Book Review - The Witch of Blackbird Pond

After reading the Sign of the Beaver and enjoying it, I decided to read this book by the same author, Elizabeth George Speare. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, like Sign of the Beaver, is the Newbury Award winner for 1959. The setting is Connecticut around the late 1600s. It is a time when the Puritans and Quakers battled for freedom in the new America.

Our main character, Kit, has just arrived from Barbados. She is seeking to live with her only remaining family members, the Woods. From the beginning Kit's lifestyle conflicts with the Puritan way of life she is faced to live. Kit is headstrong and defiant and often reaps the consequences of her actions, regardless of her motives.

This is a good choice for a novel study for Grade 5-7. There is fragments of a love story in the novel, as girls of Kit's age were considering marriage. Though the book is fictional, Ms Speare does incorporate the real-life characters of Sir Edmond Andros, Samuel Talcott, Eleazer Kimbeley and Reverend Bulkeley.

Book Review - Mysterious Benedict Society

Another recommendation from a book list posted through Barnes & Noble. This book has been receiving excellent reviews. They even have a website called the Curious Chronicle: http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/features/mysteriousbenedict/content/index.asp

When I started reading this, I was reminded of Harry Potter (book 1) without the magic. Reynie is an orphan who answers an ad in the newspaper about opportunities for gifted children. He along with three other "orphaned" children pass a series of very unusual tests which leads them to the "Society". Their mission? Foil the plans of one evil "Mr. Curtain" and his plans to rule the world! These children don't have magic, they use their minds and ingenuity to infiltrate to ranks of Mr. Curtain's inner circle. Do they succeed? No spoilers allowed in book reviews.

Though I found the pacing of this book rather slow (it's a long 500 pages) the characters are interesting and the book presents positive messages regarding the media, and perseverence in friendship. And I just recently found out that the society has embarked on another adventure, "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey" was just recently released.

This book can be used as a read-aloud though I would edit some of the long descriptors for younger children. This novel is recommended for Grade 5-9.