This book is based on the Salem Witch Trials, seen through the eyes of a fictional girl. Susannah is a young girl who wants to be a part of the in crowd that meets in Titubah's kitchen. She eventually sees that things are not as innocent as they seem and finds herself immersed in a scandal that brings about disastrous results. This book expertly weaves non-fiction with fiction. ( )

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What a great historical novel about the Salem Witch Trials. Rinaldi gives the readers the insightful perspective through a protagonist who has witnessed the Salem Witch Trials from the very beignning--from the meetings of the Circle to the confession of Ann Putnam followed years after everything is put to rest.

The character development was wonderfully done with all the character included in the story, and all the major events regarding the history of the Salem Witch Trials (and even minor ones) are included. It was interesting to see the group of girls have a reason behind their "sickness" of calling out wiches rather than just making the reader speculate and come up with his/her own opinion of the story. Instead, we get a behind-the-scenes account with the protagonist as Ann Putnam reveals her sinister motivations.

Overall, an interesting read. ( )

Eh. ( )

A Break With Charity is Rinaldi's mostly imagined account of Susanna English, teenage daughter of parents John and Mary actual people who were accused in the Salem Witch Trials. Susanna is fourteen and though she deeply desires to mingle with other girls of her age group in Salem finds herself to be an outcast due to her family's relative affluence and her father's rejection of the Puritan church. Her curiosity about the other girls' activities brings her into the company of the Reverend Parris's slave, Tituba, and eventually embroils her in the hysteria of the witch trials. Though the younger Ann Putnam herself tells Susanna that the witchcraft accusations are scam at the start, she forbids Susanna to tell anyone claiming that she will call out on her parents. As Susanna struggles with how to deal with this information, the consequences of her silence grow and grow until the "afflicted" girls begin to believe their own lies and eventually break charity and accuse her parents despite Susanna's silence.

Through Susanna's eyes, Rinaldi examines the Salem Witch Trials inside and out. She reveals to us the boredom and powerlessness felt by teenage Puritan girls, both of which made the chaos caused by the witch trials and the attention paid them by high-ranking Puritans all that much more alluring. Rinaldi explores the weaknesses of Puritan society and a persistant feeling of religious righteousness and judgement, both of which allowed the hysteria of the witch trials to explode to ridiculous proportions causing immense loss of innocent life. Through Susanna's narrative, Rinaldi provides practically just enough context to whet reader's appetites for additional writings on the Salem Witch Trials and helpfully encloses a list of her references and additional reading on the subject. Rinaldi's strong grasp of history and her female narrators who are never perfect but are on their way to finding the right path make for excellent reading experiences for young adults that encourage a healthy interest in history. ( )