Review of Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
Rosalyn Schanzer's non-fiction account of the time surrounding the Salem Witch Trials is an excellent resource for the target audience. Primarily written for middle-school aged kids it can easily be used by older individuals as well. The images throughout the book appear in the same nature as the cover image shown at the left, primarily black and white sketches with a few traces of red.
The approximate 100 pages of story have a wide range of details packed into them, covering stories of the accused and the accusers. Schanzer chose to include information on multiple cases during the period, allowing for a nice overview of the various types of stories that led to the hysteria that has become known as the Salem Witch Trials
Discussing the Puritans beliefs in the Natural World, Invisible World and the belief that God did everything for a reason helps with an understanding of the villagers mindset during the period, putting things in perspective to the communities' dynamics. Details include enough information to help portray some of what daily life in the village was like, including the requirement of the accused to pay for their jail stay. Letting the reader know just how much the accused gave up, some paid with life, others lost all their belongings while sitting in jail. The story doesn't end here, it does include some information about a few cases where restitution was paid by the government, but was it enough and fair?
Rosalyn Schanzer's website includes some teaching resources to go along with the book.
Title: Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Author: Rosalyn Schanzer
Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; (2011)
Source: Public Library (Library2Go)
Format Read: Kindle: ASIN B004J4X2YE
Genres/Subjects: Non-Fiction, Juvenile, History, 17th Century, Salem Witchcraft Trials
[Notice: Original posting 2014-03-14 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: 2014, History, Non-Fiction
Rosalyn Schanzer's non-fiction account of the time surrounding the Salem Witch Trials is an excellent resource for the target audience. Primarily written for middle-school aged kids it can easily be used by older individuals as well. The images throughout the book appear in the same nature as the cover image shown at the left, primarily black and white sketches with a few traces of red.
The approximate 100 pages of story have a wide range of details packed into them, covering stories of the accused and the accusers. Schanzer chose to include information on multiple cases during the period, allowing for a nice overview of the various types of stories that led to the hysteria that has become known as the Salem Witch Trials
Discussing the Puritans beliefs in the Natural World, Invisible World and the belief that God did everything for a reason helps with an understanding of the villagers mindset during the period, putting things in perspective to the communities' dynamics. Details include enough information to help portray some of what daily life in the village was like, including the requirement of the accused to pay for their jail stay. Letting the reader know just how much the accused gave up, some paid with life, others lost all their belongings while sitting in jail. The story doesn't end here, it does include some information about a few cases where restitution was paid by the government, but was it enough and fair?
Rosalyn Schanzer's website includes some teaching resources to go along with the book.
Title: Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Author: Rosalyn Schanzer
Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; (2011)
Source: Public Library (Library2Go)
Format Read: Kindle: ASIN B004J4X2YE
Genres/Subjects: Non-Fiction, Juvenile, History, 17th Century, Salem Witchcraft Trials
[Notice: Original posting 2014-03-14 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: 2014, History, Non-Fiction