Sacrifice
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Overview
In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.
Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.
Two sisters, aged ten and twelve, are accused of witchcraft in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1692 and await trial in a miserable prison while their mother desperately searches for some way to obtain their freedom.
Synopsis
In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.
Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.
Kathleen Isaacs - Children's Literature
Just when you think the subject of seventeenth-century witches has been fully mined, along comes a whole new neighborhood to explore, in Andover, Massachusetts. Opening with ten-year-old Abigail in the stocks for the sin of running a race with her cousin, this suspenseful story draws the reader into a time and place where girls' behavior was strictly curtailed and any difference from the ways of the community was deemed suspicious. When the townspeople learn there are witches in their midst, they look to the Faulkner family, where—in spite of the grandfather's status as a preacher—things are clearly wrong, with the father having spells and Abigail already labeled a sinner. An angry glance at a serving girl causes Abigail and her better-behaved older sister, Dorothy, to be accused and sent to the Salem jail already overflowing with accused witches, many of whom do not have families who can pay for their meals. Conditions in the jail are truly horrible, and vividly described. Only by confessing that someone else taught you the devil's ways, could you be freed. Abigail and Dorothy's way out is not easy, but completely believable. It seems quite reasonable that Abigail would be changed by this experience, but it is a relief that she stays true to her basic honesty and goodness. The presence of a minister—her grandfather—who speaks out against the hysteria is a solid reminder that even in the midst of the craziness, there were saner voices. Based on a true incident in the author's family, this is a fresh look at those troubling times for middle-grade readers. 2005, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Ages 10 to 14.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Just when you think the subject of seventeenth-century witches has been fully mined, along comes a whole new neighborhood to explore, in Andover, Massachusetts. Opening with ten-year-old Abigail in the stocks for the sin of running a race with her cousin, this suspenseful story draws the reader into a time and place where girls' behavior was strictly curtailed and any difference from the ways of the community was deemed suspicious. When the townspeople learn there are witches in their midst, they look to the Faulkner family, where—in spite of the grandfather's status as a preacher—things are clearly wrong, with the father having spells and Abigail already labeled a sinner. An angry glance at a serving girl causes Abigail and her better-behaved older sister, Dorothy, to be accused and sent to the Salem jail already overflowing with accused witches, many of whom do not have families who can pay for their meals. Conditions in the jail are truly horrible, and vividly described. Only by confessing that someone else taught you the devil's ways, could you be freed. Abigail and Dorothy's way out is not easy, but completely believable. It seems quite reasonable that Abigail would be changed by this experience, but it is a relief that she stays true to her basic honesty and goodness. The presence of a minister—her grandfather—who speaks out against the hysteria is a solid reminder that even in the midst of the craziness, there were saner voices. Based on a true incident in the author's family, this is a fresh look at those troubling times for middle-grade readers. 2005, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Ages 10 to 14.—Kathleen Isaacs