Witch Child by Celia Rees

Bookreport

Witch child, Celia Rees

1. when: time setting: 1659 to 1660

2. where: place setting: England, boat, new land Beulah

3. who: characters main: Mary she is 14 years old, a witch and rebellious, minor: Martha: she's the woman who took care of Mary at the boat and in Beulah. the Rivers family and the Morses: these are the friends of Mary and she lives together with them. Jaybird: an Indian boy Mary meets when she is in the forest in the sequel she marries him and they live together.

4. what: plot: Mary lives in England with her grandmother, but when she is killed because she is a witch, Mary is taken to her mother, who she has never seen before. Her mother has a plan for her, Mary will go to the new land with puritans. On the boat strange things happen, but when they're in Beulah, a city in the new land where the puritans will stay, Mary has difficulties hiding her true nature, because she is a witch. After almost a year, she is accused of witch craft thanks to several events, and she flees into the nearby forest. This is where the book ends, but there is a sequel.

5. how: construction: diary

6. why: reason for writing: Celia Rees wanted to show the differences in religion, although this is mostly noticed in the sequel. She wanted to point out that what is bad in one religion, e.g. being a witch at the puritans, is not bad in an other religion, e.g. being a shaman (witch) at the Indians. This difference is present in the first book, but especially in the second.

7. opinion: I think the book is well written, because when I read the first book, I immediately bought the second book when I finished the first one. I also think that Mary's diary showed us how life in the 17th century was, although I don't think that witches really exist.