Witch Child

Rating:
Summary: Great suspense!!!!!!
Review: I bought this book thinking it was going to be similar to The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In fifth grade, I read that book for class. While I enjoyed that book, I like this one much better. Witch Child shows you Mary's thoughts, so you feel like you are right next to Mary. Because it is in a diary form, you don't feel like you are an outsider happening to look into someone's life. Instead of knowing the thoughts of everyone, all you know is what Mary would know, and you find out information when Mary finds out. I like history, and I but what I like even better are books that don't have a textbook feeling to them, and this is definetly the latter. Celia Rees put a lot of suspense into this book, so there is never a dull moment. No one else I know has read it, but I hope that boys don't think that it is "girly", and that just because girls like it, it is dumb. This is NOT a girly book, it is a wonderful book about trying to survive during the time of the witch hunts. And, NO, witches were not always women, they were men sometimes, too.

What is the best part, I think, is that she can actually see into the future, and only a few close friends who are trying to help her know. She is struggling to keep her secret a secret, because if someone found out, she would be killed imediately.

I think that this is one of the best books ever, and I can't wait for the sequal to come out.

Rating:
Summary: Witch Child is a page turner
Review: The story begins during the English Civil War in the mid 1600's before the time of the Salem witchcraft trials. The book is in diary form and we learn from Mary herself of the trial of her grandmother accused of being a witch. Mary is bound to be the witch hunter's next victim but with the aid of a mysterious noblewoman Mary is able to disguise herself as a Puritan and flee to the New World--Salem Mass. This doesn't solve her problems as the judgemental and supertitious Puritans notice how different she is. However Mary does meet up with some who are also hidden witches.

Celia Reese adeptly describes what it must have been like for a pagan in the days of witch hysteria. I couldn't put this book down until it was finished. This book is for children, about the speed of Harry Potter, but was still enthralling for an adult to read and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: witch hunt preety good
Review: After reading Witch Hunt I was tired.Because it was not very exciting.But this is a good book overall.It's about a young girl in the witch trial years named Mary.After seeing her grandma burned at the stake she runs off.This story takes you many places even the english country side.So if you like adventures books read this story.

by:Hunter

Rating:
Summary: Problems falling asleep?Read witch child, and you will!
Review: (...)

The story deals with Mary, a young girl whose grandmother has been murdered for being a witch. For her own safety Mary flees to America with a group of Puritans, who despise witches very much. That's why her real identity may not be revealed to them. On her journey to the new world the girl is confronted with lots of problems, which she resolves thanks to her knowledge and special abilities she was taught by her grandmother. During the voyage on the ship Mary makes new friends, people she can trust. But on the other hand others start to dislike the girl, due to her skill ( which is - in my opinion - often mistaken with black magic).When they finally arrive at their destination , the Salem area, everybody gets settled and the new life can begin. Almost every day Mary wanders through the forest. One day she meets Jay Bird, an Indian boy. The two become good friends , and tell each other about their culture. Jay Bird makes Mary clear how open-minded his tribe is, and he helps her when she's in trouble. Owing to Mary's different behaviour and little strolls in the forest, people even get more suspicious than before and start suspecting her of being a witch .It's for you to find out if she really is , or if this is just another narrow-minded gossip spread by Puritans.

I won't recommend this book to anyone. For the youngsters the book is too boring, and for the elder one it is too childish. But beyond that it is a very confusing story. There is a major lack of tension throughout the whole book. That's why I think some parts are tedious. A few passages make no sense, I'd rather say they're irrelevant. Although the story makes you curious in the end, one question keeps burning on the reader's lips : "Will finally something happen please!"

Let's hope in this case the sequel will be better!

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Celia Rees, Witch Child is about a girl, Mary, who was orphaned at a young age and taken in by her grandma, who was later accused of being a witch. Her grandmother was given the water test and since she floated was hung the next day. Mary was then taken by a woman, she soon found out was her real mother, and who owed her grandma a favor for taking Marry, her daughter, and raising her. Her mother knowing that Marry was in danger because everyone knew that Marry was the daughter of a witch who would make Marry one too and not safe to be around so Marry was shipped across the ocean to America. This is a book based on Mary's diary. She has a hard time on the way to the new world and is accused of breathing life to a baby. In any case, witch craft was being blamed the main source. She is glad to get off of the boat and in a new town. However, it was there that she was discovered sneaking out in the forest and then accused of all the wrong things.
I enjoyed the book; to me it was not boring but told a lot about how life was strictly Christianity, and CPR was considered witch craft. You never knew who you could trust, mainly those who take you in without questions.

Rating:
Summary: excellent!
Review: This is an awesome book! The begining and middle was the reason for its four star rating. The excitement fadded somewhat at the end. I hated the way it ended, in mid sentence and not an exciting "cliffhanger" one either. I was also a bit confused with the whole idea that this was a REAL diary. The author obviously did that for effect but I think it was unecessary. Otherwise this book was great and it's worth buying even if the ending is so-so.

Rating:
Summary: i like....
Review: This was an over all good book. the whole withcy thing is pretty good. it happens to be one of the only two histotorical fiction books i've ever liked, the other being fever of 1793. i loved every word of it, until i got to the last sentence of mary's diary. this book had no ending, which is what lost it it's fith star. i really hate the whole thing about ending in the middle of a sentence. how grammaticly incorrect can you get! i know it was all for the effect, but it could have been acheived with out leaving the reader hanging with out a sequel. overall, i do reccomend this book to others.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: Although this book was boring at first, it became one of my favorite books at the end. I always seemed to be waiting for something exciting to happen, but I still give this book 5 stars. The fact that most of this story was true brought chills to my body, for what a terrible story Mary (main character) has. Through her journal entries you get to know her so much that when you finish the book you feel like you have known her all your life. After finishing the book with an almost "cliffhanger" ending, I can't wait to read the sequel "Sorceress" although I hear it is not as good. Anyone who likes to read about witchcraft would love this book, and it has made me more interested in the topic as well. I recomend this book for ages 12 and up.

Rating:
Summary: Problems falling asleep?Read witch child, and you will!
Review: I'm a student from Belgium. At my school Witch Child is compulsory reading. Normally it doesn't bother me, because I'm fond of reading books of any type or on any subject. So I eagerly started reading Witch Child.

The story deals with Mary, a young girl whose grandmother has been murdered for being a witch. For her own safety Mary flees to America with a group of Puritans, who despise witches very much. That's why her real identity may not be revealed to them. On her journey to the new world the girl is confronted with lots of problems, which she resolves thanks to her knowledge and special abilities she was taught by her grandmother. During the voyage on the ship Mary makes new friends, people she can trust. But on the other hand others start to dislike the girl, due to her skill ( which is - in my opinion - often mistaken with black magic).When they finally arrive at their destination , the Salem area, everybody gets settled and the new life can begin. Almost every day Mary wanders through the forest. One day she meets Jay Bird, an Indian boy. The two become good friends , and tell each other about their culture. Jay Bird makes Mary clear how open-minded his tribe is, and he helps her when she's in trouble. Owing to Mary's different behaviour and little strolls in the forest, people even get more suspicious than before and start suspecting her of being a witch .It's for you to find out if she really is , or if this is just another narrow-minded gossip spread by Puritans.

I won't recommend this book to anyone. For the youngsters the book is too boring, and for the elder one it is too childish. But beyond that it is a very confusing story. There is a major lack of tension throughout the whole book. That's why I think some parts are tedious. A few passages make no sense, I'd rather say they're irrelevant. Although the story makes you curious in the end, one question keeps burning on the reader's lips : "Will finally something happen please!"

Let's hope in this case, the sequel will be better!

Rating:
Summary: Five Thumbs Up!
Review: Witch Child is a great book...for young and old. When I first started it, from the first page I knew it was going to be great. I couldn't stop reading it, so eventually I finished it! I definitly think that there should be a sequal. Thanks!