The Witch of Blackbird Pond

It’s cold, bleak, unfriendly, and her new family doesn’t even like her. Kit is miserable living in Colonial Connecticut after leaving her home in Barbados. As she struggles between fitting in and living out her beliefs, Kit meets a local woman who the Puritan town believes to be a witch, Hannah Tupper.

When Kit is rebuked for her non-Puritan actions such as wearing bright, colorful clothes, or teaching children to act out a story as a play, or knowing how to swim, she visits Hannah at her cabin near the swampy Blackbird Pond, at the edge of a large meadow. Hannah’s cabin is shabby but filled with a welcoming, warm, caring atmosphere.

At Hannah’s cabin, Kit also develops friendships with Nat, a young sailor who often stops in to help Hannah, and Prudence, a six-year-old who escapes her mother’s abuse by visiting Hannah.

When the town decides to bring Hannah to trial for being a witch, Kit’s friendship with Hannah is tested, and she herself is put in jail. In the end, Kit, Nat, and little Prudence, help Hannah. They all stay committed to their friend Hannah and show the town that honesty, a caring attitude, and friendship that includes even those who are different, is the right way to live.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Make a list of 10 things that are different in Kit’s life in Connecticut from her life in Barbados.

Describe one of the emotions that Kit must have been feeling during those first few months living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins. When did you experience that same or a similar emotion?

DISCUSSION TOPIC

When have you felt left out or different from your friends?

Have you ever had a friend that other people thought was odd, unusual, or different?

ART PROJECT

Draw a picture of Hannah’s cabin including the outdoor areas near the cabin.

BOOK INFO

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Ages 10-14. Find this book in a local library or buy it here… Witch of Blackbird Pond.