Sarah Anne Hartford [Paperback]

Kathleen Duey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996 | Series: American Diaries (Book 1)

Breaking the Sabbath by playing on a snowy hill, Sarah of Puritan Massachusetts records in her 1650 diary her difficult choice between upsetting her father and letting someone else be punished for her actions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1651 Salem, Mass., the first volume of the American Diaries series opens and closes with excerpts from the diary of the eponymous 12-year-old heroine. These entries are dated only two days apart-as jacket copy for the series explains, "Sometimes one day can change a life forever." The resulting story, about how Sarah and a friend violate the Sabbath and are harshly punished with stints in the pillory, is slow in plot and a little forced in its characterizations. In place of rapid action, Duey (Mr. Stumpguss Is a Third Grader) fills the narrative with careful details about Puritan customs and ethics, describing everything from the dogs brought to church to warm their owners' feet to the design of the salt barrel in Sarah's root cellar. Impressive though the research may be, it does not offer enough excitement or intrigue to hook the target audience. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?Puritan bashing has a long history in American children's literature, but this first entry in a new series takes the practice to new depths. Readers will learn that Puritans put 12-year-old girls in the pillory for playing on the Sabbath, and that vindictive ministers punished adults with radical ideas by victimizing their children. This will certainly come as a surprise to any serious student of the time. Sarah, who lives in a small town in Massachusetts in 1650, is upset because her widowed father is going to marry a woman she intensely dislikes. Sarah's best friend, Elizabeth, is a girl whose family has some unspecified "dangerous" ideas. Mistress Goddard tries to prove what a good stepmother she will be by warning Sarah's father about Elizabeth's evil influence. At the end of the story, he realizes how harsh the woman is and calls off the marriage. The book will have some appeal to graduates of the "American Girls Collection Series" (Pleasant), which is obviously intended. The story is exciting and the characters are sympathetic. Period details about clothing, cooking, and the like are well integrated into the story, and some of the descriptive passages are excellent. Whether that makes up for the historical distortion about Puritan faith and practice is another question.?Connie Parker, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland, OH
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689803842
• ISBN-13: 978-0689803840
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,499,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have published over 80 books for children of all ages and YA/Adult readers. Many have won state and national awards and all of them have brought me the kind of fan mail that writers love to get.

Two from today's email (Jan 27 11)
Dear Ms. Duey,

I am 8 years old and I live in Catalonia (Spain). I just finished reading your book "Moonsilver" with my mom, and I really liked it. I want to ask you, what was your dream in 3rd grade? I'm asking you because at the end of the book, it says that the series of the Unicorn's Secret books is based on a dream you had in 3rd grade. I am in third grade right now, so I'm really curious!!!
Please tell me

(writer's name)



Dear Ms. Duey,

I loved your book the Unicorn's Secret. Me and my mom read it together. I like your books because I like unicorns and your story was very exciting. I like to draw unicorns. They are one of my favorite animals. I have two stuffed animal unicorns. One is named Sparkle. I sleep with her every night. Did you always want to be a writer? Have you ever seen a real unicorn? I am in 1st grade. I love to read. When I grow up I want to be a animal trainer and I want to train unicorns if I can find one.

LOVE , (writer's name)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YA readers are writing a lot, too. Most say something like this one:

I have been waiting for the third book in Skin Hunger trilogy forever. Ok not forever but it feels like it. When is it coming out? How long will you make me wait? I love these books and am really needing to know what happens to Sadima and Hahp!!!!!


I know, me, too. Please read below.
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If it is later than 6:30am PST, I am probably writing, even if I am on an airplane. I might be working on a faerie book or writing about unicorns for grade school kids, or I could be lost in something dark, detailed, and strange for YA/adult readers. The third book in the Resurrection of Magic Trilogy is dragging me through the woods. I am working on it every day, and am Skying instead of traveling to schools and libraries until I get it DONE. It's taking wild amazing turns and I love it.

If I am not working...I might be answering readers who contact me through my website: http://www.kathleenduey.com Thanks to everyone who gets in touch with me on Facebook, my blog, http://kathleenduey.blogspot.com/, Twitter, and all the other ways to reach me. I can't keep up anymore, but I try to answer questions and I send out signed bookplates when I can. It means so much to know that you like my books.

I appear at schools, bookstores, and teach at writers' conferences nationwide and internationally. There is a schedule on my website and I try to keep it current.
And more and more... I Skype. It's a wonderful way to meet readers in classrooms and at libraries, I love to drop in on book clubs and critique groups, then get back to work!

Book news: The Unicorn's Secret books are getting lovely new covers by Sandara Tang, an amazing artist based in Singapore. The fan mail astounds me.
Sandara is the cover artist for the new kid's series The Faerie's Promise, too. Excerpts from all my books are on http://www.kathleenduey.com

YA NOVEL ONLINE/IN PROGRESS: RUSSET fans: http://russet-one-wing.blogspot.com/
I am accumulating entries and will tag you all when there is more to read. Give me your contact info and I will add you to the alert list. kathleenduey at earthlink dot net

The third book of my YA/adult trilogy is in the works now. I don't have a release date yet because I still writing like MAD. But it will be ASAP, I promise. The story is taking amazing turns and dragging me through the woods the way the first two did. Thanks!!!! to the thousands of people asking when it will come out.

You have no idea how happy that makes me.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Puritan Massachusetts to life., August 4, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarah Anne Hartford (Paperback)

Sarah is a twelve-year-old Puritan girl living in Massachusetts in 1651. She is dreadfully unhappy because she fears her widowed father plans to marry a strict woman who dislikes Sarah and considers her to be poorly behaved. Playing on Sundays is strictly forbidden by the Puritan church. But one Sunday after a snow storm, Sarah and her best friend, Elizabeth (whose parents are considered to be somewhat freethinking for Puritans) can't help themselves, and they start to play in the snow, when they notice someone watching them and flee. Later, Mistress Goddard (Sarah's potential future stepmother) comes forward and announces that she saw Elizabeth and her brother Roger (she thought Sarah was Roger because she had borrowed his coat) broke the rules of the Sabbath. Now Roger will be punished when Sarah is the one who broke the rules. Can Sarah find the courage to come forward with the truth? I highly reccomend this excellant, detailed historical novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sarah Anne Hartford (Paperback)

This is a lovely book! I bought it for my daughter and we both enjoyed it

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable book!, November 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sarah Anne Hartford (Paperback)

This book was about 12 year old Sarah who lives in Puritan New England. Her mother is no longer living and her Father is thinking about marrying a woman Sarah doesn't care for. On the Sabbath, a very strict day in Puritan Society, Sarah walks home with her best friend Elizabeth. But before she walks with her she gets a coat from Elizabeth's brother, because she is cold. So they walk, and Elizabeth slips. But after she realized how fun it was she did it some more and Sarah just had to try. But they were doing something awful. Laughing and playing on Sabbath. The woman Sarah's dad wants to marry hears them and walks over to get a closer look. She reconizes Elizabeth but she mistakens Sarah for Elizabeth's brother (you know, she's wearing his coat). So she runs off and tells everyone. But Sarah feels guilty. She should be the one to blame, not him. Sarah faces moral dilema and tries to do what she knows is right in her heart.