The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a children's historical novel by American author Elizabeth George Speare, published in 1958. The story takes place in late-17th century New England. It won the Newbery Medal in 1959. In April 1687, 16-year-old Katherine Tyler leaves her home in Barbados after her grandfather's death and goes to Wethersfield, Connecticut to live with her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew in their Puritan community. On the way to her new home, there is a brief stop in Saybrook, a small town just down river from Wethersfield, and four new passengers board the Dolphin, the ship on... which Kit is traveling. As the small rowboat returns to the ship, a small girl named Prudence accidentally drops her doll in the water and begs her mother to get it back for her. Her mother, Goodwife Cruff, harshly strikes Prudence and tells her not to be foolish. Impulsively, Kit jumps into the water and retrieves the doll. When she returns to the rowboat, she is met with astonished suspicion as few people in Connecticut could swim so well.
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| Author: | Elizabeth George Speare |
| Genre: | Children's literature, Historical novel, Fiction, Speculative fiction |
| Year published: | 1958 |
| Number of editions: | 18 |