By Rosalyn Scmanzer
National Geographic Children's Books, 2011
Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Genre
Non-fiction
Awards
- Society of Illustrators Gold medal for Best Illustrated Children's Book (2011)
- A Junior Library Guild Selection (Fall 2011)
- NY Public Library's 25 Best Nonfiction Titles (2011)
- #8 on Fuse list of 100 Magnificent Children's Books (2011)
- Kid Lit Frenzy top 5 Middle Grade Picks (2011)
- School Library Journal Starred Review and Best Book of the Year (2011)
- Included in Communication Arts Magazine's Annual Illustration Issue (May/June 2012)
- Robert F. Sibert Honor Award as one of the year's 5 most distinguished informational books for children (2012)
- NCSS/CBS Notable Social Studies Trade Book (2012)
- ALA Notable Children's Book
Review
A well-written history of the famous Salem Witch Trials that started in 1692 after two young girls, the daughter and niece of the town preacher, began suffering from odd symptoms (writhing and twisting in impossible directions, speaking strangely with nonsensical terms, and choking) and were diagnosed as being bewitched! The girls were urged by their caretakers to finger the people whose spirits were harming them. The girls fingered their family's longtime slave and two other village women, a beggar woman and an elderly ill woman who hadn't been to church in years. Soon after this event, some of the girls' friends began experiencing similar symptoms and brought on the mass hysteria that lead to numerous people being accused and jailed for witchcraft, 20 people being killed, and ruined hundreds of lives. Many people accused their own family members to avoid being accused themselves. The courthouses were the stage where those claiming to be afflicted by the witches performed mimics of the accused person's gestures, pricked themselves with pins, bit themselves, and made shocking accusations about their own neighbors being in league with the devil. Scmanzer covers this topic well, going into the poorly run trials where many were condemned based solely on spectral evidence and corrupt officials stole the assets of the accused for themselves before the person was even tried, rather than following the law and turning their assets over to the crown after they were condemned.
Opinion
A good synopsis of terrible historical events, this book gives an idea of the daily fright townsfolk must have experience during this time where anyone could be accused as a witch and would likely end up in prison, owing money for their "room and board" and their "rented" shackles, if they weren't condemned to die. Scmanzer did a good job of writing to her target audience, upper elementary school, and even explained in her note at the end of the book that she paraphrased many of the quotes she used as they were more lengthy and written in more difficult, archaic English. The narrator, Almasy, did a decent job of keeping the listener engaged in the audiobook, though I found her voice to get shrill and annoying at times. Unfortunately, I did not have a physical copy and could not view the award winning illustrations, but the few that I've seen online are quite unique black & white art accented with red that seem to perfectly illustrate many of the occurrences.
Ideas
Great book for a middle-grade non-fiction reader and would be useful if writing a report. The descriptions of the trials also gives a good look at the way religion was viewed in this time period and location, as well as how the legal system worked.
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