How to Hang a Witch

by Adriana Mather

Overview

The #1 New York Times bestseller!

It’s the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in this New York Times bestselling novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern-day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts, is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials—and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves the Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren’t enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real, live (well, technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries-old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

“It’s like Mean Girls meets history class in the best possible way.” —Seventeen Magazine

“Mather shines a light on the lessons the Salem Witch Trials can teach us about modern-day bullying—and what we can do about it.” —Bustle

“Strikes a careful balance of creepy, fun, and thoughtful.” —NPR
 
I am utterly addicted to Mather’s electric debut. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, twisting and turning with ghosts, witches, an ancient curse, and—sigh—romance. It’s beautiful. Haunting. The characters are vivid and real.  I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.”  —Jennifer Niven, bestselling author of All the Bright Places

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553539509
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	111,062
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, with family roots stretching back to the first Thanksgiving, the Salem Witch Trials, the Revolutionary War, and the Titanic. Adriana co-owns Zombot Pictures, a production company that makes feature films. In addition to producing, Adriana is also an actress. She lives in Los Angeles where she has a life full of awesome, cats, and coffee. Follow Adriana on Twitter, @AdrianaMather.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "How to Hang a Witch"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Adriana Mather.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens, 2016

“It’s like Mean Girls meets history class in the best possible way.” —Seventeen Magazine

“Mather shines a light on the lessons the Salem Witch Trials can teach us about modern-day bullying—and what we can do about it.” —Bustle

“Strikes a careful balance of creepy, fun, and thoughtful.” —NPR
 
I am utterly addicted to Mather’s electric debut. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, twisting and turning with ghosts, witches, an ancient curse, and—sigh—romance. It’s beautiful. Haunting. The characters are vivid and real.  I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.”  —Jennifer Niven, bestselling author of All the Bright Places

“[A]n entertaining story that draws intriguing parallels between the 17th-century trials and modern-day bullying”
―Publishers Weekly

"Mather delivers a timely condemnation of bullying and the politics of mass hysteria, while still completely charming her readers with large doses of suspense and steamy attraction." —Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

07/04/2016
When her father's illness forces 15-year-old Samantha "Sam" Mather and her stepmother to move to Salem, Mass., her family's connection to the witch trials makes Sam a target of the Descendants, girls whose ancestors were among the accused witches. After Sam befriends a charming young ghost named Elijah, she begins to piece together just how much of Salem's past continues to haunt its present; forming a tentative truce with the Descendants may be the only way to break a 300-year-old curse. Inspired by her own lineage to Cotton Mather, debut author Mather infuses the story with a rich history of real places and events to anchor its more fantastical elements, including a supernatural love triangle involving Elijah, secret rooms, and hidden compartments containing ancient writings. Witty repartee can seem too irreverent in passages where the teenage characters are facing (and sometimes succumbing to) death, but Mather crafts an entertaining story that draws intriguing parallels between the 17th-century trials and modern-day bullying, as well as the fears and mob mentalities behind both. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (July)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—Samantha Mather's life has been turned upside down after her father becomes ill and slips into an unexplained coma. Uprooted from New York, Sam's father is placed in a Boston medical facility while Sam and her stepmother move into her father's house in Salem, MA. As a direct descendant of the infamous Cotton Mather of the Salem witch trials, Sam is shunned by most of the town and becomes a target at school of the Descendants, a powerful clique of progeny of those murdered as a result of the trials. As strange and unexplainable events occur, the teen realizes that there are dark forces at work in Salem that are beyond her ability to fight. Help comes from the least likely of places—a disgruntled 324-year-old ghost named Elijah. Together they uncover clues about an evil curse plaguing the town and must join with the Descendants if they hope to stop the deadly cycle from continuing. Mather's brilliantly written novel is full of twists and turns, spine-tingling drama, and ghostly encounters. The vibrant characters leap off the page, and the narrative is incredibly deep—addressing issues such as acceptance, bullying, loyalty, hatred, revenge, and being true to yourself and destiny—all perfectly packaged without being simplistic or preachy. VERDICT A captivating and highly recommended read. Teens will not want this tale to end.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

School Library Journal

The author, a descendant of the Puritan minister Cotton Mather, reads her fictional first-person narrative based on her family history. Mather makes clear the unfriendly reception that 15-year-old Sam receives when she moves to Salem with her stepmother. For unknown reasons, she is the target of the “ancestors,” girls who are descended from the Salem witches. As narrator, Mather makes Sam’s discomfort palpable as she fears the girls’ hostility, worries about her father’s illness, and recoils from anything spooky. These troubles add to the painful history of unexplained accidents that have always plagued those she cares about. Mather moves easily between reality and the supernatural, excelling in her portrayal of a centuries-old ghost and scary villains. The audiobook includes an illuminating author's note. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2018 - AudioFile

2016-04-13
When Cotton Mather's lineal descendant, several generations along, moves to modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, she triggers a curse that's been in effect since 1692.Bad luck has dogged those around 15-year-old Sam Mather all her life, and now her dad is in a mysterious coma that's strained finances so much that she and her stepmother have left New York to live in the ancestral manse, the home of Sam's late, estranged grandmother. In short order Sam earns the enmity of the Descendants, weird kids who wear black and claim to be descended from the infamous trials' accused witches. She also becomes acquainted with cute boy-next-door Jaxon, who seems determined to like her, and hot ghost Elijah, whose initial hostility modulates quickly to attraction. But bad stuff keeps happening, including deaths. Could there be a connection to the centuries-old trials? Duh. Author Mather, also a descendant, claims in an afterword to be trying to plumb the forces that lead to witch hunts, both historical and modern, but her book is far less nuanced than that intention suggests. Sam is drawn alternately to Jaxon and Elijah (the rules governing his corporeality are conveniently fluid), tries to earn the trust of the Descendants, and fights with her stepmother before the wildly confusing climax. Readers familiar with the real history are likely to gnash their teeth at the book's simplistic liberties.Pure contrivance—nothing more. (Paranormal romance. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews