[.ca] The Witch of Blackbird Pond (ISBN 0395071143)

From Amazon.com:
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

Now that's what I call a "living" book:
I just finished reading this book aloud to my 3 children. They are a tough audience but this book made the history lesson extra smooth. They were begging for "just one more chapter". This book delves into the Puritan lifestyle,touches a bit on some of the sentiments of the colonists and their fierce independence, briefly touches on some of the archaic medical practices of the times, shows how easily innocent circumstances turned into witch hunts and sparked a conversation about how people can fall into a mob mentality and much more. There is tons of information here to spark an interest in children to dig deeper. Our family highly recommends it!

Excellent lesson to be learned:
I discovered this book years and years ago in the fourth grade. The thought of it stayed with me through the years. I bought the book for my friend's son a couple years ago and reread it to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was even better because as an adult I can see some of the most important themes of the book that weren't evident to a child. Tolerance and acceptance are perhaps the biggest lessons of all to take away from it. Independence is another. I will continue to buy this book every time a child close to me comes to the age where they can understand it. The plotline is enough to keep them interested while at the same time teaching them valuable life lessons, without them even knowing it.

Diverse Religions, and History:
Kit comes over to the 13 colonies becuae her grandfather died. When she arrives, she finds a place very diffrent from her former home, Barbados. She is forced by her strict uncle to be a solemn as the puritans, and to set aside her silk gowns and wear homespun dresses. she feels completly stifled by her new life, and one day, after almost cuasing her crippled cousin her teaching job, she breaks. She runs to the "meadow" where she meets Hannah Tupper, a Quaker who is shuned and thought to be a witch by many. All she really is is a kind old lady. She takes kit home and feeds her, and helps her be brave and get her cousins job back. kit goes back to Hannahs house and eventually meets Hannahs seafaring friend, none other than Nat, the son of the man who brought her to America.And yes Nat was on the boat the whole time kit was. Then one day Kit is accused of being a witch. Something not to be taken lightly in the 1600's. She is rescued by none other than Nat. Then hannah is going to be burned out of her house, or if the people have their way, in her house. But Kit goes and helps Hannah get out before the evil people come, and she gets her on a ship... whose ship? Guess. Nats. And so Hannahs gone and Kits life is drudging on a usual.... and then someone comes... like you can't guess who... and something happens...

BORING AND POINTLESS!!!:
In the beginning Kit sails to America to live with her aunt and uncle,from there you follow her through day to day pilgrim life. Kit dislikes the life of the pilgrim; she finds refuge at the house of an old lady at Blackbird Pond. The book does a great job describing the history of this time period which is probably why it won the award. However, I was seriously disapointed with the story itself. One of the main problems being that there is no plot of which to speak. Kit goes the U.S., nothing else happens, FINALLY, at long last the story ends. Also, while I'm sure the author envisioned Kit as a strong willed character, they do not show it very well; also there really isn't any character development either, unless you count the last three pages. Wondering why I chose to read this if I hated it so much? I didn't choose, it was assigned for school reading. Oh yeah, there is no actual "witch" of Blackbird Pond (lady, but not witch). So, in conclusion, only read this if you want to die of boredom.

AwesomeAwesomeAwesomeAwesomeAwesomeAwesome:
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is an excellent book. It is filled with young love between Katherine, Mercy, Judith, Nat, John and William. There is also some history behind the way that the people work back then and the witch trial. The adventures and mishaps of Kit Tyler are fun to follow along with and are interesting. From the very first page, this book casts its spell so that you will not want to put it down. In the book, Kit meets an old Quaker woman who helps her escape and is accused of being a witch herself. The ending was especially good and there really should be a sequel to it. I highly recommend this book to anyone 4th grade and beyond. The Witch of Blackbird Pond really is a book that anyone will enjoy and is definitely worthy of all praise.