The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Fun read and a great story.

Another entry in the Children's Books I Didn't Read as a Child list, and I've gotta say most of the time when I read middle-grade type stuff, I come away much more impressed than I do with a lot of “grown-up” literature. I won't summarize, you can find that elsewhere; I liked Kit as a narrator, and her naivete (or optimism, I prefer!) reminded me a lot of how I thought as a somewhat immature 16-year-old, wanting to make the most of things, “bloom where I was planted” so to speak, fall in love, be accepted despite the weirdo things about me. (Gasp, I can both read and swim! lol) I worried that it was going to take a darker turn there towards the end, with the witch trials and the rumblings of war with England, but I thought it wrapped up perfectly. Speare didn't shy away from showing how things would have been, doing so in an age-appropriate manner while still getting to the heart of the history, and I always appreciate that in children's lit.

I listened to the audiobook, which was very good.

I had totally forgotten this existed until it came up on the Kindle sale, and then as soon as I opened it, it all came rushing back to me. Perfect Friday night binge read.

Kit is new to the American colonies. As she flees from the future awaiting her in Barbados, she shows up at her Aunt's house, not really knowing what to expect.
As time moves forward, she finds herself not being able to fit in, and everything that she does is never good enough. Her cousin Judith seems to resent her, her uncle wishes she had been a boy, but Mercy and her Aunt Rachel seem glad to have her. While she does her best to adapt to the new lifestyle that she has walked into, she learns that she must tread carefully.
When she befriends Hannah Tupper, the widow who lives on the edge of the swamp, her aunt expresses her desire that she not go there at all. Her uncle forbids her to do so, but Kit keeps returning to the rundown shack. Hannah seems to understand her, and she feels more comfortable there than she does in her uncles home. When many in the town fall ill with a fever, some of the townsfolk go after Hannah, believing her to be a witch. Kit knows that she isnt, and so forming a quick decision, she runs to the cabin and alerts her to the oncoming danger. Having secured her with Nat, the son of the Captain of the Dolphin, Kit returns home. Shortly thereafter, she is accused of being a witch. Taken into custody and awaiting the trial that can determine whether she will live or die, Kit is scared to death. Her aunt steals to make sure that she is alright, but Kit knows that there is really no one who can help her. But sometimes help comes in the smallest of packages, and hope for a future that might have been lost is once again rekindled.

I really enjoyed reading this! I should have read it years ago, but never did. I am looking forward to sharing this with my boys, and hope that they enjoy it as much as I did!

Great book. Craving for the story to continue. I would love to know how Kit's life continues. A great book for any age.

I read this book to my son aloud for our history, but wow, did I fall in love with the story, and had the hardest time promising my son I wouldn't read ahead to find out what happened next! I wish I would have known about this book and read it sooner!

Book Review: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare - winner of the 1958 Newberry Award. There are some parts where the portrayal of Puritans is not all that accurate, but as a middle grade Historical Fiction book, primarily about understanding the difference in others, it is excellent.

Click through for the longer review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/witch-blackbird-pond/

Loved it! Can't believe I never read this one as a kid.

I'm listening to this in the car to start preparing for BOB. Did I actually like this in grade school? Maybe it's because the woman who's reading it has a really annoying voice, but I can barely keep from zoning out. Not a great start to my BOB reading!

Ok, I finished listening, and now I remember why I liked it when I was in grade school. Speare provides such a nice closure to all the relationships, that you feel reassured when finished. I'm interested to see what the kids' reactions to it will be though, because it does feel dated.

I've avoided this book, thinking it was a rehash of stories about women accused of being witches during the early days of America.

It was about women accused of being witches, but it was really about so much more.

Kit impulsively hops on a ship to America after the death of her grandfather, leaving behind the beautiful tropical islands where she was so freely raised. She goes to find a home with her only remaining relatives, her mother's sister and her family. Kit's aunt, she learns, has been worn down by life in America and by her marriage to a Puritan man. But these characters are not stiff stereotypes; the harshly Puritan uncle loves American freedom, not the English king; the dangerous witch the community fears is really a quiet, lonely Quaker woman; the man who loves Kit fails to step forward to help her when Kit is in trouble. An excellent, thoughtful story of how being different can both threaten a society and build a society.