The Salem Witch Trials: An Interactive History Adventure

by Matt Doeden

Overview

The colony of Massachusetts in 1692 was a harsh place. Disease, hunger, and the threat of war made life stressful. Colonists clung to their religious faith and looked for someone to blame. Some accused their fellow colonists of causing the troubles through the practice of witchcraft. The hysteria spread until no one was safe. Will you:  Attempt to defend yourself against charges of witchcraft? Try to keep your family together as your mother is put on trial? Accuse someone else of being a witch?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429662727
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	12/01/2010
Series:	You Choose: History Series
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	267,031
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Matt Doeden is a freelance author and editor from Minnesota. He’s written numerous children’s books on sports, music, current events, the military, extreme survival, and much more. His books Sandy Koufax (Twenty-First Century Books, 2006) and Tom Brady: Unlikely Champion (Twenty-First Century Books, 2011) were Junior Library Guild selections. Doeden began his career as a sports writer before turning to publishing. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children.

Table of Contents

A time of fear — Falsely accused — A witch in the family? — Laying blame — What happened?

Editorial Reviews

This excellent series takes students back in time. Readers have the option of choosing which path they want each of three characters to take. Each character is a child or young adult who faces tough situations and decisions that are typical of the time period. For example, in The Salem Witch Trials, the reader can choose to read about someone accused of witchcraft, be the relative of an accused witch, or be the accuser. What makes this series stand out is the historical background provided. Illustrations are scattered throughout the pages. In Orphan Trains actual photographs are used as well. The quick pace of the stories will appeal to reluctant readers, as will the option for them to choose what will happen next.

Library Media Connection

If your young historians like their stories in choose-your-own-adventure format, this volume of the You Choose series is the Salem Witch Trial book for you.

Barnes & Noble Kids blog

What if what YOU thought should happen made a difference in the plot of the stories you read? The You Choose books allow you to imagine yourself as a character from history and take the story down different paths based on the choices you make. Books in the series include Ellis Island, The Child Labor Reform Movement, The Salem Witch Trials, and more.

"Lacey Recommends" New Moon Girls

Imagine being accused of witchcraft as a mere child, knowing that the consequence of alleged guilt would be execution. Unfortunately, this calamity was the reality for many families during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. In The Salem Witch Trials, readers travel to 17th century Massachusetts, where 19 people were unjustly hanged. In this interactive tale you choose your own path, and you may find yourself in the shoes of individuals accused of witchcraft, or someone who had a relative accused of witchcraft, or someone who implicated others in the hysteria. At various points you reach a fork in the road; each decision on the path you follow affects your potential fate. For example, you may have to decide whether to run from the constable, or stay and face your trial.   The characters include a young, naïve girl accused of helping a woman named Sarah Good “make a deal with the devil.” Whether she testified against Sarah, or spoke honestly at the trial, Sarah would hang on the gallows. This girl was fortunate to be spared, but Sarah’s death haunted every corner she turned. Another girl accused an elderly woman, Hannah, of witchcraft, based solely on the face that she became ill shortly after seeing Hannah walking in town.   As a reader, you’ll decide what happens to a boy whose mother was accused of witchcraft, blamed for crop failure, animal disease, the death of her husband, and her daughter’s epilepsy. At the age of 16, the boy was forced to decide whether to testify against his mother and guarantee the security of his siblings’ and his own life, or tell the truth and risk both his and his mother’s lives. I love this suspenseful book – it’s thrilling to realize that each decision Salem children made could free them from a trap, or put them and someone else in one.

New Moon Girls magazine