Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1149500 in Books
• Published on: 1995-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 249 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople?

A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. --Emilie Coulter

Synopsis
A young woman brought up in Barbados comes to live with her uncle in Connecticut, and finds their Puritan way of life difficult after her unconventional upbringing.

Customer Reviews

A Bewitching Story for Kids of All Ages
It's April of 1687 when Kit Tyler steps on shore in Connecticut. Having recently lost her grandfather, she's come to the colonies to live with her uncle and aunt. But her new town is completely different from her old life in Barbados. Not only does she have to do the chores she used to have servants do, but her Puritan relatives are much stricter then her previous upbringing has taught her to be.

But her life isn't all bad. There is the interest William, the most eligible bachelor in town, has shown in her. And there's the refuge she's managed to find in Hannah, the town outcast suspected of being a witch. But will she ever truly adjust to her new life?

I found this book in Jr. High, and have read it four or five times since then. I recently reread it again, and was completely drawn into the story. I couldn't put it down, and I already knew how it ended. The characters are sympathetic and interesting, especially Kit. You can help but root for her to find some happiness in her new life. The plot is engrossing, with several sub-plots expertly woven through the book. And the time and place of the setting is brought to life in such an amazing way it feels like you are actually in the town of Wethersfield.

This book is so engrossing that anyone will love it. And the theme about judging others will stick with you long after you've read the last page. I can not recommend this book highly enough. Ms. Speare is an excellent author.

A WELL TOLD TALE
Awarded the Newbery Medal and named an ALA Notable Children's Book, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" is obviously an award winner. Another sure to be award winner is film and television actress Mary Beth Hurt who presents an exemplary reading of this story of a courageous young girl facing down the prejudices of Puritan New England.

An orphan, Kit Tyler has a sense of foreboding as she views the unforgiving shores of Connecticut Colony where she will make her new home. She does have physical shelter but she is very much alone, yearning for the Caribbean Islands where she once lived.

Kit finds release in the meadows where she befriends and is befriended by an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond.

However, Kit's amity with the woman stirs a cauldron of suspicion and recrimination - Kit is accused of witchcraft.

This is a well told tale that documents a sad portion of our history.

I couldn't put it down!
i loved this book! this is one of my all-time favorite books. the main character is a girl, Kit, who has to come live with her relatives, and after living a free life in the caribean, finds herself trapped with this new society and strange traditions. She only feels free in the company of an old widow, who is harmless. but others think this woman is a witch, and soon they think Kit is one too! the plot is amazing and grabs your attention. i reccomend it to anyone looking for a good book!