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book reviews > Priscilla Foster:
The Story of a Salem Girl
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Review: Priscilla Foster: The Story of a Salem Girl
by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
This book would be a substitute to consider if A Break
With Charity by Rinaldi is required reading)
Title & Author:
Priscilla Foster: The Story of a Salem Girl by Dorothy
and Thomas Hoobler; Illustrations by Robert Gantt Steele.
Silver Burdett Press, 1997.
Length:122 pages; illustrations
every 5-10 pages.
Print size: Larger than
'adult' books but not childish.
Other readability issues: This
story is told by the granddaughter of a participant in the
Salem Witch Trials. There is some switching back and forth
as the grandmother tells her what happened, but because the
grandmother is telling the story, there are fewer inferences
to make about the culture and setting of Puritan times (the
grandmother does a lot of explaining). This style of delivery
also makes it easier to structure good discussion questions
(which could involve anything from the dangers of gossip to
the nature of religion and truth).
Summary: Hannah's grandmother
insists on going to town on September 22, in commemoration
of "the day of the hangings." Her granddaughter
accompanies her and learns the story of the Salem Witch Trials
through the eyes of one of the girls involved.
Typical words: Here are
some typical words from the stories; it would be wise to see
how many of these your students can read before expecting
them to read independently.
imagine |
oilskins |
Hannah |
carriage |
peaceful |
memories |
revolution |
persuade |
villages |
Tituba |
usually |
attention |
exciting |
possessed |
nightmare |
collapsed |
punished |
whimpering |
porridge |
innocent |
indentured |
hesitate |
curiously |
magistrates |
|