GREAT READS

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

by Elizabeth George Speare

When Kit's beloved grandfather dies and leaves her orphaned, the lovely, high-spirited English girl raised in Barbados is forced to seek family and security in the austere Colony of 17^th century Connecticut.  She stands out like a bright, tropical bird against the dismal black and white world of Puritan New England.  She finds refuge in the meadow cottage of the widow Hannah Tupper and is judged guilty of witchcraft by association when an outbreak of fever hits the community.  Romance, friendships, and characters develop and change throughout the story, holding the reader's interest until the last pages.  This story is also available as a CD Book, narrated by actress Mary Beth Hurt.

Maturing fans of the American Girls series would be likely to enjoy this Newbery winner.

Recommended by Karen Sweeney

---