In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, a girl faces prejudice and accusations of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Connecticut. A classic of historical fiction that continues to resonate across the generations.

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met.

Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit's friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

READING LEVEL: 5.7 AR POINTS: 9.0
(10 years, grades 5-7)
Winner of the Newbery Award

A classic originally published in 1958, and won the 1959 Newbery Medal.

I thought this was going to be a fantasy novel about witches and sorcery. I wanted to read it because 1) It's a classic; 2) It's pretty highly rated; and 3) I'm looking for good books for my grandies.

No worries here. This is a great historical novel based on the true facts about how the early Puritans so easily labeled women who didn't conform to their liking as "witches". Such ridiculousness! And, it is actually a sweet and innocent coming-of-age, and finding love, kind of novel. Young love is so fresh, innocent and beautiful. The author captured it perfectly. You know what I mean...when she's betrothed to one snarky, rich man but suddenly makes a connection to someone else who she has so much in common with and not much else to give...but he's the one you're rootin' for. Unfortunately, the very end fell just a little bit flat for me. ( )

How did a free spirit survive in Puritan New England? Speare imagines an answer to that question through the vibrant character Kit Tyler. The narrator for the book assumes each voice in the story with ease and I was transported to a time and place radically different from my own.
Classic memorable tale. ( )

It's a splendid book in almost all ways. Good character growth, exciting plot turns, excellent sense of place, complex protagonist. But read with 2023 eyes, the little bit of questioning of slavery is not enough, and the attitude toward Indians is hard to take. The comeuppance of the mean wife/mother is a little icky too in its gender politics.

But again, mostly splendid. Sorry I didn't read it when I was young but I glad I finally read it now. ( )

I read this as a child and after re-reading it, I remember why I loved it so much. Kit is a strong woman with a huge spirit. As a child I wanted to grow up to be like her. As an adult, I can say that in many ways I did. This is not just a book for children. It's a book for all who need encouragement to be true to themselve