Roger Roth

I'm honestly a little shocked by the good reviews on this book.... I wonder if this is readers who aren't extremely familiar with the Salem Witch trials. I hate it when I'm forced to give a negative review on a children's book..... but, this book is seriously biased... the writers have obviously formed their opinions about the historical events and want to ensure that the readers opinions align with theirs.... pretty unscrupulous for a book that is formatted as a mystery, with the reader show more drawing their own conclusions.

This book is also, unfortunately, filled with assumptions and speculations posed as facts and/or absolutes.... there are also a few completely erroneous factoids.

The good: the illustrations are nicely done, and do a good job of setting the atmosphere of the time period.... and it does provide some good basic facts and background.... just not enough to overlook the blatant slant. show less

In this non-fiction mystery the author uses a unique technique to capture audiences' attention. She writes the story from the viewpoint of a young girl trying to solve the mystery. The author writes the story on each page and at the bottom of each page is a notebook with the girl's notes. Also on the pages are words and their definitions. I think this was a very fascinating story. I really liked how the author presented the information and challenged readers to come up with their own theory. show more The illustrations in this book were very appropriate. The author also included a bibliography. I would read this to my class when talking about events that took place in the late 1600's. show less

I'm surprised I was able to get this in the Nevada library system. It came ILL from Mineral County - look it up if you like, or just take me word for it that ice-fishing is not particularly indigenous to the area....

Otoh, I'm sure this book is a hit in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine. I enjoyed the humor and the drawings and the lesson. I'm not so sure Ivan and Olaf would learn their lesson so easily, and I'm a little uncomfortable with the fish being that ridiculously smart, but it's a show more worthy read if your library has it. Probably works best if read with the same perspective/ attitude as one would read a Tall Tale. show less

Great, easy to read story set up as a mystery. Allows the reader to choose between 5 possible solutions at the end. Pictures are better than the story! For children in grades 2-5