Raising Readers - "The Witch of Blackbird Pond"

Parents who encourage and successfully develop children who read see greater school success and satisfaction.  This series reviews various examples of children’s literature and provides insights for parents to discuss with their children.   Reading and sharing the wonderful stories available to children sends a message that reading is important, creates positive “shared experiences” for families, and helps parents exert a subtle influence on their children’s development.

Suspicions of 16 year old Katherine Taylor (Kit) began when people saw that she could swim.  It is Puritan Connecticut in 1687, and the townspeople believe that only witches can stay afloat.  Kit explains that, growing up in Barbados, everyone knows how to swim.  While her explanation earns her a bit of a reprieve, she continues to be viewed with suspicion.

This is only the beginning of the many strange things Kit must learn in a totally different world than she knew.  She is still grieving over the death of her grandfather, who raised her after the death of her parents.  Now she must move in with her aunt and her family who are proper and upstanding citizens of Weathersfield, CT…and have no idea she is coming to stay with them.  The servants who waited on her are gone, and Kit is shocked that 1.) she is expected to work and contribute to the family, and 2.) how hard and never-ending the work is.  To make matters worse, she doesn’t know how to do anything that the family needs to have done as part of the daily routine. 

The story wonderfully captures many positive and negative aspects of Puritan life, and the reader is left with a balanced view of that culture.  The characters are fully developed and come across as very believable.  Some are good, some are bad.  They all work very hard due to the harshness of their lives.  The religious prejudices and witchcraft beliefs are written into the story in such a way that they naturally become part of the tale.  Kit becomes friends with an old Quaker woman who is shunned as an outsider and potential witch, and who lives at the edge of town.  Because of their friendship and a chain of events, Kit is also accused of witchcraft and put on trial.

Depending on reading level, this story is for ages 10 and up.

Raising Readers is written by Steve Arnold of Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services.  He can be reached at 610.831.5101 or ChesMontClubZ@gmail.com.  Find out more about Club Z! In-Home Tutoring at www.clubztutoring.com/ChesMont.