Time of the Witches [Hardcover]

Anna Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

An orphan named Drucilla has finally has a place to call home with the Putnam family in Salem.  Although her adopted mother is strange—haunted by a troubled past—Dru feels drawn to her as the mother she never had. When a new reverend and his family move into town with their servant Tituba, life takes a strange turn as young girls begin to fall ill and accusations of witchcraft begin to swirl. Reluctant to turn her back on the Putnams or her peers and overwhelmed by the power of groupthink among the other girls in town, Dru becomes one of the accusers herself. But when her best friend Gabe is accused, she must find a way to end the hysteria, or risk losing him forever.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ANNA MYERS is the author of Spy! as well as more than a dozen books for young readers. Tulsa Burning was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and Assassin was an Oklahoma Book Award winner. Anna lives in Oklahoma.
www.annamyers.info

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802798209
• ISBN-13: 978-0802798206
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 5, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time of the Witches (Hardcover)

Gold Star Award Winner!

Drucilla is an orphan who longs for a family. When the Putnam's of Salem Village take her in, Dru thinks she's found the family she's dreamed of.

But Mistress Putnam's behavior is strange, and when young girls begin to fall ill without explanation, there's talk of witchcraft. Soon the accusations are flying and Dru even makes one of her own. Innocent lives hang in the balance, and Dru must find a way to stop the madness.

Myers does a fantastic job of bringing to life the events of the Salem Witch hunts and trials. Seamlessly weaving historical figures with fictional characters, TIME OF THE WITCHES draws the reader in and makes them feel like a participant in one of history's most tragic times.

I absolutely loved this book and have added it to my re-read pile. Dru's story grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go as I discovered more and more about her life and times. Though I studied the Salem Witch trials in high school, I got more from this novel than I did from those weeks of study. Thanks to Myers, I better understand the reasoning behind these girls' accusations.

This book would be great for use in a classroom to introduce Salem's darkest times as it gives the reader not only historical information, but also the human connection lacking in the history books. Bravo, Anna Myers. Bravo.

Reviewed by: Joan Stradling

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent young adult novel about the Salem Witch Trials., August 29, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Time of the Witches (Hardcover)

Drucilla and her best friend, Gabe, were born in the same house on the same cold, dark January night in Salem Village. Dru's mother died giving birth to her, and her father died soon after, leaving Dru to be raised by Gabe's parents. When Gabe's parents also die a few years later, the two children, who are as close as siblings, live together in various foster homes until the year they turn twelve, when they are separated for the first time. Dru goes to live in the home of Thomas and Ann Putman, while Gabe goes to live with Mary Putnam, Thomas's stepmother, whom Ann dislikes because she believes Thomas`s stepmother and half-brother cheated him out of some of his inheritance. Ann Putnam, Dru's new adoptive mother, is a very strange and moody woman who at times spreads viscous lies and other times weeps hysterically. However, Dru pities her because of Ann's great grief over the loss of several of her newborn babies.

Three years pass, in which Dru and Gabe remain friends despite the feud between their two households, and even begin to develop deeper feelings for each other. Despite Mistress Putnam's strangeness, and the coldness of the oldest Putnam child, also named Ann, Dru loves caring for the younger Putnam children and is mostly content with her life. But the year 1692 changes all that. Hysteria comes to Salem Village, and young Ann Putnam and other girls accuse many of the townspeople of being witches. Not wanting to turn her back on her adoptive family, Dru herself is drawn into the hysteria, but when she risks losing Gabe forever, she must find a way to end it all and bring order back to Salem Village.

Time of the Witches is an excellent young adult novel that brings to life the Salem Witch Trials through the eyes of a girl caught in the middle and torn between conflicting loyalties. Anna Myers does an excellent job of showing just how hysteria overcame reason for so many people during the trials, leading them to turn on their neighbors just on the word of a few children. Readers who enjoy young adult historical fiction or who have a particular interest in the Salem Witch Trials are sure to enjoy this novel.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Time of the Witches, December 27, 2009

By 

Leeanna Chetsko (OH, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Time of the Witches (Hardcover)

Time of the Witches, by Anna Myers

"Mama, I want to charge Rose as a witch."

[...]

"That is ridiculous my dear," said her mother. "Rose cannot be a witch. The girl still owes us a year of service. Maybe next year (Time of the Witches, p. 162)."

Welcome to the absurdity of the Salem Witch trials, a dark period in America's history. Nineteen innocent men and women were killed as witches; killed without proof other than the flimsy accusations of a group of young girls. "Time of the Witches" is an attempt to consider the possible causes of the trials, and just how an entire town could have been caught up in a witch frenzy.

Drucilla, the protagonist of "Time of the Witches," is born as her mother dies. She is first fostered with another family, which includes her best friend, Gabe. The two were born at the same time, and were raised as brother and sister. But when Gabe's parents die as well, the two are orphans and live with other families in Salem Village. When they are twelve, the two are separated, and Dru goes to live with the Putnams. Ann Putnam's behavior is quite odd, as is her daughter's, but she accepts Dru as a member of the family and even has the girl call her "mother."

Ann Putnam's puzzling behavior (crying fits, suicide attempts, etc.) is attributed to the loss of several children. Early in Dru's time with the family the woman loses yet another baby, sending her spiraling into a deep depression, convinced that someone is murdering her babies. While Dru knows that the Putnam family is abnormal, she does her best to make Ann Putnam feel better - after all, the woman calls Dru her daughter. The relationship between the two sometimes made me say "enough already, I can't believe that Dru is falling for this," but then I also thought to myself that perhaps if Dru had had a better mother figure in her life she wouldn't have fallen for Ann's machinations.

Ann's behavior soon ratchets up quite a few notches when a new reverend moves into town. She is convinced that his servant, Tituba, can tell her who is behind the deaths of her babies. She sends her daughter and Dru to the reverend's house, among a group of girls who flock to the exotic servant who tells fortunes and stories of witches. But then the reverend's daughter, scared of the stories, falls into a stupor and the madness begins. Woman after woman is arrested, each accused of being a witch.

At the first trial, Dru sits with the girls, and is drawn into their antics, of feeling ghostly fingers pulling their hair and touching their necks. She isn't sure...did she feel something? Or didn't she? Almost unwittingly she agrees with the others and condemns a woman to death.

The cover is what drew me to "Time of the Witches," and for a while, I thought it was the best part of the book, due to the very slow start. I kept at it though, because I was curious what approach Myers would take to the Salem Witch Trials. She considers groupthink and mass hysteria as a possible explanation for what happened. The imagined character of Drucilla is caught between her conscience and the constrictions of threats - she could be the next witch if she spoke against what was happening.

Myers has an interesting idea, but the execution is a little off. The setup for the main event is far too long. Many of the interactions between Drucilla and Ann Putnam could have been condensed; the relationship between the two is established early on, and doesn't need to be continually thrust at the reader. But the relationship between Drucilla and Gabe, her childhood friend, is done very well, and is a great plot device to examine Dru's loyalties to her friend, and her adoptive family.

After I finished "Time of the Witches" I sat back for a while and thought about it. Although the book started slowly, as I've said, in the end I'm glad I stuck with it. It was worth it.

4/5.