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!
*******
**Review by Wendy**
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is an historical novel and a love
story. The main character, Kit, was raised by her grandfather in Barbados. When
her grandfather dies, she leaves Barbados on a ship named the Dolphin to find
her aunt and uncle in Connecticut. Needless to say, her aunt and uncle doesn't
know that she is coming.
Upon her arrival to her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Mercy's home in
Wethersfield, Connecticut, where she also has two cousins, Mercy (who is
handicapped) and Judith. Kit's life is far different from her life in Barbados,
where she is forced to do chores and attend church,
which she clearly hates. Kit becomes happier when she and Mercy began teaching
the younger children in her town. An incident happens at the school and it is
shut down, and Kit runs away and she meets Hannah Tupper, an older lady that
has been outlawed from the colony. While
visiting Hannah, she again runs into Nat Eaton, son of the captain of the
Dolphin, and Kat falls in love with
him.
A deadly illness sweeps through the town and
Hannah is accused of being a witch and is to be killed. Kit warns Hannah who
escapes with the help Nat and his boat. The town is also accusing Kit of being
a witch and she must prove her innocence when Nat returns to Westherfield.
Does Nat return help Kit? Is Kit found to be a
witch? Or is she able to escape Connecticut and return to Barbados? You will
have to read the book.
I give this book three out of four onions. This
book is rich in American history and is a commonly read book for older grade
schoolers. It also has a nice mixture of romance, politics and suspense. It
really is a good read especially for young adults.
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