain or Caddie Woodlawn.
Subjects/themes
Coming of Age
American Colonies
Witch Trials
Awards
Newbery Award Winner
Series information
No sequels.
Character names/descriptions
Kit Tyler: A young girl who moves from the Caribbean to New England to stay with her aunt and uncle’s.
Nathaniel Eaton: The Ship’s captain of the Dolphin. Becomes friends with Kit.
Hannah: A Quaker living on Blackbird Pond. Since she is a bit of an outsider compared to the Puritan Community, the community treats her as an outsider.
Prudence Cruff: A child who becomes friends with Kit, Nat and Hannah even though her family is against it.
Annotation
The village of Westerfield is not ready for the witch of Blackbird Pond.
Speare, E. G. (1958). The witch of blackbird pond. New York: Dell.
223 Pages
Plot
Kit Tyler is a young girl living with her grandfather in Barbados in 1687. However, when her grandfather suddenly dies, she is left to fend for herself. Remembering that her aunt and uncle live in New England she leaves for the colonies. For the majority of the journey, Kit keeps to herself, befriending only Nathaniel, the captain’s son. But her friendship is short lived upon arriving to Westerfield and meeting her aunt and uncle. Having come before her letter her relatives are surprised by her sudden appearance. However, they take her in expecting her to abide by their Puritan beliefs. Kit initially does her best to help her cousins and relatives but life is so different than what she expected.
Review
Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a historical fiction novel about the early years of the American Colonies and the Salem Witch Trials. Considered a classic novel the story first develops Kit’s character through her experiences with her aunt and uncle. The story does not necessarily focus on the witch trials until the latter half of the novel. Speare does an excellent job creating a historical novel which can be easily read for pleasure. The characters are loosely based upon historical events which allow Speare to flesh out the characters rather than molding them to real people. Like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, The Witch of Blackbird Pond also asks readers to evaluate the paranoia that surfaced as a result of hysteria.
Genre
Historical Fiction
Reading Level/Interest Level
This novel would appeal to readers in 5th – 7th grade.
Similar Content
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes
Personal thoughts
I really liked this book as a kid. The book is a bit dated, but I still thought the book was fun to read. The historical references to the witch trials are not necessarily accurate, but I think it allows readers to get a feel for the characters and a loose idea of the time period. The book is considered a classic in historical fiction, and I wanted to read this over other ones like Johnny Tremain or Caddie Woodlawn.
Subjects/themes
Coming of Age
American Colonies
Witch Trials
Awards
Newbery Award Winner
Series information
No sequels.
Character names/descriptions
Kit Tyler: A young girl who moves from the Caribbean to New England to stay with her aunt and uncle’s.
Nathaniel Eaton: The Ship’s captain of the Dolphin. Becomes friends with Kit.
Hannah: A Quaker living on Blackbird Pond. Since she is a bit of an outsider compared to the Puritan Community, the community treats her as an outsider.
Prudence Cruff: A child who becomes friends with Kit, Nat and Hannah even though her family is against it.
Annotation
The village of Westerfield is not ready for the witch of Blackbird Pond.
I reread this book recently.
ReplyDeleteI love this book. :)