Module 4 The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Summary:  Kit Tyler is recently orphaned.  Again.  Her parents died when she was  younger, and she was lucky to be raised by a loving grandfather.  When he dies, she embarks from Barbados to Connecticut to live with her mother’s sister.  It becomes evident on board The Dolphin that the life to which she is accustomed is very different than the life in Connecticut.  That point is further made obvious by the abrupt way she is treated when she arrives at her aunt’s home.  They live a Puritan life of hard work and simplicity, where there is no place for silk gowns and lace gloves.  Kit goes through spells where she simply can’t take any more.  One day, she escapes to a pond and meets Hannah, an older Quaker woman living there.  Hannah understands Kit in a way nobody else has, and they become friends.  Through a courtship that never should have been and  a sickness that almost takes both cousins and her aunt, Kit finds strength she never knew she had.  When she tries to share some of that strength with Prudence, a young lady in the village, things get much worse.  Hannah is accused of being a witch, and it takes a heroic act mixed with a bit of luck to save her.  In the end, Kit shows strength of character beyond her years and finds happiness with a man she’s known for quite some time.  Impression:  I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials.  Though this doesn’t deal with those events, it is set during that time.  I loved the triumph of good over oppression in the end when Prudence’s mother finally realizes just how badly they’ve been treating the little girl.  Suggestions for library setting:  This book is a tough sell to most middle schoolers.  I’ve tried.  There’s something about it that is a real disconnect for most of them.  I guess with more “modern” fiction, they have choices and choose not to read it.  I’m going to keep trying to encourage readers to discover this story.

Speare, Elizabeth George. (1958). The witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton

     Mifflin.

The setting is the Colony of Connecticut in 1687 amid the political and religious conflicts of that day. Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler unexpectedly arrives at her aunt and uncle's doorstep and is unprepared for the new world which awaits her. Having been raised by her grandfather in Barbados, she doesn't understand the conflict between those loyal to the king and those who defend the Connecticut Charter. Unprepared for the religious intolerance and rigidity of the Puritan community, she is constantly astounding her aunt, uncle, and cousins with her dress, behavior, and ideas. She takes comfort in her secret friendship with the widow, Hannah Tupper, who has been expelled from Massachusetts because she is a Quaker and suspected of being a witch. When a deathly sickness strikes the village, first Hannah and then Kit are accused of being witches. Through these conflicts and experiences, Kit comes to know and accept herself. She learns not to make hasty judgments about people, and that there are always two sides to every conflict. There are several minor plots as well, including three romances, which help to bring this time and place to life. Hurt's use of vocal inflection and expression make this an excellent choice for listening whether as an enrichment to the social studies curriculum or purely for pleasure.

Mandell, P. (2003). The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Book). School Library Journal, 49(4), 88.

 THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND When young Kit Tyler comes from her Barbados home to colonial Connecticut, she is unprepared for the austerity of her uncle's home. Kit, a staunch royalist, accustomed to the easy life of a slave-manned plantation, and her fanatic Puritan uncle are instinctive antagonists. But despite her tastes for finery, Kit is possessed with courage and conviction. Her spontaneous friendship with Hannah, an old woman whose Quaker affiliations have branded her as a witch, and her secret teaching of a young child who suddenly is stricken with a strange malady, seriously threaten her safety. For the townspeople are mistrustful of this strange girl who already has startled them with her "magic" ability to stay afloat in water. Kit's vindication, her gradual integration into the community and the positive effect she has on those about her, combine here in a well documented novel to rival the author's first work, Calico Captive, which received wide acclaim as a work of "superior historical fiction".

The witch of Blackbird Pond.  (Oct. 10, 1958).  Kirkus Reviews.  Retrieved from:
               http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-george-speare/the-witch-of-blackbird-pond/