Great book for teaching young adults about the tribulations of history.

books:


	• The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Illustrated American Classics) Elizabeth George Speare Houghton Mifflin, 2001 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 382 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Very Mature Youth Novel

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and it is very descriptive. I think the message is very insightful, and I also enjoyed the love story. I would recommend this book for an older child and even adults!

Blackbird Pond

I read this great, great story as a kid, and I'm not sure I've ever learned more from one book.

At that age, seeing the protagonist (a good girl!) consider marrying for social reasons, not romantic ones, was revolutionary for me. This portrait of the English colonies, the Puritans, the tropical plantations, the slavery, the daily life in 1600s New Hampshire were a very entertaining education.

This book is a little girly. Romance is a major theme.

In addition to history, this book teaches a lot about getting along with people vastly different from yourself without giving up your identity.

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Great book for teaching young adults about the tribulations of history.

Recently two of my 5TH grade students read The Witch of Blackbird Pond. We were studying the Puritan Time period of history and this book was a wonderful depiction of the lifestyles and beliefs of people living during this period. The language was challenging in the beginning but the students were are to grasp the message of the book. We noted similarities with the main character Kit and the girls growing up in today's world.
Kit portrays the life of a 16 year old girl amongst a new and unusual Puritan community. She is from a foreign shore and therefore she is disliked and thought of as suspicious (because she is different). Kit befriends a Quaker woman far outside of town, the two develop a wonderful relationship. The community casts scorn on the women and eventually Kit is scorned as well.
This book was a wonderful teaching tool because it depicted how belief and presumption can cause great pain and suffering for individuals that have "different" beliefs, attitudes and feelings. It also helped my young students understand the tribulations of history and how being different can at times cost one their home, their lively hood and even their life. We had a lively discussion on how Kit remained strong and self assured among so much bitterness and hatred.
This is a must read for any social studies class learning about Puritan history and the Salem Witch trials.

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A dark chapter for witches of Hogwarts

First read it in 8th grade about 20 years ago in reading class. The teacher was a blonde Jewish hottie about 5'6"" in her early twenties named Miss Fee. The book is great by itself, but taught by a good looking teacher makes it even better.

Do not miss!

The message is even more important now as we continue to vilify those who seem different. A fascinating look into the mindset of the people who created the Salem witch trials. (Follow up with "The Crucible") Also a feminist tale.
Young women will relate best to this story. Images and names stick with me still, 30 years later.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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