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Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Barry Moser ISBN: 0395913675 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co (Juv) Pub. Date: March, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33
Rating: 5
Summary: I had to finish it in one night.
Comment: Although I am well past the age this book is intended for, I must say this is one of the finest pieces of historical fiction I have ever read.
One of the favorite books of my youth was "Calico Captive" which was also written by Elizabeth George Speare. Recently, in a fit of nostalgia, I purchased "Calico Captive" and, on a whim, I also grabbed "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" simply because it was by the same author and also set in colonial times. I felt I could use some light, escapist reading material in order to take a break from my usual heavy fare of military history books.
Anyway I started to read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" at around 9:30 in the evening. At 2AM, I finished it. I couldn't put it down! After the first few chapters the book becomes a real page turner. I had to find out what would happen next. Would Kit ever adapt to the austere life of the Puritans? How would the situation with Prudence Cruff pan out? Would Kit marry William? Would John marry the girl he truly loved? Would Uncle Matthew ever soften? And, of course, what would happen if the Puritans found out about Kit's friendship with a suspected witch? I was just blown away by this book- one of the enjoyable reading experiences I have had in a long time.
Rating: 5
Summary: "Witch" a rare treat
Comment: Elizabeth George Speare managed to make one of the drier, duller eras of American history come alive through the eyes of an independent young woman. "Witch of Blackbird Pond" is one of the better historical novels, and one that adults and kids alike can appreciate.
Kit Tyler has lived a free and luxurious life in Barbados, with her kindly grandfather. When he dies, however, she finds herself essentially penniless and forced to head to New England to live with her aunt and her family. But Connecticut is very different from the sunny island the "tropical bird" left behind: Bleak, muddy, dreary, and filled with grim Puritans -- including her relatives. Her stern uncle disapproves of Kit's upbringing, her love of books, her flamboyant clothing, and her lack of experience in housework.
Kit tries to fit in with the proud, beautiful Judith and quiet crippled Mercy, but she isn't a Puritan and it shows. Her only friend is the sardonic sailer Nat, who alternately irritates and interests her. Then Kit encounters Hannah, a sweet old Quaker woman who lives as an outcast because of her religious beliefs. When rumors of witchcraft start flying, Kit must try to save first Hannah -- and then herself -- from the witch hunters.
Without actually time-travelling, nobody can know what it would be like to live among the Puritans. But Speare gives us an approximation -- Kit is smart, witty, tolerant, adventurous and serves as a doormat for no one. She's much closer to a modern teenage girl than to the Puritans, and so her conflicts with her unyielding uncle are very illustrative. Among these are the dislike of non-religious reading, insistence on continuous hard work with only a few interludes of fun, and one memorable scene where Kit tries to give her cousins some of her beautiful clothes -- only to have her uncle explode when he sees them. We also see some demonstrations of how often religious intolerance blinded these people to a person's true nature, giving them a scapegoat for their fear of the unknown. However, it is stressed that while the Puritans were intolerant and rigid, individuals were good underneath it -- such as when Kit's uncle defends her against the witch-hunters.
There's a little romance in this book, including a love pentagon worthy of Shakespeare (fortunately matters sort themselves out), and this is one area where Speare stumbles. The love tangles seem a little too contrived. However, she includes a fair number of details on life in New England at that time, but never becomes too engrossed in them that she loses track of the plot. The pace is fairly slow until the witch trials; younger kids may be bored by this, but older ones will not mind so much.
Kit is a great heroine -- flawed but always sympathetic, funny and strong, brave and intelligent. Fortunately Speare never falls into the trap of simply transporting a modern girl back in time. Judith, Nat and Hannah are also great supporting characters: Nat is great as the sarcastic but supportive love interest. Hannah is a sweet old woman who is content to live a simple life. And Judith will earn both irritation and liking for her pride and determination. Characters like Mercy and the aunt and uncle are a little less three-dimensional; Mercy never rises from the cliche of the gentle, sweet disabled girl, and the aunt and uncle are a doormat and a tyrant most of the time, although the uncle does rise up with some good moments. Extra love interests William and John are also pretty flat: William is a bit like a brainless puppy panting at Kit's feet, and John is a humorless Biblical scholar. The little girl Prudence and her hideous mother are very good, however, and provide the book with a villain and a young friend for Kit.
Don't be put off by the title of "Witch"--this is an insightful, well-written historical novel with an excellent heroine and a tense storyline. One of the few books that deserved its Newbery.
Rating: 5
Summary: Memorable characters, page-turning suspense, laughs & tears!
Comment: This book has it all! It is a GREAT book for all readers. Set in colonial times, 1687, to be exact, Katherine (Kit) Tyler is the heroine and one of my favorites of all time! When the story opens, Kit's grandfather has just died and she must leave her sunny home in the Caribbean to go live in the Puritan colony of Connecticut. Like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong shore, Kit has trouble fitting in, though she quickly attracts the attention of the entire town with her bright silk dresses, her unusual ability to swim, and her headstrong personality. Rich, young William immediately falls for her but Kit wonders if they are meant to be together. Meanwhile, her cousin Julia is outraged with jealousy. She and Uncle Matthew make Kit's new wooden home seem even colder. Her loneliness and misery ultimately leads her to meet and befriend Widow Tupper, the Witch of Blackbird Pond. The days she spends with Widow Tupper and Nat, a sailor whom she met on her journey to Connecticut, are the ones she enjoys most. But her Aunt Rachel tells her to stay away from Widow Tupper because she's a Quaker and the whole town considers her a witch. Kit ignores the warnings and continues to visit her anyway. But quickly, she too is regarded as a witch. Kit goes to trial facing an angry town with no one to speak for her. Or is she not as alone as she thinks?
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Title: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, Lynn Ward ISBN: 0440442508 Publisher: Yearling Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1987 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond Study Guide by Rebecca Gilleland ISBN: 1586091719 Publisher: Progeny Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell ISBN: 0440439884 Publisher: Random House Childrens Pub Pub. Date: 01 March, 1987 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare ISBN: 0440479002 Publisher: Yearling Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 1994 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: A Guide for Using The Witch of Blackbird Pond in the Classroom by Dona Herweck, Paula Spence ISBN: 1557344043 Publisher: Teacher Created Materials Pub. Date: 01 June, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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