The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, 1958

So this is not the old school cover you might have recognized, but it will do. This cover is vibrant and telling, but the original is much more windswept and lonely just like the story. Covers are really powerful and continue to become more so. I even read a really fascinating article about cover work, but that is for another post. Back to puritanical Connecticut circa 1687!

The Witch of Blackbird Pond tells Kit Tyler's story. When her grandfather dies, Kit is sent from their plantation home on Barbados to her only remaining relation's home in Wethersfield, Connecticut . Having never met her aunt and knowing little of the New England way of life, Kit is shocked by the strict rules and extreme work schedule. Even her cousins Judith and Mercy work to the bone. Desperately homesick for her life on the island and finding it impossible to fit into the stifling Puritan life, Kit befriends an old Quaker woman who lives alone near Blackbird Pond. Shunned from Wethersfield, Kit's friend Hannah is so welcoming and friendly. How could anyone believe she is truly a witch?

This is a great read from yesteryear. I was struck by the slow pace and the extremely wholesome characters. Of course, knowing the setting you wouldn't expect some adventure packed tale starring a 16 year old "hussie" (ha!), but even Kit, the daring odd man out, is really genuine and likes teaching young children how to read and saving kittens from burning homes. Wholesome. Also, there is much about her daily life and young love and Hannah's cozy home that is slow paced. And for someone like me, someone who loves Little House on the Prairie, this is perfect, but it takes a certain kind of teenager to agree...definitely a girl who likes to read, likes to read historical fiction, and likes to read books like Jacob Have I Loved. Are you getting my vibe? All of that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am glad I picked it up. Everyone loves a good witch story, and it is easy to feel for Kit and her extreme loneliness. And reading about the Puritans can really creep you out so much so that at certain points when things seem really hopeless for our young protagonist, you find yourself hoping she'll flag down a boat and head back to Barbados despite her being promised in marriage to a 50 year old plantation owner back there...what?!

Anyway, read on, dear friends! And happy April! We've made it to another month, and in the springtime, that always seems like a big event especially if you go to or work in a school. Two and a half months until summer vacation, but who's counting?!