THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND

'''The Witch of Blackbird Pond''' is a novel by Elizabeth George Speare that was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1959.

Contents

Characters

Plot summary

Characters

★ Katherine (Kit) Tyler

★ Hannah Tupper

★ Judith Wood

★ Mercy Wood

★ Matthew Wood

★ Rachel Wood

★ Nathaniel (Nat) Eaton

★ John Holbrook

★ William Ashby

★ Prudence Cruff

★ Goodwife Cruff

★ Goodman Cruff

★ Gershom Bulkely

★ Constable

★ Constable's Wife

Plot summary

After her grandfather's death in 1687, 16-year-old Kit leaves Barbados, the only home she has ever known, for Wethersfield, Connecticut to live with her only remaining family, her aunt and uncle, Rachel and Matthew Wood, and their daughters, Judith and Mercy.
The strict Puritan colony is very different from Kit's previous home, and she chafes under the restrictions on her behavior. The people in the town are astounded and alarmed by her wealth, clothes, and ideas, as well as by her ability to swim, seen as an indication of witchcraft.
Lonely, she befriends elderly Hannah Tupper, a Quaker who was expelled from the Massachusetts colony because of her religion and a suspicion that she is a witch. Through her friendship with Hannah, Kit develops a relationship with Nat, the son of the captain of the boat she arrived on. She also befriends a young girl named Prudence, whose abusive mother refuses to let her attend school, saying that she's a half-wit. Kit, feeling sorry for Prudence, uses her own hornbook to teach Prudence to read and write. When a deadly illness sweeps through the colony, Hannah is believed to be the cause. Kit hides Hannah in the woods and they watch as the villagers engage in a witch-hunt, burning down Hannah's home and stealing her possessions. Nat takes Hannah away on his ship, but Kit doesn't want to leave her family. Soon, Kit finds herself on trial as a witch, and fighting for her life. Just when Kit thought it was the end, Nat returns and brings Prudence to the court. Though Kit pleads for the Magistrate to take her away, Prudence explains that the one piece of evidence, Kit's book containing Prudence's name found at Hannah's house, was used to teach her to write (the villagers thought that it was being used to enchant Prudence, since her name was written down so many times), and she reads from the Bible before the court. In the end, the charges against Kit are dropped and Prudence's father insists that his daughter be educated. Nat returns with his own ship, the Witch, and it is assumed that he and Kit ask her uncle for permission to marry. Judith marries Willam Ashby, who had once wanted to marry Kit, and Mercy marries John Holbrook, a young clergyman.