The Witch of Blackbird Pond

review for 9th read

reasons you should read this book:
1) this book has Nat Eaton.
2) if you have any heart at all, the final chapter will probably make you squeal like a giddy schoolgirl.
3) this book has a very pretty, head-strong sailor boy.
4) this book has John Holbrook (particularly in the context of the second-cutest romance ever).
5) this book has a handsome, roguish love interest who regularly puts himself at risk for the sake of others.
6) this book has Hannah Tupper.
7) BONUS: this book has Nat Eaton.

18,000,000/5 stars.

review for 6th, 7th, & 8th reads (yes, really)

All my life, my dad has decorated his bedroom with It's a Wonderful Life posters, decorations, etc. We have a whole-ass display case in our living room filled with a show more porcelain snow village from the movie, as well as books, magazines, ornaments, mugs, and just about anything else you can think of that fits with the theme. We had the same kind of thing in our game room growing up, but instead of It's a Wonderful Life, that room was Muppet themed.

My dad and I are a lot alike. And while I don't hyper-fixate on It's a Wonderful Life or the Muppets, I have my own special interests. One of them is the band Flyleaf. The other, this book.

When it comes to this book, I am a weak, weak woman.

Every time I open this book it feels like home. From the characters to the romance to Hannah's cottage, this book is absolute perfection. (And that's a huge claim coming from me.) If you don't believe me, just look at my "Dates Read."

I have not read any other book more than maybe three times. Eight times is just ridiculous. My friends think I have a problem. My family has been forced to accept my obsession just as they accepted my dads'. That alone should be enough to make you want to read this book. But if you're still somehow deciding, let me break it down for you:

Katherine ("Kit") Tyler is a sixteen-year-old girl from Barbados. After her wealthy grandfather's death, she flees to the only family she has—a family of four in Puritan Connecticut. When Kit arrives in Connecticut, she quickly discovers that she is completely out of place in the solemn Puritan colony.

One day, as she laments this (yes, I use dramatic words like "lament" for dramatic effect because it is, in fact, dramatic), she meets Hannah, an old Quaker woman on the edge of town, who has been repeatedly accused of witchcraft and thus shunned by the community. As she grows closer to Hannah, Kit also grows closer to Nat Eaton, a (sexy) sea-faring friend of Hannah's and crew member on the very ship Kit took to arrive in Connecticut.

Finally, Kit begins teaching Prudence, a neglected and, dare I say, abused little girl, to read and write. Kit introduces Prudence to the others, and pretty soon, the four outcasts develop close friendships with one another.

You could go on and on about the social commentary, the romance, blah-blah-blah. But at its core, this book is about four misfits who find each other and become, as Anne Shirley would put it, "bosom friends." It's heartfelt, and every time I finish it, I want to cry. Not because it's sad, but because it's just precious. If that sounds like something you'd like, I implore you to please read this book.

review for 3rd & 4th reads

Ok, y’all, I’ve read this book four times and it’s still so absolutely FANTASTIC. I take back my previous rating of 4.5. This is a five-star book. I would give it 6 if I could like it’s THAT GOOD.

It’s so good, in fact, that after finishing my third read through it (about a week and a half ago), I immediately went back and read it AGAIN because I couldn’t get the darned book out of my head.

I totally get why some people don’t like this book... it’s not a genre that’s for everyone. But I love every moment of it. As long as you like classics, historical fiction, and romance, you’ll probably love this. And I will never fail to recommend it to people who like those genres.

Please, please, please, if you like sweet, comforting classics/romances and historical fiction, read this. It’s THAT GOOD.

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review for 2nd read

4.5 | OK so I read this in like 5th grade but I didn’t remember anything.

Now, I don’t usually like historical fiction but reading this again, I was amazed. The characters, romances, and friendships in this were just precious. Gosh, it was good. I just wish we’d gotten an epilogue. But otherwise, I adored it. I’ll definitely be reading this again. show less

It's a splendid book in almost all ways. Good character growth, exciting plot turns, excellent sense of place, complex protagonist. But read with 2023 eyes, the little bit of questioning of slavery is not enough, and the attitude toward Indians is hard to take. The comeuppance of the mean wife/mother is a little icky too in its gender politics.

But again, mostly splendid. Sorry I didn't read it when I was young but I glad I finally read it now.

Tbh, I think part of the reason that this endures is that it *does* have elements in common with typical YA fare of today, esp. that aimed at girls. It's got fashion. it's got a misfit girl who shakes up the town, it's got angst, it's got star-crossed lovers, it's got an outsider as mentor....

But of course it has so much more. Plenty of adventure and history, even some humor. Good to know that we can pretty much trust the accuracy of the history even six decades on. The characters are richly drawn and fully three-dimensional, not a cardboard icon among them, not even Prudence's parents. The themes are not hidden, but nor are they terribly heavy.

I really enjoyed this and would still recommend it to all young people and those grups show more open-minded enough to read Juv/ YA. show less

Just reread this childhood favorite. My son and I are studying the Salem witch trials, and this story takes place very near them in every sense.

What I think I admire most about this book is that the writer doesn't idealize her protagonist. It's not just that Kit isn't perfect -- she's terribly wrong sometimes. I remember how taken aback I was to see Kit's oblivious indifference to the slavery that surrounded her when she grew up in 17th-century Barbados. Speare handles this expertly, making the modern reader squirm with the uncomfortable awareness of how easy it is for not-horrible people to live next to evil without recognizing it as such.

If you haven't yet read this modern classic, you're in for a treat.

READING LEVEL: 5.7 AR POINTS: 9.0
(10 years, grades 5-7)
Winner of the Newbery Award

A classic originally published in 1958, and won the 1959 Newbery Medal.

I thought this was going to be a fantasy novel about witches and sorcery. I wanted to read it because 1) It's a classic; 2) It's pretty highly rated; and 3) I'm looking for good books for my grandies.

No worries here. This is a great historical novel based on the true facts about how the early Puritans so easily labeled women who didn't conform to their liking as "witches". Such ridiculousness! And, it is actually a sweet and innocent coming-of-age, and finding love, kind of novel. Young love is so fresh, innocent and beautiful. The author captured it perfectly. You know what I show more mean...when she's betrothed to one snarky, rich man but suddenly makes a connection to someone else who she has so much in common with and not much else to give...but he's the one you're rootin' for. Unfortunately, the very end fell just a little bit flat for me. show less

This historical fiction novel set in 1687 tells the tale of the headstrong Kit Tyler, who sailed from her home in Barbados, to live with relatives whom she has never met in the Colony of Connecticut. After her arrival, she is completely blindsided by their lifestyles in a town populated by rigid Puritans and drenched in political and religious conflict-- of certain subject matter that is beyond her education and sixteen year old comprehension. Barbados was a burst of color, hot sun, and genuine happiness and memories. The Connecticut of the 1680's is inhabited by religious extremists, who look upon Kit's fine, colorful clothes, her outgoing behaviors, blurted opinions, creative ideas and unusual activities (i.e., swimming and reading) show more as witch-like. To make matters worse, Kit discovers a friendship with a kindred spirit who is rumored to be just that, a witch. In truth, the widow Hannah Tupper, was a Quaker, was banished from Massachusetts and lived alone out at Blackbird Pond. This precious and secret friendship is discovered just as a desperate illness blanketed the town and Kit quickly finds herself defending her and her friends' lives from the hostile colonists. Author, Elizabeth George Speare described Kits thoughts, feelings and desires in such longing and colorful language that it was an instant favorite of mine when I was younger. Hysteria, fear, suspicion, disapproval, didn't hold a candle to Kit's headstrong and spirited manner. This Newbery Medal-winning novel taught me to stay true to my self, to adventure, to rebel when I need to defend my honor against people who misunderstand me and attempt to suppress or oppress me. show less

I have to admit, I was a bit reluctant to read this - I didn't want to read a tale about New England witch hunts. Fortunately for me, this is a book about a girl out of her element, growing up, falling in love, and learning to love things she didn't know before. The setting of Puritan Connecticut is bleak, but also, just as Kit discovers, beautiful as well. And despite their best intentions, even the most religious were apt to fall prey to the worst of human nature. Ms. Speare takes a gentle hand to the "witch hunters", showing that while they are wrong, Kit wasn't necessarily right either. An entertaining read, as well as informative.