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    Witch Child
    Witch Child
    Witch Child
    Ebook269 pages3 hours

    Witch Child

    By Celia Rees

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    _______________

    'Historical fiction at its very best' - Waterstones' Guide to Kids' Books
    'Prolific, erudite and consistently brilliant ... breathtaking' - Guardian
    'Powerful, absorbing and unusual' - The Bookseller
    _______________

    An updated edition of this outstanding historical novel, in a stunning new package to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its publication.

    When Mary sees her grandmother accused of witchcraft and hanged for the crime, she is silently hurried to safety by an unknown woman. The woman gives her tools to keep the record of her days – paper and ink. Mary is taken to a boat in Plymouth and from there sails to the New World where she hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims. But old superstitions die hard and soon Mary finds that she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and stupidity, and once more she faces important choices to ensure her survival.

    With a vividly evoked environment and characters skilfully and patiently drawn, this is a powerful literary achievement by Celia Rees that is utterly engrossing from start to finish.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateMay 3, 2010
    ISBN9781408810378
    Witch Child
    Author

    Celia Rees

    Celia Rees is an award-winning YA novelist who is one of Britain's foremost writers for teenagers.  Her novel Witch Child has been published in 28 languages and is required reading in secondary schools in the UK.  Rees’s books are published in the US by Candlewick and Scholastic. Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook is her first adult novel. A native of the West Midlands of England, she lives with her family in Leamington Spa. 

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    Reviews for Witch Child

    3.5/5

    542 ratings41 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a beautifully written book telling the story of Mary, a teenager who is sent to the New World as an orphan in the 17th century after her grandmother is hung for being a witch. It takes many of the known or popular elements of the Salem story (such as the girls who are caught using the Venus glass to predict the occupations of their future husbands) and puts them together in a mostly convincing tale. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      I rather liked this little story. It's well told and I felt more gripped by the fact it was written in journal format, slowly unfolded, and dates uncertain, as though we were walking in the hazy shadows of memory where only certain seconds were pulled into startling clarity.

      I was very taken with Mary, the not-quite a Witch by choice, except in name and stricken requests, who had become a Puritan by no means of her own. I cannot wait to see what book two has in store for me once I get my hands on it.
    • 4/5
      I couldn't put this book down, it is a really good read. The sequel wasn't as good, but I still enjoyed it. I tells the story of a woman falsely accused of witchcraft. She writes a diary that she hides by sewing it into the pieces of a quilt. totally absorbing.
    • 4/5
      Other than thinking it a good book, I wish to mention that of the wonders that Elias Cornwell is writing about in chapter 72, the invisible drummer boys may refer to the 'Reports of cannon and rifle shots and beating of drums in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were widespread in 1658, two years before the Tedworth trouble.' [from the 'Drummer of Tedworth' entry in The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology by Rossell Hope Robbins. My copy is the 1981 edition published by Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-517-362457. I note that it's a book about witchcraft trials and is not for the squeamish. Thank you, Ms. Rees, for having Mary fear hanging, not burning. According to the same Robbins encyclopesia's entry on witchcraft in England, witches were not burned in that country, unlike Scotland or the European continent. There's even a list of penalties for witchcraft from 1543 - 1736. Burning was for treason. Witches were hanged. Salem followed the English practice, although Giles Corey was pressed to death.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this one. Ran out immediately to get its sequel, Sorceress.I like the bit of historical fiction I choose to read and this was one of them. Mary flees England after her grandmother is a victim of the witch hunts. She joins the Puritans on a voyage to the new world and lives on the fringes of their society. Does she have the gift/curse or are others looking for a scapegoat?I like the Blair Witch techniques thrown in and Rees writes very smoothly and keeps it interesting.Also, this is irrelevant, but one of my favorite covers. Haunting.
    • 3/5
      Ugh. It started decently enough - intriguing (though I hate the "this is real, I swear it is!" trope); however, it descended into yet another Salem witch trial derivative. So much so that some scenes appeared to come straight from The Crucible. Oh well...
    • 5/5
      "Witch Child" by Celia Rees is about Mary, a young girl forced to flee her home with strangers in order to protect her from religious persicution. Forced to travel across the ocean with strangers, Mary tries to follow the beliefs of her new "family" in the hopes of leading a normal life. As time goes on Mary learns that a normal life may not be possible for her.This book was not what I expected but I loved it! This book is an eye opening account of the tribulations any strong-willed, intelligent female faced durring the 1600s. Celia Rees brought out each and every character in the story and made you feel thier pain, fear, and hope at arriving in their new home.I will recommend this book to my daughter for a book report. She will learn about human faults and stop and think how much the world has changed, or hasn't changed, in the last 400 years.
    • 5/5
      Mary Newbury is forced to leave her home in England after her grandmother, a healer, is tried and hanged for practicing witchcraft.With the help of a woman who turns out to be her mother, Mary boards a ship to America with a group of Puritans also bound for the New World. Mary soon realizes that she is in just as much danger in her new home. She keeps a secret diary that begins, "I am Mary. I am a witch." Mary's fascinating story unfolds in her own words.Excellent. I just ordered the sequel!
    • 3/5
      Set in 1659, where witch trials were common and violent, Mary Newbury's grandmother is hanged for witchcraft. Mary escapes persecution by sailing to America, where she poses as a Puritan and lives with a welcoming family. Mary's fascination with the forest leads girls who are jealous of her relationship with a young man, to accuse her of being a witch, as she has secret gatherings in the woods. Mary's struggle against these accusations show the nature of human faults and jealousy. This book is sad, but supplies a very interesting view through the journal entries of a girl haunted by the infamous witch trials.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book, it's just that at times it was very slow. The boat ride was what really got to me. I just felt like I was dragging my feet trying to get to when they hit land. But once they got all settled in it started picking up and I started to fully enjoy it.I love the history, which was why I picked the book up in the first place. The book actually had me thinking back to my history class during the hour and 45 minute lectures about american history. About how the witch trials didn't happen in the bigger part of Salem, but the smaller town of Salem. I absolutely loved that Rees payed attention to detail and the history.I loved Mary. All though she was a witch, I connected with her. I was rooting for her through out the whole book. I felt bad for her when she had to leave the only home she knew and go over the ocean with a whole bunch of people she didn't know. I really enjoyed reading about her journey.Even though it was a little slow, it wasn't bad. It had it's moments where it would pick up and I wouldn't want to put it down.
    • 2/5
      First off, I was not tremendously moved by this book. Celia Rees effectively created a realistic world for the 1600's, but the pace of this book was very slow leaving my mind to wander. Mary being an orphan and a witch was a couple of the very few things that we know about this main character leaving this book lacking in character build up. Over half of this book is dedicated to the killing of Mary Grandmother and her travel to America; which is not the main plot so in most cases I would have given up trying to finish this book. That being said I did complete this book, but it is nothing that I would recommend or want to continue the series.
    • 5/5
      i stumbled upon this book when i was about 11 and i fell in love with historical fiction. this book is so realistic with events and linkage to events that could have happened. this book would br great to read during a lesson about the puritan way of life, the witch hunts, or about native americans. the captivating tale of this courageous young woman should be shared with anyone with a slight interest in this time period.
    • 4/5
      Like many women my age, I grew up reading Scholastic paperbacks about the Salem Witch Trials, all with the same underlying message: how terrible that the innocent were (and are) persecuted simply for appearing slightly different. Rees takes this laudable enough idea and stretches it farther - what if the girls really were witches, and therefore, by the standards of a Christian society, not 'innocent' at all? Still not ok to persecute them, right? And to take it yet another step further, what if one of these girls did what all of us young readers hoped those doomed Salem victims would do, and decide she didn't want to just sit around to get crushed with rocks or hanged, and fought to save herself? 100 percent historically accurate it may not be, but MAN this book is a satisfying read. And re-read.
    • 5/5
      Despite the very mixed reviews on Goodreads, I found this book gripping, entertaining anda real page turner. Firstly, I was immediately drawn in by the cover. Usually I prefer books with illustrated covers, but I found that the photograph on this and the sepia tones really reflect the feel and atmostphere of the book.

      With regards to the premise and the style of writing, this book contains diary entries written by Mary, the granddaughter of a witch, around 1659-1660. It is regarded as a children's book, being shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize in 2001, but I think it would definitely be suitable for a teenage or even adult audience also. As this book is not a work of fiction, more passages from an irregularly kept diary dating back from the colonial period, more commonly known as 'the Mary papers', I found some of the chapters very emotional and thought-provoking, as I knew they were based on reality.

      I am finding it difficult to write a review for this book, as I honestly cannot fault it in any way. I loved the simplistic yet poetic writing style, the story that this girl lived and also the characters that she met along the way. 'Witch Child' by Celia Rees is a definite 5 out of 5 stars for me, and I would thoroughly recommend it to readers of any age, as I think it gives an important lesson in the superstitions and cruelties of human nature, and is a beautiful quick read.
    • 3/5
      Great tension and a great reader made up for the drab and simplistic characters and narrative.
    • 5/5
      In the book Witch Child, a girl named Mary, must go to America to save her life. Her grandmother was hung for witchcraft. Mary's mother and father disappeared when Mary was very young. But before Mary left to go to America, she met her mother for one day. On the way to America, Mary has trouble hiding the fact that she is a witch. Sailors are complaining that mysterious things are happening on the ship that could only be done by witchcraft. When the ship gets to land, Mary and her companions walk to Beulah. Mary gets along fine in Beulah until a man called Obadiah Wilson comes and tells the whole town that Mary is a witch. Mary flees the town and is not heard from again.This book was really good. Mary is a mysterious kind of person. She keeps to herself and never tells anybody what she really thinks. It's frustrating sometimes to figure out what Mary wants. But I liked how Mary chose her friends very carefully.
    • 4/5
      I loved the start of this book and couldnt wait to really get stuck in. The images of the hanging were fantastic and the writing style exciting and powerful. However I was really disappointed that the pace slowed and the book became more about a journey. I had to remind myself that the book was about a witch - it didn't seem witch-like, the diary didn't seem diary-like and it all really seemed quite mediocre. Really disappointing as it had so much potential and if it had continued in the powerful way it started it would have been 5* for sure.
    • 4/5
      This was a great book to read. The writing really drew me into the story. It's written like a diary and I believe this was the perfect style to put across the idiocy and superstitious clap trap that prevailed during early colonial times. I found myself becoming frustrated reading the actions of the townspeople. It just seems so idiotic to revert to a backward style of living. Having read this I see similarities to today with fear and paranoia of different religions taking hold. Hopefully thing don't progress to the heights they did during the 1600's. I highly recommend reading this novel.
    • 3/5
      Witch Child by Celia Rees is about a fourteen year old Mary whose grandmother has been hanged as a witch. She is taken at the hanging and sent on an oversea voyage to America to start a new life. Young adults will like the descriptions and suspense in the novel, but it doesn't have a point that provokes the readers total interest. This novel moved somewhat slowly and had several different journeys that were very descriptive, but with out major occurrences in them. Mary's character to me is not very believable. She seems very quiet and confident in the book and makes many decisions herself. The reader doesn't develop deep bonds with her.I was disappointed in Rees's novel, especially having read her work before. I expected more of a resolution and more of a climax. I loved the descriptions of the time and some of the gift of "Sight" that Mary experienced and expected more of such for this novel.
    • 1/5
      This book is about a girl who is persecuted because people believe here to be a witch, They hang her grandmother because they believe her to be a witch too she is tormented through her life because she is thought to be a witch
    • 3/5
      Unsatisfying. The premise of the book was great, but it just didn't seem to work as a story. There are far better books about Puritan's views of witchcraft. As a children's book - I don't think it would be engaging enough to keep younger readers entranced.
    • 3/5
      ** spoiler alert ** This book is based on the diaries of Mary Newberry that escapes the witch-hunts in England to come settle into America, and her struggles and fears.This book sounded so interesting as the stories of the salem witch trials and witch-hunts always intrigued me, but this story didn't do it for me. The beginning with the death of her grandmother that was thought to be a witch, i thought it was going to lead into so much more, but it was more about her travels to America from England, then her struggles on people thinking she was a witch, in fact i didn't even feel i was reading a story based on "witch" at all. There wasn't anything really supporting that focus and it left me dissapointed, I would still like to read the second novel "The Sorceress" to see where she goes with the story, but after reading this im not expecting anything more then medicore.
    • 2/5
      I don't think I was really in the mood for this. It's a fairly straightforward historical fiction, with a fairly standard frame story of a found diary type deal. It's very easy to read; definitely aimed at young adults, if not at kids. Probably that's part of it -- it was so easy there was nothing to hold onto. The set-up is interesting enough, and for what it is, it's well-written, but there wasn't enough substance for me.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a girl is a witch. She is trying to get away from the people. She can flow and other things can witch does. She is confused about her family because her parent arent witches. So how is she a witch she thought. She lives with in the woods and she goes to school. I like this book because the charcter has great feelings. This book has alot of action and mystery about her in the book.
    • 5/5
      Great story that shows what prejudice and fear brought these brave women who just wanted to be themselves
    • 2/5
      Ok. Salem Witch trials retold. Predictable as well.
    • 5/5
      Love it, I could never find another copy of it, thanks Scribd!
    • 3/5
      I read this book years ago, in high school.

      I really enjoyed it! It's about a girl called Mary whose grandmother is condemned to death for witchcraft. I remember (vaguely) enjoying the voice of the protagonist but also the pace of the book. It was quite chunky for me when I read it at the time but there was just something about Mary that grabbed me.

      I also remember the satisfying feeling when I got to the ending, too.

      Maybe I'll read it again one day.

      ... once I get through all the other books on my TBR. Haha. Hahaha. Hahahaha.
    • 5/5
      I LOOOOVE IT, NEEDS TO BECOME A MOVIE ASAP YESSS
    • 5/5
      After her grandmother is tortured and murdered as a witch, Mary Newbury escapes England disguised as a Pilgrim headed for the New World. She finds that her new companions can be just as rigid in their rules and narrow-mindedness, and she must watch herself and hide her abilities as best she can.Written as a series of diary entries found in later years, this YA novel does a good job of giving a sense of urgency to the story; I found myself rooting for Mary from the first page and worrying for her safety in nearly every page thereafter. It also showcases the ridiculous amount of danger the simple fact of being a woman could place you in and the insanely various forms that danger could take, from childbirth to accusations of witchcraft for appearing to be too smart or too independent for your gender.

    Book preview

    Witch Child - Celia Rees

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