Sorceress (Witch Child) (Paperback)

by Celia Rees (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A Native American teen experiences a life-altering encounter after reading about Mary Newbury the 17th-century protagonist of Witch Child who may be connected with one of her own relatives, in Sorceress by Celia Rees. Ages 14-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-This sequel to Rees's Witch Child (Candlewick, 2001) is a much more complex story, taking readers into a mystical plot that crosses time and place. Agnes, a Native American, is starting college in Boston. She reads part of a diary about 17th-century Mary Newbury and realizes that she has a connection with her from a story passed down in her family about a white woman who had settled with the Mohawks. Contacting the researcher who found Mary's diary leads to experiences that Agnes could not have imagined. While visiting the reservation, her aunt leads her into a vision quest where she "becomes" Mary. She sees a peaceful period, followed by years of death, forced migration, and constant conflict with settlers. Her final role as a respected healer is passed down through Agnes's ancestors, creating the link between the two women. The book ends with a series of historical notes written by Alison, the researcher. Rees manages to carry all of this off through her strong writing style and well-developed characters, using the artifacts that have been preserved in Agnes's family to add to the credibility of the story. The book not only gives readers a view of life 400 years ago and a look at one Native American culture, but also helps them understand what draws someone to historical research by showing that history is the story of people's lives and the events that shape them. While it can stand alone, the novel will be enjoyed more by those who have read Witch Child.
Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (March 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763621838
• ISBN-13: 978-0763621834
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #437,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tht Thrilling sequel to Witch Child, September 7, 2002

By	Nancy E. "Nancy" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorceress (Hardcover)

Agnes, a Canadian Indian, is spending her time in college in Boston when she runs across a published diary of a girl that was an accused Salem witch. The Book is called Witch Child. Agnes can't get over the similarities from the book to one of her ancestors, a white woman that lived with the Indians. Combine that with the fact that she is beginning to have mysterious visions from the past, and Agnes realizes that something big is about to happen. She contacts the woman named Alison who is mentioned in the back of the book Witch child, a woman who is looking for information about Mary. Alison is eager to find info on Mary and will help Agnes in any way that she can. This sends Agnes away from school back home, where she is sent on a vision quest to find out what happened to Mary.

Although the books Witch Child, and Sorceress are fictional novels, Celia Rees makes you almost believe that every thing is real. It's thrilling to find out what happened to Mary for pretty much the rest of her life, and Agnes is a very strong and amiable character. Another great thing about this book is the appendixes in the back. It's filled with diary entries and letters written by the characters in Witch Child whom we don't unfortunately don't see anything of them in the book. Another thing that was great to see is the representations of Native Americans in not a negative light, but in a realistic one. If your a fan of great historical fiction, especially one that realistically shows Native Americans, I highly recommend this to you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vision quest into the past..., December 10, 2002

By	hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorceress (Hardcover)

Agnes Herne is a Mohawk Indian living in Boston attending college when she begins to start getting visions from this girl named Mary. All she knows is that the visions are somehow connected to the girl she read about in the book "Witch Child"(Sorceress's prequel)named Mary Newbury. Agnes soon begin to suspect Mary is the woman in the legend of the white woman who joined the people and was a very skilled healer. Agnes decides to return to the Mohawk Indian reservation where she could get advice from her aunt, also a healer. Soon she goes on a powerful vision quest that will conclude Mary's story, the story of a girl who beat all odds and used her special powers to become a healer.

This was a fitting ending to Witch Child. Mary's ending wasn't exactly how I expected it to be but it was nice to find out about all the other people at Beluh and how the quilt where the original diary was found got to the museum. A definite must read for Witch Child fans!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent sequel..., October 5, 2004

By	Jess "a writer and reader" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

The end of "Witch Child" left me dying for more. I was too pleased to discover "Sorceress," though bewildered by the cover portait. It came to understand, as I read, that the portrait depicts a girl named Agnes, a Native American college student, who finishes reading "Witch Child" and has a vision, sent from, it seems, Mary herself.
After contacting Allison Ellman, the ambitious young woman who has taken it upon herself to discover Mary's history and that of those she tells of in her diary, Agnes sets off to the Mohawk Reservation, seeking her aunt, a medicine woman who she thinks will try to help her solve the mystery of these visions, and of Mary.
It is at this point in the novel, with her aunt at her side, and Allison fervently researching in Canada, that Agnes begins her spiritual journey to uncover Mary's future and her own past, linking Mary, the Pennacook, the Mowhawks and even the French Canadian as both Agnes and Mary's stories evolve simultaneously.

I thought this book was just as superb as the first. I was startled at first by the rapid change in the cast of characters--where did Agnes and Allison come from? I thought. However, when Agnes' visions begin, I understood, and settled in to enjoy the novel.
It definitely did not disappoint me. I was thrilled at the turns Mary's life took, and engrossed in all the details about Native Americans. One of the most fun parts of the book were the encounters with characters like Rebekah Rivers, who had been prominent in the first novel, and faded into Mary's past in the second.
Overall, "Sorceress" was written as beautifully as "Witch Child", and the story was as fascinating, if not more so, being that there were two stories unfolding at once. I loved the end, with all the "notes" on the histories of the Riverses, Jack Gill and other notable characters, and was extremely satisfied with the culmination of Mary's story.
I most definitely reccomend this book to anyone, provided you've read "Witch Child" first, of course.