Bibliographical information:

Petry, Ann. Tituba of Salem Village. New York, 1964.

Brief summary:

This novel tells the story of the Salem witchraft trials mostly from the point of view of Tituba. It begins with Tituba's life on Barbados and her sale to Samuel Parris, who later serves as minister to Salem Village. It concludes with the end of the witchcraft episode.

Comments:

I picked up this book because I had read other novels by Petry but hadn't heard of this. I was quite impressed by it. Petry draws on details from the various documents describing the trial, offering a more accurate picture of this episode than one finds in most fictional versions. Most remarkable, I think, is the sense of balance. While Petry's account is more sympathetic to some figures than to others, she doesn't demonize any characters. For example, Parris comes off as nasty and unattractive, but Petry explores his motivations rather than rendering him purely malicious. Also, the teenaged girls in this account do (as some documents suggest) dabble in fortune telling and other magical practices. Petry distinguishes these practices from witchcraft, but offers a more nuanced picture of attitudes toward witchcraft and magic in colonial New England than some other novels about the period. 

Grade/Age level:

 I'd say age ten and up. My ten-year-old daughter liked this book very much.

Cautions:

 The novel deals with a frightening episode in New England history, and includes information about those who were hanged and pressed to death.

--Lisa Gordis

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