The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth George SpeareBrand: INGRAM BOOK & DISTRIBUTOR
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1978-06-01
ISBN: 0440995779
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Book Reviews of The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Book Review: The witch that is in all of us
Summary: 5 Stars
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is Elizabeth George Speare's (1908-1994) second novel. It won the Newbery Medal with full votes in 1959, one year after its publication. Similarly to her previous "Calico Captive", Elizabeth George Speare draws her inspiration for this historical novel for young adults from real events. In "Calico Captive" it was Susanna Johnson's captivity, while in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" episodes of witch hunting, that had taken place in the Author's hometown of Wethersfiled, Connecticut in 1648 and 1650-51, are the basis for a breathtaking story .
It is 1687, year of fighting of the Connecticut colonies to preserve their Charter menaced by the English, when young Kit Tyler, after the death of her grandfather in Barbados, decides to go live with her only relatives in Wethersfiled Connecticut, one of the many settlements on the Connecticut River. At her arrival in her new home she finds a colony of Pilgrims of strict confession which reluctantly accept her as long as she "behaves" according to their unwavering rules. Her adoptive family is sincere, but mentally and emotionally closed, except maybe for her cousin Mercy, physically handicapped. Slowly Kit adapts to her new environment, but she cannot renounce her true character, her curiosity, her need of culture and spontaneous affection. She befriends a forlorn and neglected child, Prudence and an old and estranged Quaker woman, Hannah Tupper, two outcasts of society, and because of her sincere affection and care is accused of witchcraft. Through hardships and real dangers and the help of true friends she finally finds out who she is and what she wants.
Three intermingling love stories make the plot even more captivating and the book is hard to put down once started. All the characters are lifelike and perfectly described and unforgettable, from cousin Mercy (modelled on Elizabeth George Speare's real aunt who was physically disabled), to Nat Eaton, the nicest, most sarcastic and challenging young man encountered in young adult literature, to Prudence the unpromising child who turns out to be Kit's most successful pupil and ultimate saviour.
I learned many years after having read the novel in 1967 that this book is today used as a text in English classes in elementary and middle school. Surely it contains many elements to dwell upon and it is hard to forget that Elizabeth George Speare was a teacher particularly dedicated to the study of childhood in the early days of American history. The historical setting of the novel is absolutely perfect with real characters such as Sir Edmond Andros and the royalist Rev. Gersholm Bulkeley that play the role they had in history. The detailed historical research behind the book is also evident from many elements: the pointing out of religious differences, the anti-Quaker bigotry, the psychological explanation based on ignorance of the fear of witchcraft, the difficulty of living in a Pilgrim entourage for a person with sound Faith but educated according to different models.
Elizabeth George Speare's knowledge of adolescent problems is evident as well in the way she conveys the sense of feeling a stranger in a different world and in the attempt to fit in while maintaining independence. Another very New Englandish emotion one gets from the book is the beauty of the changing of seasons from the glory of autumn, to the first snow that can be understood only by people who have lived there.
After so many years, I ask myself how much influence can a writer have on children. Elizabeth George Speare had an enormous influence on me in particular, but I think she did on many through the development of an instinct of independence and especially of compassion and acceptance. I want to remember that in the acceptance speech for the Newbery Medal for "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" she said.. "I do not believe a historical novel should gloss over the pains and the ugliness. But I do believe that the hero .. should on the last page.. still be standing, with the strength to go to whatever the future may hold."
Another small notation, the Author makes a recall to the poetry of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), the first woman poet of American literature, for a long time ignored and forgotten by many and only recently rediscovered in her actuality. Mrs. Speare's citation of her shows us not only her culture and knowledge of early American history but also stimulates the reading of these beautiful poems that immerge us into the atmosphere of "The Witch of Blackbird Pond".
Summary of The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!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. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
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