Witch Child (original 2000; edition 2002)

I don't think I was really in the mood for this. It's a fairly straightforward historical fiction, with a fairly standard frame story of a found diary type deal. It's very easy to read; definitely aimed at young adults, if not at kids. Probably that's part of it -- it was so easy there was nothing to hold onto. The set-up is interesting enough, and for what it is, it's well-written, but there wasn't enough substance for me. ( )

Like many women my age, I grew up reading Scholastic paperbacks about the Salem Witch Trials, all with the same underlying message: how terrible that the innocent were (and are) persecuted simply for appearing slightly different. Rees takes this laudable enough idea and stretches it farther - what if the girls really were witches, and therefore, by the standards of a Christian society, not 'innocent' at all? Still not ok to persecute them, right? And to take it yet another step further, what if one of these girls did what all of us young readers hoped those doomed Salem victims would do, and decide she didn't want to just sit around to get crushed with rocks or hanged, and fought to save herself? 100 percent historically accurate it may not be, but MAN this book is a satisfying read. And re-read. ( )

“Words have power. These are mine.”

Mary Nuttall was just sixteen years old when her grandmother Eliza – the only family she’d ever known – was murdered. Accused of practicing witchcraft, the old woman was tortured, stripped naked, bound, and “floated” - tossed into a river to sink or swim. Her buoyancy taken as a sure sign of guilt, Eliza was pulled from the water only so that she could be hanged in public. Once trusted to heal their loved ones, Eliza’s friends and neighbors in this rural English town proved eager witnesses to her execution.

Rescued from similar persecution by her long-lost mother, Mary is sent away to the “New World” in search of a better life. She’s to travel with a group of Puritans bound for Salem, where they’ll join their brethren and pastor. Upon arrival, the group is dismayed to discover that their kin have moved on, to the isolated town of Beulah. After much deliberation they decide to follow, forging ahead into the wilderness with two Natives – of the Pennacook tribe – acting as their guides.

Unsurprisingly, Beulah couldn’t be further from the safe haven Mary’s mother envisioned for her child. Ruled by a Puritan preacher so strict and demanding that he proved unwelcome in Salem, Mary is in constant danger, just by virtue of being a newcomer to the community. Though she tries hard to stay under the radar, her “transgressions,” real and imagined – which include befriending members of the opposite sex; spending time alone in the forest to gather food and herbs; harboring anything more than uncharitable thoughts about the “heathen” natives; and proficiency in transcription – don’t escape the notice of Reverend Johnson. When items suggestive of witchcraft are discovered in the forest and several of the town’s teenage girls start exhibiting strange behavior, Mary’s worst fears are realized.

All of this we learn from Mary’s journal, which spans roughly a year from 1659-1660. Urged to burn it by her protector/surrogate mother Martha – its opening sentences (“I am Mary. I am a witch.”) alone being sure proof of guilt – Mary instead hides its pages inside a quilt. Discovered more than three hundred years later by one “Alison Ellman” (one of Mary’s descendents, perhaps), Mary’s journal stands testament to the horrors she and her kind endured.

In Witch Child, Celia Rees has created a work of historical fiction that’s perhaps more honest about the misogyny, racism, and religious bigotry of the time than are many high school textbooks. Women who threaten the patriarchal power structure – those who have special skills or knowledge, such as healing or above average literacy, or who are independent and live outside the bounds of marriage – are threatened with the specter of witchcraft to ensure compliance. Likewise, Puritan attitudes about the native inhabitants of the land are every bit as cruel and barbaric as they accuse the indigenous people of being. Where Reverend Johnson sees the land that will become Beulah and thinks that God has set it aside especially for him, Jaybird and White Eagle recognize it as the summering lands of their people, cleared and cultivated by them and ransacked and stolen by the Puritans while it lay vacant in the winter.

Chilling and captivating, Witch Child is suitable for readers young and old. Though the story drags a little at the beginning – the slowest part being the voyage – the pace picks up once the colonists reach America. While the reader has a vague idea of how the story will end (Mary must survive to have at least one child), this doesn’t detract from the feeling of suspense and urgency. In fact, Mary’s narrative ends rather suddenly, in a jarring conclusion that left me wanting more. Luckily, there’s a sequel (Sorceress) – which I ordered not a half hour after finishing Witch Child.

Trigger warnings for copious amounts of racism, misogyny, and speciesism. In particular, the scene in which Mary sees the whales for the first time broke my heart. Her friend Jack’s reaction to this magnificent sight?

“’One day, I mean to hunt them.’ He mimed picking up a harpoon and flinging it over the side. ‘I mean to have my own ship and I will hire men to go after them, for they are here in abundance and there is great wealth to be made from them….’ […] Maybe it was the sea glittering beneath him, but his eyes seemed full of coins.” (page 78) ( )

Must have been tough to live during the times of witch hunts, especially if you were a real live witch. That’s the essential premise of Witch Child. It’s 1659, and Mary, a young English girl, finds herself on her own and under suspicion after her grandmother’s witch trial. Then, an ever-so-helpful soul sends Mary off to the New World with the Puritans. Talk about going from the frying pan to the fire.

Anyone who has read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible knows how this story is going to go, but for some reason I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Rees is a captivating story-teller, and she’s created a strong and smart character in Mary.

Mary is certainly no Puritan pansy, just waiting for them to come for her with the ropes and the implements of torture. She’s a survivor.

The “magic” in Witch Child is understated. Don’t expect any fantabulous displays, but the more subtle approach gave the book a more realistic feel and helped drive home its messages about intolerance and cruelty.

Now, the ending ticked me off a bit because it is so open that it made me feel like this book isn’t complete in itself. I like series, but I feel a somewhat robbed when the first one isn’t a whole story in itself. So if you let Witch Child cast its spell on you, you are going to have to read the next one too: Sorceress.

*Note: the version I read came from my local library and was published in 2000. The version currently on Amazon was published in 2009. ( )

This book is about a girl is a witch. She is trying to get away from the people. She can flow and other things can witch does. She is confused about her family because her parent arent witches. So how is she a witch she thought. She lives with in the woods and she goes to school. I like this book because the charcter has great feelings. This book has alot of action and mystery about her in the book. ( )

Witch Child by Celia Rees is about a fourteen year old Mary whose grandmother has been hanged as a witch. She is taken at the hanging and sent on an oversea voyage to America to start a new life. Young adults will like the descriptions and suspense in the novel, but it doesn't have a point that provokes the readers total interest.

This novel moved somewhat slowly and had several different journeys that were very descriptive, but with out major occurrences in them. Mary's character to me is not very believable. She seems very quiet and confident in the book and makes many decisions herself. The reader doesn't develop deep bonds with her.

I was disappointed in Rees's novel, especially having read her work before. I expected more of a resolution and more of a climax. I loved the descriptions of the time and some of the gift of "Sight" that Mary experienced and expected more of such for this novel. ( )

I loved the start of this book and couldnt wait to really get stuck in. The images of the hanging were fantastic and the writing style exciting and powerful. However I was really disappointed that the pace slowed and the book became more about a journey. I had to remind myself that the book was about a witch - it didn't seem witch-like, the diary didn't seem diary-like and it all really seemed quite mediocre. Really disappointing as it had so much potential and if it had continued in the powerful way it started it would have been 5* for sure. ( )

i stumbled upon this book when i was about 11 and i fell in love with historical fiction. this book is so realistic with events and linkage to events that could have happened. this book would br great to read during a lesson about the puritan way of life, the witch hunts, or about native americans. the captivating tale of this courageous young woman should be shared with anyone with a slight interest in this time period. ( )

I enjoyed this book, it's just that at times it was very slow. The boat ride was what really got to me. I just felt like I was dragging my feet trying to get to when they hit land. But once they got all settled in it started picking up and I started to fully enjoy it.

I love the history, which was why I picked the book up in the first place. The book actually had me thinking back to my history class during the hour and 45 minute lectures about american history. About how the witch trials didn't happen in the bigger part of Salem, but the smaller town of Salem. I absolutely loved that Rees payed attention to detail and the history.

I loved Mary. All though she was a witch, I connected with her. I was rooting for her through out the whole book. I felt bad for her when she had to leave the only home she knew and go over the ocean with a whole bunch of people she didn't know. I really enjoyed reading about her journey.

Even though it was a little slow, it wasn't bad. It had it's moments where it would pick up and I wouldn't want to put it down. ( )

** spoiler alert ** This book is based on the diaries of Mary Newberry that escapes the witch-hunts in England to come settle into America, and her struggles and fears.

This book sounded so interesting as the stories of the salem witch trials and witch-hunts always intrigued me, but this story didn't do it for me. The beginning with the death of her grandmother that was thought to be a witch, i thought it was going to lead into so much more, but it was more about her travels to America from England, then her struggles on people thinking she was a witch, in fact i didn't even feel i was reading a story based on "witch" at all. There wasn't anything really supporting that focus and it left me dissapointed, I would still like to read the second novel "The Sorceress" to see where she goes with the story, but after reading this im not expecting anything more then medicore. ( )

I recently bought a copy of Celia Rees's Witch Child on a whim in a mini-spree from Better World Books. I had seen the book many times, and was absolutely in love with the cover, but for whatever reason (and it's still not clear in my mind) I was convinced that this book was going to disappoint me.
Maybe I've been burned too many times by pretty, pretty books that are really shitty, shitty. I don't know, I was just hesitant.
But since it was in the bargain bin at Better World Books, meaning I got as part of my 5 for $15 (free shipping!), and since I needed things to read for Helluva Halloween, I went ahead and got it.

I don't regret that decision.

Witch Child takes the form of a diary written by Mary Nuttal (claiming to be Mary Newbury). After her grandmother is killed for supposedly being a witch, Mary is sent to America to assume a new identity and sever all ties with her past, ties which may get her killed. She takes up with a colony of Puritans traveling to the New World, and soon finds a place among them. But she also finds herself the center of jealousies and scandals that will raise the question of witchcraft again, making her safety in the new world as questionable as it was in the old.

I was caught up in this story from the very beginning. Setting aside the "convenient" aspects of the story (the fact that the dialogue is fairly modern, which is explained away, and the fact that she always just happens to have access to her diary and recalls events w/ complete clarity, etc), Mary's voice was always engaging, and she was completely relatable and her story captivating. This is very readable. The language is simple and flows well. Mary is an admirable girl, raised to be strong and self-reliant, which is a dangerous thing to be as an English woman in the mid 1600s. She is smart and self-assured, a great role model for modern girls, but because independent women were seen as a threat, she lives in fear of the day that her world will crumble and the people around her turn on her.

This really brought home to me what freaks me out about humans. The witch trials have always fascinated me, and the truth is, Puritans freak me out. Seriously. Witch Child really demonstrated why this is. The idea of basically condemning people to death (in horrible, horrible ways) because of petty jealousies or to make them fall in line is terrifying to me. They turn on each other so quickly over everything, and it just snowballs. That mob mentality, which is always violent and always deadly, Freaks. Me. Out.
[Of course, this is partly because I am fairly convinced that I would have died -- I struggle to keep my big mouth shut. Or, I guess the problem is that I don't struggle enough.]
But Mary is a good person, and she helps where she can. She is strong and so, so young. But this will mean nothing if she angers the wrong person. The sense of danger is always present, and there is a tautness and tension to the story as a result.

There was an ambiguity to the story that I really liked as well. Mary herself believes that she is a witch. She never does any sort of conjuring or casts any spells, she never actively does anything to earn the label witch. But raised in the woods by her talented and independent grandmother, who she believes must have had some powers, Mary believes that she, too, must have powers in turn. Strange things do happen on occasion, but because Mary is not some cloak-wearing, midnight-forest-traveling, familiar-petting "witch", there is a nice ambiguity to the story where you can view Mary how you wish. Does Mary really have some kind of power? Or is she just a smart, capable and intuitive young girl?
There is also ambiguity in the way the story ends, and though I was a little irritated at my copy for having an excerpt of the sequel, Sorceress, because that ruined some of the ambiguity of the ending, it was still kind of nice to know that I can continue Mary's story.

My advice? Pick up a copy of Witch Child and a mug of tea. This is the perfect story for the season, especially if you want something more on the human side, and less on the gore-fest side. ( )

when the main charter mary's grandmother was hung for witich craft. mary is sent to go to live withe puritain trying to find how to live a normal life with them proved to be a challange. they sail to the new world she meets a guy and sees his furture or the end of him. she knows not when but how he will die so oshe could not marrey him. on the sail over there a mother went into labor she saved the little boy by dunking him in water. there were salors complaining that strange "whitchy" thing happining it was proving hard for mary to fit in. that is some parts of the book.

this book is placed in the 1600s and uses old time word that some may not understand. i think it is great for higher level 7th-10th. the aouther did a great job on catching the readers eyes on the discrion. that was good the book was even better. this book creates an illusion in your head. that is why i love this book. ( )

In the book Witch Child, a girl named Mary, must go to America to save her life. Her grandmother was hung for witchcraft. Mary's mother and father disappeared when Mary was very young. But before Mary left to go to America, she met her mother for one day. On the way to America, Mary has trouble hiding the fact that she is a witch. Sailors are complaining that mysterious things are happening on the ship that could only be done by witchcraft. When the ship gets to land, Mary and her companions walk to Beulah. Mary gets along fine in Beulah until a man called Obadiah Wilson comes and tells the whole town that Mary is a witch. Mary flees the town and is not heard from again.
This book was really good. Mary is a mysterious kind of person. She keeps to herself and never tells anybody what she really thinks. It's frustrating sometimes to figure out what Mary wants. But I liked how Mary chose her friends very carefully. ( )

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Although Mary never knew her parents, she lived happily in a cabin in the woods with her grandmother and pets. However, her grandmother was a healer, a trusted member of the community until only recently. Now, she's gone, and Mary is alone in the world, on the run from the witch hunters.

A mysterious benefactor comes to Mary's aid, telling her that she must set sail for the American colonies with a tight knit community of Puritans. Even though Mary must be careful to hide her true nature from their religious zealotry, she does manage to find a few kindred spirits among their numbers, mainly Martha, who also has a healer's hand; Jonah, an apothecary; and Rebekah, the daughter of a prominent Elder.

The journey is long, and Salem may not hold all the hope they'd wished for upon their arrival. When their band rejoins the others in their community who have gone before them, Mary finds herself an untrusted newcomer, and has to guard herself carefully from those who would not "suffer a witch to live."

But how can she hide her talents when they're essential to life in this strange new land? And why does a mysterious jackrabbit appear to be following her?

This story presents itself under the pretense that the pages of Mary's diary were found hidden inside the seams of a quilt, and a note is included that welcomes anyone with further information on those folks mentioned in the diary to contact the editor. This additional layer adds an interesting flair to the story, which, although fictitious, makes history come alive. ( )

"Witch Child" by Celia Rees is about Mary, a young girl forced to flee her home with strangers in order to protect her from religious persicution. Forced to travel across the ocean with strangers, Mary tries to follow the beliefs of her new "family" in the hopes of leading a normal life. As time goes on Mary learns that a normal life may not be possible for her.
This book was not what I expected but I loved it! This book is an eye opening account of the tribulations any strong-willed, intelligent female faced durring the 1600s. Celia Rees brought out each and every character in the story and made you feel thier pain, fear, and hope at arriving in their new home.
I will recommend this book to my daughter for a book report. She will learn about human faults and stop and think how much the world has changed, or hasn't changed, in the last 400 years. ( )

Takes place in the 1600's. Mary's grandmother is burned as a witch, and a mysterious woman sends Mary to America, where witch hunts are also going strong. Mary writes of her life in a journal.

This book is about a girl named Mary who is persecuted because people believe here to be a witch, They hang her grandmother because they believe her to be a witch too she is tormented through her life because she is thought to be a witch. The setting is in seventeenth century england where anything that seemed impossible was deemed to be magic and evil. The theme is about witches and basically the plot is Mary is accused to be a witch so she flees with her family on search of a better and safer life. The book was ok but i just dont like that it was set in the seventeenth century. I like most that are sort of more modern or have to do with modern situations but i do like magic so i did like it somewhat. But if you like witches magic and old style settings or areas then this book is the book for you! =) ( )

Interesting and different. Recommended for those who like historical fiction. Aimed at teens so I read quickly. ( )

When her grandmother is hung for witchcraft, Mary throws in her lot with a Puritan congregation and sets sail for the New World.

I wish I had insightful things to say about this book, I really do, but it just didn't work for me. It faded from my mind with the speed of thought.

I'm a bit miffed about that, really, because I was looking forward to this one. I've heard scads of good things about Celia Rees. I love fictional journals. (They're similar to epistolary novels in that they give us lots and lots of layers that build off of one another in the most beguiling ways). The first entry was promising. I thought I'd love the book, or at least rather like it. As it stands, though, I'm pretty durned glad I never have to think about it again.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Mary was flat as a rail-pressed penny. That first entry drummed up a ton of empathy for her, but I didn't feel like Rees managed to sustain the tension. She made so little impression me that I can't think of a single thing to say about her. The secondary characters followed suit.

I don't have much to say about their world, either. I'm sure I'd have found Rees's depiction of Puritan life in seventeenth century Massachusetts quite convincing, if I'd been able to concentrate on it. There's a ton of detail, and Rees seems to have dealt with both the First Nations issues and the religious stuff in a fairly sensitive manner. (I say "seems" because I was, um, not really paying much attention by the time it all rolled around).

I think that part of the problem was that I already knew the story. Witchy girl gets tangled up with Puritans. Gee, I wonder how that's gonna play out? Sigh. I can see how it'd have been wonderful if Rees managed to draw me in and trick me into forgetting that I knew exactly what was going to happen, but she didn't so it wasn't.

And that's it. It did nothing for me. I can't recommend it.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

First off, I was not tremendously moved by this book. Celia Rees effectively created a realistic world for the 1600's, but the pace of this book was very slow leaving my mind to wander. Mary being an orphan and a witch was a couple of the very few things that we know about this main character leaving this book lacking in character build up. Over half of this book is dedicated to the killing of Mary Grandmother and her travel to America; which is not the main plot so in most cases I would have given up trying to finish this book. That being said I did complete this book, but it is nothing that I would recommend or want to continue the series. ( )

Mary Newbury is forced to leave her home in England after her grandmother, a healer, is tried and hanged for practicing witchcraft.

With the help of a woman who turns out to be her mother, Mary boards a ship to America with a group of Puritans also bound for the New World. Mary soon realizes that she is in just as much danger in her new home.

She keeps a secret diary that begins, "I am Mary. I am a witch." Mary's fascinating story unfolds in her own words.

Excellent. I just ordered the sequel! ( )

This book was an excellent read.

I loved this book and read it in only one day. I couldn't put it down. This story would not only captivate young adult readers (14 and up), but could also cross over to adults because of the historical element. In fact I was enthralled more with the time period, mid 17th century, rather than the whole "witch" element. I felt like I was traveling along with Mary as she leaves Europe for the New World, across the Atlantic. Even though the main character is female, I think the story would interest males and females alike. I can not wait to read the sequel. ( )

The book begins with a witch hunt which results in the hanging of Mary's grandmother. Now more or less an orphan, she is sent to join the Puritans in their journey to the New World. Aboard the ship, Mary makes new friends but has been warned to keep her own history and supposed powers to herself. On the one hand, Mary is happy to have a new family among her friends Martha, Rebekah, Tobias, and Jonah. On the other hand, she never quite feels that she fits in with the Puritan beliefs and lifestyle. After a horrible journey on the ship, during which some people begin to suspect that a witch is aboard, Mary finally makes it to the New World. Unfortunately, she and her companions soon realize that life there is not as wonderful as they had been led to believe; food and shelter are still scarce, and the friends and family whom they had planned on meeting up with have already moved onward. Ultimately, Mary and her companions move into the forest and join the Reverend Johnson and his people. There, Mary thrives in an environment that is similar to the one she grew up in, making frequent trips into the forest to find herbs and make friends with the natives who are so feared by the other Puritans. Soon, rumor begins that she is up to supernatural things, and the 'Godly' Reverend Johnson basically threatens her life! The book ends as it began, with another witch hunt. A group of younger girls is suspected of performing witchcraft in the woods, but some are also quick to point the finger at Mary. Mary's journal ends mid-sentence as she flees...

Richie's Picks: WITCH CHILD by Celia Rees, Candlewick, July (Friday the Thirteenth) 2001

"...My grandmother was brought forward for all to see. She was held, arms pinioned behind her, then pushed to the foot of the ladder that leaned against the gallows tree. She ignored the eyes on her, looking over the upturned heads, searching for me. Her eyes found mine and she smiled. Her glance went sideways to Obadiah Wilson, self-appointed Witchfinder, trying to staunch the blood pouring from his nostrils, and she nodded very slightly, as if to say well done. She nodded again to someone behind me.

That was the last I saw of her. The hangman stepped forward. He held a hood raised to cover her face, and at the same time a cloak closed around me. I was taken down one of the steep alleys leading from the market and was pushed into a waiting carriage just as I heard the crowd's roar..."

It is 1659. Mary Newbury, who has been raised by her grandmother in England, ends up in a Puritan settlement, carved into the wilderness, inland from Salem, Massachusetts. There are few in the settlement whom she can trust or call friend. While the colonists' suspicion of her slowly mounts, she is treated with great respect by a pair of Native Americans, a grandfather and grandson, with whom she secretly rendezvous.

This powerful and beautifully written historic novel is already a bestseller in Britain. Candlewick outbid Scholastic in a hotly contested auction for the American rights. Candlewick also brought the book's charming author, Celia Rees, to Chicago for Book Expo last week. (This week she's in Amsterdam for the Dutch release.) Celia has already finished the sequel.

I absolutely could not put down WITCH CHILD, and I am anxiously awaiting that sequel. I finished reading it before flying home from Chicago and couldn't wait to began reading it aloud the next day. You'll be in luck on Friday the 13th next month if you reserve yourself a copy.

Richie Partington
Richie's Picks
BudNotBuddy@aol.com ( )