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The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, 1958
In the spring of 1687, sixteen year old Katherine "Kit" Tyler is about to embark on a voyage that will change her life forever. Her destination is the small river port town of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Her parents are dead, and following the recent death of her grandfather Sir Francis Tyler, Kit is compelled to travel unannounced and uninvited to live with her Aunt Rachel and her family.
Kit is about to experience living conditions quite different from the life of luxury she had known on her grandfather's plantation on the warm, lush Caribbean island of Barbados. Her new family are strict Puritans, and they live devout, austere lives devoted to prayer and hard work. Her uncle, in particular, has little time nor tolerance for Kit's carefree spirit. Her welcome is a chilly one as her Uncle Matthew Wood, a Puritan church leader, makes it clear he is not happy about another mouth to feed, particularly one belonging to a brightly clad teenage girl who arrives with seven trunks of clothes.
Kit befriends Hannah Tupper, a lonely widow who lives on Blackbird Pond. However, Hannah is a Quaker, and many of the townspeople are convinced she is a witch. Kit learns she is a kind woman and quite harmless, and soon resents the unfair prejudice displayed by Matthew Wood and many of the other townspeople. She does not wish to disobey her uncle, but she will not abandon her friend. Young readers may be amused to learn about early courting practices that are described as part of the novel's many romances.Comment
While the novel is written for a young audience, Speare touches on a number of topics relevant to an understanding of life in late seventeenth century New England. Religious prejudice, slavery, and the Puritan's struggle to retain their Connecticut charter are all addressed in the story. Many of the old houses described in the book can still be seen in the river port city of Wethersfield In addition, a number of the key characters are also real historical figures. Sir Edmond Hillary, the royal governor, Captain Sam Talbott and the schoolmaster Eleazer Kimberly were all important people in early Connecticut.Reading Level: 5.7
Interest Level: 4 - 6 (in my view the interest level is higher)
249 pagesSupports the Following Instructional Objectives:
Excerpt
"Don't you know about the water trial?" Nat's eyes deliberately taunted her. "Tis a sure test. I've seen it myself. A true witch will always float. The innocent ones sink like a stone."
He was obviously paying her back for the morning's humiliation. But she was surprised to see that John Holbrook was not at all amused. His solemn young face was even more grave than before.
"That is not a thing to be laughed at," he said. "Is the woman serious, Nat?"
Nat shrugged. "She'd worked up quite a gale," he admitted. "But my father has smoothed her down. He knows Barbados. He explained that the sea is always warm and that even respectable people sometimes swim in it. All the same, Mistress Katherine," he added, with a quizzical look, "now that you're in Connecticut I'd advise you to forget that you ever learned."Historical Fiction and Idaho U.S. History Curriculum
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