The Witch of Blackbird Pond facts for kids
1958 first edition
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| Author | Elizabeth George Speare |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, historical |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
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Publication date
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December 1, 1958 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) Audio |
| Pages | 249 |
| ISBN | 0-395-07114-3 (reissue) |
| Preceded by | Calico Captive |
| Followed by | The Bronze Bow |
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a children's novel written by American author Elizabeth George Speare. It was published in 1958. The story takes place in the late 1600s in New England. This book won the famous Newbery Medal in 1959.
Contents
Story Summary
In April 1687, 16-year-old Katherine Tyler, known as Kit, leaves her home in Barbados. She has to leave because her grandfather died and an older man wanted to marry her. Kit travels to Wethersfield, Connecticut. She plans to live with her Aunt Rachel, Uncle Matthew, and her two cousins, Judith and Mercy. They live in a Puritan town.
Kit's Journey to Wethersfield
On the ship Dolphin, they stop briefly in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Four new passengers get on board. A little girl named Prudence accidentally drops her doll in the water. Her mother, Goodwife Cruff, hits Prudence and tells her not to be silly. Kit quickly jumps into the cold water to get the doll. She is used to the warm water in Barbados.
When Kit gets back to the boat, people are surprised and suspicious. Not many people in Connecticut could swim so well. Goodwife Cruff thinks Kit is a witch. She says, "No respectable woman could stay afloat like that." On the way up the river, Kit becomes friends with John Holbrook. He is another passenger going to Wethersfield to study with Reverend Gershom Bulkeley. When the Dolphin arrives, Kit tells the captain that her aunt and uncle do not know she is coming. She hopes they will welcome her because she is family.
Life in a New World
Kit finds Wethersfield very different from Barbados. In Barbados, Kit's family had servants. But here, she is expected to work with the rest of the family. Her cousin Mercy has a leg injury and uses crutches. Kit must go to church services twice every Sunday. She finds them very long and boring.
She meets William Ashby, a rich 25-year-old man. He starts to show interest in marrying her. However, Kit does not like him much. Her cousin Judith had hoped to marry William. But Judith then starts to like John Holbrook, who is studying to become a minister.
Teaching and Friendship
Kit's life gets better when she and Mercy start teaching young children. These children are getting ready for regular school. One day, Kit gets bored with the usual lessons. She decides the children should act out a story from the Bible. It is the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The head of the school, Mr. Eleazer Kimberly, walks in just as things get messy. He is very angry that Kit dared to act out something from the Bible. He closes the school. Kit is sad and runs to the meadows. There, she meets and becomes friends with Hannah Tupper. Hannah is a kind, older woman. She was forced out of the Massachusetts colony because she is a Quaker. Quakers do not attend church meetings like the Puritans.
Secret Meetings and Trouble
Kit and Hannah become very close friends because they are both outsiders. Even after her uncle tells Kit not to see Hannah, Kit keeps visiting her. During one visit, she meets Nathaniel (Nat) Eaton again. He is the handsome son of the Dolphin's captain. Kit falls in love with him without realizing it. Nat feels the same way about her.
But Nat gets into trouble. He is banned from Wethersfield after putting lit jack-o-lanterns in the windows of William Ashby's unfinished house. Nat is told he will get 30 lashes if he returns to Wethersfield. Kit also secretly teaches Prudence to read and write. Goodwife Cruff says Prudence is "stupid" and "a half-wit." She refuses to let her attend school.
Accusations and Justice
A terrible illness spreads through Wethersfield. A group of angry people gather to kill Hannah by burning her house. Kit runs to warn Hannah. The two women escape to the river just as the Dolphin appears in the morning mist. Kit waves it down and tells Nat what happened. Hannah refuses to leave without her cat. Nat bravely goes ashore to get the cat, risking trouble for returning to Wethersfield.
After Hannah is safe on board, Nat invites Kit to come with them. She says no because Mercy is very sick. Nat thinks Kit is afraid of losing her chance to marry William Ashby.
After the Dolphin sails away, Kit goes home. Mercy's fever has broken. In the middle of that same night, the townspeople come for Kit. Goodwife Cruff's husband has accused Kit of being a witch. The next day, after a cold night in the sheriff's shed, Kit is questioned. They ask about her hornbook found in Hannah's house and a copybook with Prudence's name written in it. The townspeople fear Kit and Hannah were casting a spell on Prudence. Kit refuses to say that Prudence herself wrote her name. She does not want Prudence to get into trouble with her parents.
Just when it seems Kit will be found guilty, Nat appears with Prudence. Prudence tells everyone that she wrote her name in the hornbook herself. To show she can read, Prudence reads from the Bible. She also writes her name. This convinces her father that she is smart. It also shows that no witchcraft was involved. Nat is initially in trouble for returning. But Matthew Wood speaks up for him. Nat's punishment is forgiven because he came back to help bring justice.
Soon after, two weddings are announced. Mercy will marry John Holbrook, and Judith will marry William Ashby. Kit decides to go back to Barbados. But then she realizes she truly loves Nat. She waits for him to return. Nat comes back to Wethersfield with his new ship, named the Witch after Kit. Kit asks to come on board. Nat says no, not until he gets Uncle Matthew's permission for them to marry. They leave to visit Uncle Matthew.
Main Characters
- Katherine Tyler (Kit): The main character. She is an independent and kind girl from a rich family in Barbados. She struggles to fit in with her Puritan relatives in Wethersfield. People in the colony think she might be a witch.
- Hannah Tupper: A Quaker woman who lives alone. People often say she is a witch. She becomes a very close friend to Kit.
- Nathaniel Eaton (Nat): Captain Eaton's son. He is Kit's true love and later her husband.
- Rachel Wood: Kit's gentle aunt and Matthew Wood's wife.
- Matthew Wood: Kit's strict uncle. He is Rachel's husband and does not like Kit at first.
- Mercy Wood: Kit's kind and patient cousin. She is Judith's sister and uses crutches to walk. She marries John Holbrook.
- Judith Wood: Kit's proud cousin. She is Mercy's sister and marries William Ashby.
- William Ashby: A rich man who wants to marry Kit. He ends up marrying Judith.
- John Holbrook: A student of Dr. Gershom Bulkeley. He is very focused on learning and marries Mercy.
- Goodwife Cruff: A narrow-minded woman in town. She accuses Kit of being a witch. She is Prudence Cruff's mother.
- Prudence Cruff: Goodwife Cruff's young daughter. She is treated badly by her mother but becomes friends with Kit.
Places in the Story
Many places in the novel are real locations in Old Wethersfield, Connecticut. They include:
- Blackbird Pond (now called Wethersfield Cove)
- Great Meadows
- Congregational church on Main Street
- Buttolph-Williams House is thought to be the house where Kit lived.
- The Atlantic Ocean
- Barbados
- Connecticut River
- Old Wethersfield
