A Break with Charity

August 31, 1992
Boredom and frustration in a small Puritan town provide fertile ground for a band of teenage girls to incite and nurture deadly mischief. Susannah English, caught between the desire to be a part of the group and her revulsion toward their wickedness, finds herself an unwilling party to what would become the Salem witch trials. A graceful blend of fiction and history, Rinaldi's incisive and thoughtful narrative brings to life a dark period in America's past. The reader is confronted with conflicting and disturbing issues: lies masquerading as divine truth, courage, trust and the terrifying power of a rising tide of hysteria. The artful placement of Susannah as an observer provides a 360-degree view of the causes and effects of inexplicable mass persecution. At the same time, the author's quiet, factual style stands in a soothing contrast to her inherently shocking and histrionic subject matter. Finely tuned, well researched and very accessible, this novel ranks with Rinaldi's finest work. Ages 10-up.

September 1, 2013

Gr 6-10-Rinaldi combines fiction and well-researched historical facts in her novel (Houghton Harcourt, 1992) about the 1692 Salem witch trials. The story is told from the perspective of a young woman who was a teenager living in Puritan Salem Village 14 years earlier during the trials. Susannah Young, 14, is not part of the group of girls who meet weekly at the parsonage and speak with Tituba, a slave who tells fortunes. She wants to join them, but is frightened at what she sees. Before long, she finds herself immersed in the dealings the girls have with Tituba. The group's leader, Ann Putnam, tells Susannah that they are causing the witch hunt hysteria mainly to gain power and recognition. Soon the entire town is in chaos as the girls start naming townspeople as witches, but Susannah remains silent, fearing for the safety of her family. Students studying this era in history will recognize many of the names associated with the witch hunt and trials. Laura Hicks does an admirable job of voicing the text's Puritan diction and grammar and uses different voices and tones for each character. While the story begins slowly, it picks up speed as soon as Susannah speaks with Tituba. Perfect for pairing with a lesson on the Salem witch trials as well as for fans of historical fiction.-Katie Llera, Bound Brook High School, NJ

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