Rosalyn Schanzer

As the title suggests, “Witches” documents an “absolutely true tale of disaster in Salem.” Beginning with the initial witchcraft accusations in 1692, the book tells the story of the supernatural-fueled hysteria that swept over Salem, MA and its surrounding areas, resulting in the executions of twenty people.

It’s hard to read the historical facts of the Salem Witch Trials and not feel infuriated. Conveniently, most of those convicted of practicing witchcraft were either social show more outcasts (ex: an Indian slave, a bedridden woman who no longer attended church, a beggar, the mother of a multi-racial son, etc.), or adversaries of powerful Puritan political or church leaders. As the story goes, what began as a few isolated accusations of witchcraft from several young girls became a regional witch hunt, which led to the imprisonment of over fifty people.

Once the actual witch trials began, virtually zero physical evidence was brought forth to prompt the sentencing of those accused. Rather, the court (which lacked a single judge formally trained in law) relied on “spectral evidence” from the accusers, or hearsay accounts of an invisible world. During the trial, attendees (mostly young girls) writhed on the floor and claimed that they were being tormented in real time by the “witch” on the stand. According to the documents in the book, the spectacle was said to be very convincing. Years later, it was reported by at least one of the girls that their actions were falsified. Also, on multiple occasions, attendees were seen smuggling pins into the courtroom, which they used to draw blood and blame the “witch” on the stand for.

In the end, despite the obviously corrupted trials, twenty people went to the gallows. Many of those who did not were bullied into confessing their guilt -- an act that caused them to lose their land and possessions and continue to suffer in prison.

The author ends the book with possible explanations of what fueled the events: disease, post-traumatic stress, lies, attention seeking, political corruption, financial corruption, or even the supernatural. While the book closes on a “we’ll never know” note, it is clear from the author’s writing that she views the event as an absolute tragedy.

I initially picked up “Witches” for two reasons, 1) because it was a Sibert Honor Book, and 2) I thought it might be an interesting companion piece to “The Scarlet Letter.” After reading the book, I do think it would align nicely with “The Scarlet Letter,” but also any discussion, lesson or unit (fictional, historical, or contemporary) that deals with the theme of injustice. The frustration I felt while reading this book is similar to one that I’ve felt many times before while reading literature, historical texts, and even the news (ex: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Civil Rights Movement, Trayvon Martin, etc.) It may be worthwhile to teach an entire unit on injustice and consider the ways in which events and stories relate. “Witches” could serve as an interesting examination of a particularly confusing time in American history. show less

Unless you are already a serious historian, I promise you will learn something from this book. It... it may not always be what you WANT to learn (for example, that the Revolutionaries committed atrocities against the Iroquois), but you're bound to learn SOMEthing new.

This is a diligently researched book. Do not let the fact that it is a "picture book" fool you - this book is written at about a seventh grade reading level, and it shows. Many pages of dense text, and a lot more informative show more than most textbooks I had through high school!

The author worked hard to avoid painting the British and the Loyalists as monsters - and they weren't! They had reasons for their actions just the same as the revolutionaries did. Likewise, she doesn't present the patriots as unalloyed saints - and they weren't, any more than you and I are! They did good things for good reasons, good things for selfish reasons, and bad things for the same reason anybody does bad things. And yes, horrific acts were committed by both sides in this war, against enemies and innocents alike.

The illustrations and quotations enliven and complement the text, but they do not take over the book. I really advise this book for ANYbody wanting to learn more about the Revolution. show less

Did you know that accused witches were searched for warts "that could be used as teats to feed their evil animal familiars?" Too bad that and many of the other tell-tale signs of witches and non-witches were totally ignored during the Salem witch trials.

In reading this, I realized just how little I really knew about the events in Salem. Schanzer gives us the blow by blow of what happened in Salem in this interesting read. Many of my questions went unanswered (what was fake and what was real? show more What were the motivations?) because the evidence and information simply does not exist. Schanzer briefly goes over a number of theories, which gave me a sense of what might have happened. (I'm dying to know!)

And the scratchboard illustrations are FANTASTIC. show less

The account of the Salem witch trials, what led up to them and the aftermath written for children. Schanzer manages to snag the reader's interest from the start with interesting tidbits and a tone that captures the hysteria of the time. She profiles both the accusers and the accused and uses primary source materials from the trials as well as other sources to give a vivid and accurate account of what happened. The artwork is done in stark black and white with a smattering of red accentuating show more the tone of the book. Overall it is a well written interesting account of the trials that shook New England, and a tale of what happens when common sense and justice is ignored. show less