A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)

by Ann Rinaldi (Author) "Sarah Bibber behind the cluster of trees outside the parsonage was not a good day..." (more)
Key Phrases: witch madness, witchcraft business, afflicted girls, Ann Putnam, Reverend Parris, Susanna English (more...)

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 the Hardcover edition.

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 the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Gulliver Books Paperbacks (April 29, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152001018
• ISBN-13: 978-0152001018
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #855,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Break With Charity, Review by Christina Rizk, October 16, 2006

A Kid's Review

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

Susanna English, a fourteen year old girl who lives in the small puritan community of Salem, is torn betweeen two worlds as her family gets accused of witchcraft and is sent to prison.Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of the girls who meet at the parsonage every week, but what she doesn't know is that they're planning to make things interesting and sudddenly act "afflicted" by witches whom they accuse at random; and the magistrate's believe them. Susanna stays in Salem with the Putnams, as her family is in Boston, and soon falls in love with Jonathon Hathorne. Finally Susanna is faced with having to make the hardest desicision of her life: tell the people of the evil girls' plans and risk getting accused of a witch, or keep quiet and watch innocent people lose their lives for no good reason.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a break from the norm, June 30, 2005

By	kittycat "KC" (USA) - See all my reviews

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

Susanah English isn't exactly a perfect Puritan girl. Her family is wealthy, and the village girls shun her. One cold afternoon, Susanah meets Tituba, the reverend's slave woman. She is skilled in the black arts, and has been using them to entertain several of the young village girls. It is then that Susanah knows something bad is about to happen. The girls, led by Abigail William, begin to suffer horrible fits. The ministers determine that they are being possesed by witches. Only Susanah knows that what they are doing is simply a game. As they begin to accuse innocent people of witchcraft, Susanah's fear grows. The hysteria mounts as they begin hanging the accused. Susanah tries desperatly to stay out of the girls path of madness, but will she and her family escape unscathed.....or will they too be named?