The Sacrifice

Book talk:
"Love is more than a noun -- it is a verb; it is more than a feeling -- it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing." - William Arthur Ward (author)
Who do you love in your life? How much do you love them? Sacrifice is to give up something you love, for something you love more. Would you sacrifice your own life to save the life of someone you love?
In 1862 Massachusetts, the fear of witches has spread from nearby Salem. First Abigail's aunt is accused of being a witch, and then Abigail and her sister are taken away for practicing witchcraft. All of the prisoners are held in a prison with unspeakably horrible conditions. And no one who goes to trial is ever found innocent. The only way to go free is to accuse someone else, so their mother devices a plan for the girls to accuse their mother of being a witch. Based on actual events of the author's ancestors, this ultimate sacrifice of a mother giving up her own life to save her children, feels very real indeed! ( )

The Sacrifice is an interesting piece of historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials. The main character is Abigail Faulkner, a courageous and feisty, young girl, who starts the story in the town stocks for committing the sin of running with her skirt up above her knees. Abigail lives in the town of Andover, which is located just a few short miles from Salem town. Abigail’s grandfather is the reverend, so she expects a scolding in church that Sabbath day. However, when Abigail goes to church that day, her grandfather does not scold her. Instead, he speaks of lies that are coming from Salem town. Meanwhile, back at home, Papa is having one of his uncontrollable fits, which is potentially putting the family in danger of being accused. While Abigail and her siblings are away at church, Mama stays back to take care of Papa, but when the children return neither their mother nor father or anywhere to be found.
After an unfortunate series of events, Abigail and her sister Dorothy are accused of being witches by their former family helper, Sarah Phelps. Once accused, Abigail and Dorothy are taken to the Salem town prison where they await trial in dingy, dirty, rat-infested quarters. Fortunately, the young girls have the company of their aunt in the jail. However, the comfort of their aunt is short-lived after she dies from the filth and disease infestation in the prison. The girls begin to lose hope and feel as if they will never get out, until someone makes a sacrifice on their behalf to say the sisters.
I would recommend this book for upper elementary students and it is an excellent read that allows students to delve into and explore historical fiction literature. This book provides many opportunities for students to work with historical vocabulary and to differentiate between fact and fiction elements in the writing. ( )

The Sacrifice by Kathleen Duble is a children’s novel about the Salem Witch Trials. In the Author’s Note, Duble states that she has Puritan family roots, in fact her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-Grandfather was Reverend Dane and her great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was Abigail Faulkner. This novel came out of her research from her family history and the Salem Witch trials. I have read The Crucible multiple times for classes and the events parallel. However, obviously this book is a G/PG rated adaption of the events at the time. This novel is very well written; there are no illustrations aside from the color but the descriptions provide the reader with great detail. The writing is so descriptive that the reader can visualize the settings. Also, the text allows for the reader to interpret the emotions at the time and also analyze the characters feelings. By giving the reader the power to interpret the texts, the author gives the book a kind of intensity and urgency. The story flows very well and the chapters are broken up in a manageable way for students. The conclusion wraps up the story very nicely for students. While the end is not tied together with a bow like many children’s stories, the author leaves room for the reader to decide what happens next.
I am reading this book with my 5th graders at Tonda Elementary School. This would be a great resource/informational text for students to read if you were studying the Salem Witch Trials. This text also gives students relatable characters that they can connect with to understand this historical time. I think this would compliment a Social Studies curriculum really nicely! ( )

Great historical fiction. It was a quick one day read. ( )

I read this for a graduate class for selecting materials for a media center. I loved the book! I found it an easy read and as it is written on a fifth grade reading level it would not be difficult for a middle school or high school audience. I also liked the fact that it gives a different perception of the slem witch trials. I think this would be a good story to support the historical material when used as guided reading or reading group work. The story is based on the author's ancestors who had these experiences. It is a fictional story but at the end there is a section where the author tells how the story deviates from actual events. I would highly recomend this book to others. ( )