Module 4: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Module 4: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Summary: Kit Tyler grew up in Barbados with her grandfather. Free to do as she pleased and immersed in the island’s culture, Kit was shocked by her predicament when her grandfather passed away and she had to live with her Puritan uncle. Although Kit tries hard to fit in and makes friends with Nat and Prudence, she creates tension in the town when she befriends the town witch. The elderly woman is a Quaker who believes in peace and harmony, but the town’s Puritan believes has made her an outcast. Kit must find the courage to stand up for her friends and herself when the town claims she is also a witch. Proving her innocence could mean life or death, so Kit and her friends have to find a way to sway the hostile Puritan townspeople.

Citation: Speare, E.G. (1958). The witch of Blackbird Pond. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc.

Impression: This book spreads the message of acceptance. Even with the progress society has made, many people still need books like this that show how having narrow ideas can not only hurt people but also keep society from growing. As a character, Kit is interesting to watch because she tries so hard to fit in to a place that she obviously does not like. Her good nature shines through in the worst times, and she is an example of persistence that many young readers can relate to.

Review: 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".

(2012). The Witch of Blackbird Pond [Review of the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond].           Kirkus Review. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-  george-speare/the-witch-of-blackbird-pond/

Suggestion: Librarians could use this book as a focus for anti-bullying week. She could summarize the book and put the question forth to students: is it right to force someone out of a community because of their beliefs? Then the librarian could offer other books about bullying or acceptance for children to read.