A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials

Great Book!

If you love historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials, then this is the book for you. Although it is written for children 10 to 14 years of age (yes, I am almost 30), I still found it very interesting. I even learned some things. The author did a great job bringing the characters to life. I also enjoyed the Authors note at the end of the novel (which I dont usually read). She included some great facts and explained which characters were real and who was fictional. I read the book in 1 day!!
I plan on reading more by this author!! 2 thumbs up!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

''Intresting''

I find this book very interesting about what happend in the 1800's during the trials.(Salem Witch Trials.)Give this book 10/10 for edgy, thrilling and realism.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Enthralling Novel

This book was such an exciting book. I could never find a time to set it down. Already interested in the Salem Witch trials, I was aghast at the horrific details I had not learned about.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Salem witch trials

This book was a wonderful source for life in the salem witch time. I think this is a great book when you need to read historical fiction.

This is a must read !

I had to purchase this book for school and it is a perfect resource for information in the Salem Witch Trials. This is a captivating, spine-chilling novel that everyoe should read.

Ok

I had 2 read this 4 school and it was too scary 4 me

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Interesting Take On An Old Tradgedy

A nice, easy read. A touch of fiction to get you to see this story from a different perspective.

Great story

This book is so suspenceful. I loved it because i like reading historical fiction and the salem witch trials. I really liked this novel.

Worst book ever

Had to read itfor school:( it was terrible. Save your money

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Great Suspensful Story

A Break with Charity is a very informative book about the witch trials in Salem in the 1600's. This book is not only informative but it is also a minature love story. In this book there is a circle of girls that call out upon certain people saying that they are witches. This was not true but mostly everyone in Salem belived the teen age girls. So 19 innocent people were hung and one was pressed to death. On the other hand, Susanna English knew that the girls were lieing while others didn't. Susanna wanted to tell a man named Joseph Putnam what she knew, but did not get a chance. When she finally did he was shocked, because one of the girls in the circle was his niece, he believed Susanna though and went to talk to a man in charge of Salem to write a letter. This letter stoped the killings in Salem and the witch non-sence was put to rest. If you enjoy love stories, suspensful stories, or informative books i reacomend A Break with Charity, for it has all of those qualities in it.

A Horrific But Great Book!

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi was most exhilarating, It taught me about some of the worst times in American history through a fictional character who just kept pulling me in. Throughout the book I learned about the Salem witch trials, while enjoying the thrill of the story. The more I read, the more I was interested in the historical events of the Salem witch trials.

Susanna, the main character made me feel the emotions that she felt. In her journey to save her parents from being killed, she learned who she was as a person, as did I. This book is also a good example of peer pressure and its effect on not only oneself, but other people. It teaches the importance of a community, and the trust needed to sustain a life without violence. A Break with Charity shows that sometimes religions and beliefs can make it harder to see people for who they are.

Ann Rinaldi's details and historical facts about the Salem witch trials were displayed in vivid images that made them pleasurable to read. I learned so much about the Salem Witch Trials in such a short little novel. I felt as though I could not stop reading, not only about the fictional character, but also about the horrific historical events. A Break with Charity is one of my favorite books

Kylie L

it was okay...

this book was okay no were near one of my favorites by far but i do like how it makes pick one person through this time and see how they were affected.i read it in class and i learned alot.so its a good learning book.

To break charity or to lose lifes?

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi is a story about the Salem witch trails. A group of girls are accusing innocent people of being witches the study of witchcraft is against their religion. The people being accused are losing their lives because of these lies. The problem is, will anybody have enough courage to stand up for what¿s right and stop the madness happening in Salem? There are three main characters in this story. Susanna English is the main character. She was born into a wealthy family, and desperately wants to join the circle of girls. Susanna is fourteen years of age but is very mature and determined. She knows a secret that could stop the trials. She does not say anything to anyone, because she was threatened by Ann Putnam. Ann Putnam is the leader of the circle of girls. This group consists of Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Booth and Susannah Sheldon, Abigail Hobbs and Betty Parris help these girls. Ann is about the same age as Susanna. Ann is a sly, evil and sneaky girl. She tricks the reverends and magistrates into thinking that the innocent people were real witches. She told Susanna the secret about the circle of girls, but if Susanna breaks charity, Ann will name Susanna¿s entire family as witches. Later, Susanna¿s parents are named as witches. They and their other daughter, Mary, flee to Boston for safety. Susanna stays in Salem to be with the one she loves, Jonathan. During this time she lives with Joseph Putnam, Ann¿s uncle. Joseph is very unlike Ann. He works hard to try and stop the trials, while Ann is the one who started everything. Joseph is a trustworthy friend to whom Susanna breaks charity and tells him the secret. Joseph is a loyal and helpful citizen to the town of Salem. The key passage of this story is when Susanna tells Joseph the secret. ¿Joseph, I have not been honest with you¿ said Susanna. ¿The afflicted girls dissemble, Joseph.¿ ¿But we have no proof.¿ ¿I have proof. There was a circle, Joseph. All the afflicted girls belonged to it before the madness began. They would meet every day at the Reverend Parris¿s parsonage. They met with Tituba (Reverend Parris¿s slave). She told them stories, read their palms, and conjured. I wanted to join the circle. They seemed to be having such good times. But they didn¿t want me. Then I heard that Tituba was telling fortunes. And I went to see her without the knowledge of the girls in the circle. I wanted to know if she could tell me of my brother, William, who was then lost to us, at sea. On my first visit, Tituba told me William would return. On my second visit, I met little Betty Parris. She was taken with fever that would lead to her fits. She was near demented and raving about how I would be punished if the other girls found me there. And how she had tampered with the forbidden. Oh, she was a frightened and guilty little thingy, Joseph! She said her father preached against pleasures, and she indulged in them. Soon after reverend summoned the doctor.¿ ¿And he pronounced the evil hand upon her.¿ replied Joseph. ¿Yes.¿ ¿Ann said they had started the circle for sport, then little Betty was getting so much attention. Then, when the ministers came, the rest of the girls in the circle became afflicted in like manner, because this was their chance to break out of the restrictions put upon them by our way of life in Salem. I understood immediately what they were about. Ann Putnam told me that little Betty and Abigail did not have the sense to carry the matter through without being discovered. So she and some of the other girls met with Betty and Abigail to explain how they must continue to outwit their elders or be terribly punished. Ann said they swore fidelity to each other and promised to give succor to one another until the end.¿ I think this passage was important to the novel because it turned everything around. Joseph now had information to tell the reverends and magistrates who would be able to stop the madness. They could prove the peo

Horrible

It was the worst book I have ever read. I absolutely hate it.

Okay, a little disappointed

i didn't really like the book. The end of it was pretty good but there was so much in the begining and the middle of the book that angered me, i just couldn't end up liking it. Although i didn't really like the book i would still recomend it to others because it was very informative and very well written. I might not have liked the books but most of my friends did. I would recomend this book to basically anybody.

One of the best

I loved this book! I like reading history books and this one helped me realize what they were going through when this happened. Also, Ann Rinaldi is a great author. I picked this book out because I saw that it was by her so it must be good. It was!! I really think you should read this book.

A reviewer

I am not a great reader... nor do I like reading that much. Everyone at school, including my teacher's told me to read 'A Break With Charity' I was looking so foward to reading it because I hadn't read something I enjoyed, in a while. Except as I got father into the book I liked it less and less. The chacters were all alot alike with the same name. And all that Susanna English was talking about was who died what day! I found it very hard to keep track of it all. The only good thing is that I learned a lot from it!

A reviewer

I absolutly loved this book. Susana seemed so real. This book has a great plot and you can follow it very easily. If you don't read this book you are crazy!

Great book

A Break With Charity is one of my favorite books. Although at times it could be a little predictable, I found it hard to put down. Ann Rinaldi always finds the perfect person to make her Protagonist. I could usually Relate to how Susanna felt.

The truth is hard to face

A Break With Charity is an awsome book. The truth that terrorizes young Suzanna English is so realistic. I felt as if i was a part of the 'witch maddness'. The blend of history and fiction is brought to life in the mind of the strong main character. Whats great is the fact that she has the natural emotion of fear and confusion. Some stories has the main character so sure and you cant realate to the characters at all.