A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials [Paperback]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Great Episodes

Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches?
Reader's guide included.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-- Well researched, this story of the Salem witch trials is told 14 years later from the perspective of a young woman who lin gered on the fringes of the bewitched girls' circle in 1692. Susanna English, daughter of a free-thinking Salem family, is both attracted to and frightened by what she sees brewing in Tituba's kitchen. When the group begins to ``cry out'' on townspeople, one girl admits to Susanna that they are playing a game, seeking freedom from the harsh Puritan code of con duct. As the game gains momentum, the circle begins to believe in its own power. One young woman warns Susanna that if she betrays them, the bewitched girls will accuse her fami ly. In fact, Susanna's family is torn apart, and so is all of Salem. The plot is rich with details and names that will be familiar to those who have read about the trials. However, despite the tumultuous events, the characters remain rigid. Contributing to the formality of the text is the author's use of Puritan diction and gram mar. Even Susanna's anguish, as she is torn between her fear of revealing her secret and her sense of responsibility because she is silent, is muted. Nevertheless, A Break with Charity portrays an excruciating era in American his tory from a unique perspective, and it will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy psychology, the supernatural, and history. An excellent com panion volume is Ann Petry's Tituba of Salem Village (HarperCollins, 1988). --Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Lib . System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; Edition Unstated edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152046828
• ISBN-13: 978-0152046828
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational, Easy Read, Excellent, November 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)

I am a 13 year old who read this book because I was very interested in the Salem Witch Trials. I am a very picky reader and I consider it one of the best books I have ever read. It had a lot of educational information about the trials but at the same time it was not at all boring. At no point in this book did I feel that it was dragging on. This book I could not put down and spent an entire day reading it. I encourage this book to all young adults. Ann Rinaldi is an excellent author and has a real talent for writing!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann Rinaldi at her best, October 24, 2004

By 

Calnalvin (Clarksville, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)

I consider "A Break with Charity" to be Ann Rinaldi at her best. She provides an insider's depiction of the Witch Trials using the perspective of a fourteen year old living in Salem, MA. The facts and characters are well-researched. Although the main character, Susanna English, is fictitious, she is a believable and sympathetic character. I heard alot about the witch trials as I grew up outside of Boston and was surprised to learn so much from Rinaldi's attentive detail. This book is intended for young adults and I, as a not so young adult, thoroughly enjoyed every word....it is a page turner that evokes many emotions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Break With Charity, July 19, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)

In my opinion this book makes you feel as if you are really there while all these trials are going on. Ann Rinaldi made me actually enjoy reading about history. Now I realise how difficult it was to live back then, how anything you do could make people suspect you as a witch. When reading this book I felt how most people did about the way people were dying and been noticed as a witch. I feel that the actions of the girls were just to protect them selves. Another book I suggest reading is A Wolf By Ears because you get the same feeling of devestation.