The Salem Witch Trials: An Unsolved Mystery from History

Written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Narrated by Jessica Almasy

During the long, cold winter of 1692, seven young ladies from Salem, Massachusetts, begin to display disturbing symptoms. They're convulsing, contorting, cowering, and croaking strange sounds. Finding no help from medical books, the village doctor declares them bewitched. Having already triggered more than 60,000 executions in Europe, the fear of witchcraft begins its work-even among sensible, down-to-earth New Englanders. And before it's all over, 141 people are arrested-19 women are hanged, one man is crushed to death, and four others die in jail. But long after the damning "testimony" of ghosts-seen and heard only by the "bewitched"-was forever banned from courts, one question remains: What really happened? Jane Yolen-whose hundreds of books have garnered numerous accolades, including Golden Kite and Nebula Awards-teams up with her private detective daughter Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple to craft this Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner. Jessica Almasy's stellar narration adds luster to a baffling episode in U.S. history. "This [book] effectively introduces an intriguing subject, and the mystery of what really happened is more than enough to whet kids' appetites."-Booklist "This is an innovative way to involve young people in the study of history."-Children's Literature "The investigative approach . encourages readers to evaluate the evidence ."-Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470357610

Jane Yolen

<p><strong>Jane Yolen</strong> is a highly acclaimed author who has written hundreds of books for children and adults and has won numerous awards. She and her husband divide their time between Massachussetts and Scotland.</p>

Reviews for The Salem Witch Trials

[jfranklin592262 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm honestly a little shocked by the good reviews on this book.... I wonder if this is readers who aren't extremely familiar with the Salem Witch trials. I hate it when I'm forced to give a negative review on a children's book..... but, this book is seriously biased... the writers have obviously formed their opinions about the historical events and want to ensure that the readers opinions align with theirs.... pretty unscrupulous for a book that is formatted as a mystery, with the reader drawing their own conclusions.

This book is also, unfortunately, filled with assumptions and speculations posed as facts and/or absolutes.... there are also a few completely erroneous factoids.

The good: the illustrations are nicely done, and do a good job of setting the atmosphere of the time period.... and it does provide some good basic facts and background.... just not enough to overlook the blatant slant.

[marabie-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A little girl playing detective gives readers information about the Salem Witch Trials. Included are definitions of words and notes with facts from the historical event. At the end the narrator ask the readers their opinion. The narrator also lists the top five explanations to the girls acting the way they did. This book is cute and short but contains a lot of information. The author boxes off the story, puts notes on a note pad, and definition on bright boxes. This separates words from the illustrations, while included different kinds of information. I would read this to my class when learning about the witch trials. My students could play detective and discuss what they believe happened to the girls who were calling people witches.

[jpons-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this non-fiction mystery the author uses a unique technique to capture audiences' attention. She writes the story from the viewpoint of a young girl trying to solve the mystery. The author writes the story on each page and at the bottom of each page is a notebook with the girl's notes. Also on the pages are words and their definitions. I think this was a very fascinating story. I really liked how the author presented the information and challenged readers to come up with their own theory. The illustrations in this book were very appropriate. The author also included a bibliography. I would read this to my class when talking about events that took place in the late 1600's.

[lauramcqueen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. When I was younger this was one of my favorite parts of history to learn about. I really liked how the book was told from the view of a young girl. I also really liked how it had a lot of vocabulary words and definitions throughout the story. I would love to use this book in connection with a social studies lesson. I think that students would really like it.

[rebecca401 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Told from the point of view of a young girl who is fascinated with history and solving mysteries, this book is particularly relevant to students who need encouragement to study history. The facts and vocabulary words are carefully laid out in a style that mimics a real-life researcher. It ends with the five different theories of what really happened. What do you think happened?

[the_hag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Children's detective stories seem to be perpetually "in,” and The Salem Witch Trials: An Untold Mystery from History (as with others in this series) plays on that theme successfully. Without giving us a name, the author introduces us to the narrator, a young girl who is curious...a trait that every detective needs! This young lady isn't curious about just anything, she's particularly curious about her fathers file of mysteries that have never been solved..."histories mysteries." The narrator then goes on to detail her "process" for trying to figure out the given mystery...first she reads as much as she can about the incident, learning everything she can, and she keeps a notebook of the most important clues and information. Some of the books in this series include maps and timelines (though this one does not)! This particular "case" focuses on The Salem Witch Trials (its possible causes).

With that bit out of the way, the book transforms into a fact filled narrative of the events, starting with the long cold winter of 1692, leading into the various events that lead up to the witch trials and ending with a summery of five of the most popular theories “what really happened.” This final section is done in the notebook style, and the narrator has included questions for the reader to answer, which if answered, will help the reader figure out which of the theories are most likely...at the very least, it's an excellent opportunity for a class project (dividing students up into groups and each exploring a given theory and presenting to the class, with discussion at the end on which of the theories are most likely...and maybe even encouraging students to come up with their own theories!). The story ends with the narrator saying she's really not sure WHICH theory is right...but she's got her own and now she hopes you (the reader) do too.

Each two page spread (illustration done in subtle tones which emphasize the bleak New England winters and adds to the somber tone of the Puritan lifestyle) is given a narrative box and most include "post-it" style pink, yellow and orange boxes which define terms used in the narrative box and most include a cut out of a spiral notebook which is meant to be the narrator taking her notes...which provides additional information and/or perspective on the information given in the narrative box. I love the section on the theories...the way they are presented with questions that the reader should be able to answer directly out of the text and/or with minimal additional research. I really do think this would make an excellent group project for a classroom, or the jumping off point for a written report by a single student...or just interesting reading!! I'd say this book is idea for kids ages 4-10, as a real aloud to about age 6, older kids will enjoy reading this alone...the text is EASY...but the opportunity for exploring the theories and doing additional research is what I think makes it suitable for readers 8-10. I give it five stars and think it would make a fine addition to any classroom or school library. I love the format; it presents the necessary information (and definitions) on the page (without flipping back and forth to a glossary) in a way that doesn't detract from the narrative or the illustrations. There is a bibliography, but it's located in the front of the book, just before the title page, rather than in the back. Pick this up for your curious young reader, you won't be disappointed!