Speare, Elizabeth. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. 1978. 256p. ISBN 0440995779. Available as an ebook and an audiobook on Overdrive.
When Katherine Tyler’s grandfather, Sir Francis Tyler, died, she was forced to leave Barbados. Her grandfather, who had been taking care of her since the death of her parents years earlier, left the estate in shambles and with mounting bills. Kit was able to settle all debts, but she had to sell everything. One of the men owed money informed her he would forgive the debt if she married him.
To escape she makes her way to a new community, cold, dreary and puritan New England. She’s never met her mother’s sister, but they exchanged many letters over the years, and aunt Rachel has two daughters near Kit’s age. Arriving in Connecticut Colony in the late 1600s, she finds an unwelcoming community, one used to strict control of thoughts and stricter enforcement of compliance with the rules.
A free spirit, Kit begins to chafe under the rules. Running to hide in one of the meadows by the river, she comes across Hannah, a Quaker who has been exiled out of the village. They soon become friends, but Kit’s uncle forbids her to go. Kit continues to visit, however, and reconnects with beautiful Nat, who was one of the sailors on the Dolphin, the ship that took her here. She’s also pursued by the richest man in town, and as winter begins to oppress the land Kit feels the full weight of solitude.
When children become sick and begin to die, Hannah is accused of witchcraft. Kit risks her own life and saves her from being caught, getting her aboard the Dolphin. Faced with suspicion and fear since her arrival, Kit is the one who becomes accused of witchcraft, and the penalty is death. Will anyone come to Kit’s defense?
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