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Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?: The Witch Trials of 1692
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1692. When the first girl fell down screaming, the people of Salem Village thought it might just be silliness. Then a second girl started barking. A third and fourth began to shake uncontrollably. A doctor said “an evil hand” had come upon the girls, and everyone They were bewitched.
But who were the witches? Everyone knew that the unprotected residents of Salem—the poor, the elderly, the ones who were a little bit strange. Soon more girls were having fits and naming people as witches. The village erupted in accusations, suspicion, and fear. By the time the witch trials ended, dozens of lives had been ruined, and twenty people were dead.
And I saw it all.
With a snarky and surprising first-person narrator – a historical figure that played a major role in events – acclaimed writer Katie Kennedy offers a fresh new take on the greatest true-crime story in American history.
But who were the witches? Everyone knew that the unprotected residents of Salem—the poor, the elderly, the ones who were a little bit strange. Soon more girls were having fits and naming people as witches. The village erupted in accusations, suspicion, and fear. By the time the witch trials ended, dozens of lives had been ruined, and twenty people were dead.
And I saw it all.
With a snarky and surprising first-person narrator – a historical figure that played a major role in events – acclaimed writer Katie Kennedy offers a fresh new take on the greatest true-crime story in American history.
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Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 31, 2026
🧙𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙢?: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝟭𝟲𝟵𝟮 // 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘺
I love a good true crime book, and the Salem Witch Trials is one of the OG true crime stories.
Confession before I move on…I did listen to this on audio, but I think reading the physical book would have been a little more engaging due to the illustrations and formatting. That being said, I really enjoyed this, all the same.
This is a narrative nonfiction detailing of the events of 1692 in Salem. Told as a unique first person account, the storytelling was immersive and truly intriguing, which can be difficult to do with factual information.
I already knew quite a bit about this period of history, but being reminding of those who were accused and sentenced to death, over many-times false pretenses, really tugged at my heart strings. There were several times that the accuser would admit that they fabricated everything…after the accused had already been murdered (let’s call it what it was).
Anyway- this book is geared towards a middle grade audience, BUT do not let that stop you from picking this one up. It was a fun read (for the subject matter), and provided a detailed chronology of the horrific events that still make many of us shudder when we hear mentions of “Salem.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤💕/5
I love a good true crime book, and the Salem Witch Trials is one of the OG true crime stories.
Confession before I move on…I did listen to this on audio, but I think reading the physical book would have been a little more engaging due to the illustrations and formatting. That being said, I really enjoyed this, all the same.
This is a narrative nonfiction detailing of the events of 1692 in Salem. Told as a unique first person account, the storytelling was immersive and truly intriguing, which can be difficult to do with factual information.
I already knew quite a bit about this period of history, but being reminding of those who were accused and sentenced to death, over many-times false pretenses, really tugged at my heart strings. There were several times that the accuser would admit that they fabricated everything…after the accused had already been murdered (let’s call it what it was).
Anyway- this book is geared towards a middle grade audience, BUT do not let that stop you from picking this one up. It was a fun read (for the subject matter), and provided a detailed chronology of the horrific events that still make many of us shudder when we hear mentions of “Salem.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤💕/5
June 23, 2025
The conversational tone of this book about the Salem witch trials is what really stands out. The narrator has a way of exasperatingly asking, "how could this have happened?" while subtly leading the reader to question, "could this happen again?"
There are a lot of people to keep track of; a who's who list in the front does help with this, though I did find myself often asking, "who was that again?" Part of that is due to the speed and number of accusations flying.
Overall, this is an engaging middle grade nonfiction book with spirited illustrations which encourages readers to consult the evidence behind any accusation.
There are a lot of people to keep track of; a who's who list in the front does help with this, though I did find myself often asking, "who was that again?" Part of that is due to the speed and number of accusations flying.
Overall, this is an engaging middle grade nonfiction book with spirited illustrations which encourages readers to consult the evidence behind any accusation.
October 18, 2025
The greatest true crime story in American history.
🧙🏻♀️
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1692 is where we meet several girls who begin randomly screaming, barking and shaking. This leads townspeople to believe they have been touched by an “evil hand” and thus, bewitched. The village erupts in fear, accusations, suspicion and rumors that lead to witch trials where twenty people died.
🧙🏻♀️
This is the kind of MG nonfiction I like to read! Told from first-person POV with a snarky and hilarious narrator we learn about the Salem witch trials in a way that will connect and hold our students’ attention. I need this to be a series!
CW: death, fire, imprisonment, mob mentality
🧙🏻♀️
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1692 is where we meet several girls who begin randomly screaming, barking and shaking. This leads townspeople to believe they have been touched by an “evil hand” and thus, bewitched. The village erupts in fear, accusations, suspicion and rumors that lead to witch trials where twenty people died.
🧙🏻♀️
This is the kind of MG nonfiction I like to read! Told from first-person POV with a snarky and hilarious narrator we learn about the Salem witch trials in a way that will connect and hold our students’ attention. I need this to be a series!
CW: death, fire, imprisonment, mob mentality
December 28, 2025
Oops forgot to make that I finished this book lol. The sleeve of this book describes it as a history on the Salem witch trials with a podcast feel. That's not how I would describe this book. I originally started reading this with the kids and they gave up on me, so I think their feelings were similar to mine.
December 3, 2025
Obviously an interesting premise. Who doesn't have some curiosity around the witch trials?
This book, a middle grade nonfiction, was written from the perspective of the Hanging Tree (pretty obvious throughout, but isn't officially revealed until the end). It's not told as a narrative, though. It is told more like the transcript of a True Crime podcast or a really long newspaper article. Fact after fact after fact, with very little personality. The tree has a some sarcastic remarks scattered throughout the book, but on the whole, it just gives what happened without requiring any personal investment from the reader.
I got the point after 50% where I skimmed multiple chapters. 🤷♀️
I also got a bit mixed up (which was frustrating but also boring) because every other person was named Sarah, Ann, Mary, or John. The author can't help that the Puritans weren't very creative with their naming, but it was hard for me to keep track of who was whom.
All in all, it was very educational (I had no idea there were so many people accused, and that most of it happened in less than a year's time) but kinda bland.
Recommend if you're studying the trials or have a kid who is really fascinated by them. Otherwise, meh. 🫤
This book, a middle grade nonfiction, was written from the perspective of the Hanging Tree (pretty obvious throughout, but isn't officially revealed until the end). It's not told as a narrative, though. It is told more like the transcript of a True Crime podcast or a really long newspaper article. Fact after fact after fact, with very little personality. The tree has a some sarcastic remarks scattered throughout the book, but on the whole, it just gives what happened without requiring any personal investment from the reader.
I got the point after 50% where I skimmed multiple chapters. 🤷♀️
I also got a bit mixed up (which was frustrating but also boring) because every other person was named Sarah, Ann, Mary, or John. The author can't help that the Puritans weren't very creative with their naming, but it was hard for me to keep track of who was whom.
All in all, it was very educational (I had no idea there were so many people accused, and that most of it happened in less than a year's time) but kinda bland.
Recommend if you're studying the trials or have a kid who is really fascinated by them. Otherwise, meh. 🫤
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November 30, 2025“The Salem Witch Trials may be the greatest true crime story in history”
The publisher reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in receiving this book and I said, a book about witches? Heck yea! It’s a kids book; aimed for ages 8 and up. I’m a teacher so I love discovering new books to bring into the classroom.
This story is told in the first-person narrator and she is fiery! She’s someone who played a major role during the Salem witch trials, and the tone of this book is what I really liked. I also liked the illustrations.
The book provides a “Who’s Who” list at the beginning, listing all the accusers and accused involved in the trials. The book has a chapter that talks about a traditional method used back then in England, and that was the use of a “witch cake” which was fed to dogs and it was supposed to somehow indicate who was a witch, and at the end of the book, the author gives us the recipe for this witch cake but I don’t think I’ll be making it 😂
Overall, I think this is a great book for middle-grade kids. I consider myself a witch and a lot of people get uncomfortable when I say that and I think society has a misconception of what it really means to be a witch. I think it’s important to teach children that being a witch isn't evil. It’s okay to feel connected to the earth and to the moon. Every time you make a wish and blow out your birthday candle; guess what? That’s witchcraft! There are so many commonly shared practices we all do, we just call them different names but the words “witch” and “witchcraft” just seem scarier to people. I could go on and on about this so I’ll just stop here.
I think this book is great for kids because it encourages them to not assume and accuse without actual evidence and to ask questions about something they don’t understand rather than assuming the worst, and to be more accepting and understanding.
Witches are the best ❤️
The publisher reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in receiving this book and I said, a book about witches? Heck yea! It’s a kids book; aimed for ages 8 and up. I’m a teacher so I love discovering new books to bring into the classroom.
This story is told in the first-person narrator and she is fiery! She’s someone who played a major role during the Salem witch trials, and the tone of this book is what I really liked. I also liked the illustrations.
The book provides a “Who’s Who” list at the beginning, listing all the accusers and accused involved in the trials. The book has a chapter that talks about a traditional method used back then in England, and that was the use of a “witch cake” which was fed to dogs and it was supposed to somehow indicate who was a witch, and at the end of the book, the author gives us the recipe for this witch cake but I don’t think I’ll be making it 😂
Overall, I think this is a great book for middle-grade kids. I consider myself a witch and a lot of people get uncomfortable when I say that and I think society has a misconception of what it really means to be a witch. I think it’s important to teach children that being a witch isn't evil. It’s okay to feel connected to the earth and to the moon. Every time you make a wish and blow out your birthday candle; guess what? That’s witchcraft! There are so many commonly shared practices we all do, we just call them different names but the words “witch” and “witchcraft” just seem scarier to people. I could go on and on about this so I’ll just stop here.
I think this book is great for kids because it encourages them to not assume and accuse without actual evidence and to ask questions about something they don’t understand rather than assuming the worst, and to be more accepting and understanding.
Witches are the best ❤️
October 24, 2025
“Did You Hear What Happened in Salem? The Witch Trials of 1692” by Katie Kennedy is a new middle-grade true crime book chock full of interesting facts and narrative about that dark time in U.S. history. It was stunning to read on how such flimsy evidence from absurdly bad actors (the afflicted girls) that people were hanged for witchcraft. For a group of people so against witchcraft, the Puritans sure seemed to be experts on familiars, shapeshifting and witch identification techniques.
It truly seems that land feuds, vendettas (especially the Putnams), superstitions and boredom drove the carnage. I learned Salem Village and Salem Town were two distinct, but connected, areas in colonial Massachusetts. Salem Town being a prosperous, coastal port and Salem Village being a rural farming community provided some great context on the dynamics.
Famously, the touch test was employed to demonstrate a witch’s touch could stop the hysterical fits of a person they had bewitched. Same as how a person’s specter could float around torturing people, and how only the accusers could see it. (Convenient, right)? I’d never heard of the Venus glass but it seems this form of fortune-telling Betty Parris and Abigail Williams engaged in could have motivated their subsequent behavior. And until the colony got a new charter (that May) the “trials” were really pretrial examinations with people’s fates in limbo.
As an aside, I thought it was interesting that at the time of the trials Maine was part of Massachusetts. Who knew?
The story is told by an unnamed narrator whose identity really surprised me, yet it made sense. The reveal was toward the end. This may be my favorite paragraph in the entire book, which I found exceedingly well-written, “Hathorne visited Tituba in jail four times on March 2, 3, 5, and 7 to ask more questions. Tituba cheerfully spun off further details — vibrantly colored birds, fantastical beasts, and meetings of witches flying on sticks through the night. She created a remarkably vivid world, in contrast with slushy late-winter Salem with its leaden skies and the rough gray bark of the Hanging Tree.”
It truly seems that land feuds, vendettas (especially the Putnams), superstitions and boredom drove the carnage. I learned Salem Village and Salem Town were two distinct, but connected, areas in colonial Massachusetts. Salem Town being a prosperous, coastal port and Salem Village being a rural farming community provided some great context on the dynamics.
Famously, the touch test was employed to demonstrate a witch’s touch could stop the hysterical fits of a person they had bewitched. Same as how a person’s specter could float around torturing people, and how only the accusers could see it. (Convenient, right)? I’d never heard of the Venus glass but it seems this form of fortune-telling Betty Parris and Abigail Williams engaged in could have motivated their subsequent behavior. And until the colony got a new charter (that May) the “trials” were really pretrial examinations with people’s fates in limbo.
As an aside, I thought it was interesting that at the time of the trials Maine was part of Massachusetts. Who knew?
The story is told by an unnamed narrator whose identity really surprised me, yet it made sense. The reveal was toward the end. This may be my favorite paragraph in the entire book, which I found exceedingly well-written, “Hathorne visited Tituba in jail four times on March 2, 3, 5, and 7 to ask more questions. Tituba cheerfully spun off further details — vibrantly colored birds, fantastical beasts, and meetings of witches flying on sticks through the night. She created a remarkably vivid world, in contrast with slushy late-winter Salem with its leaden skies and the rough gray bark of the Hanging Tree.”
April 17, 2026
What an incredibly detailed and eye opening book. I knew a lot about Salem, but I still found an immense amount of information within this book that shocked me, that I knew nothing of and I cannot believe this event in history ever happened. It’s absolutely insane what happened to so many people and honestly we will never truly know why.
Those girls who created all this, my goodness what dirty little liars they were, and Putnam what evil, he was whispering everything in their ears and perpetrated so much of the tragedy and hatred that happened. It was insane what they caused and what amount of hurt they caused.
I cannot believe how much I managed to learn from this book, how much was told and through the perspective of someone being present when it all happened, and all the sorrow, the deceit, the lies, the pain and the death that was witnessed through all these trials. It’s an utterly heartbreaking piece of history and it will always be so devastating.
The illustrations though some seemed too comical for something so serious were a nice addition to the story. I liked seeing pictures of the trials, the tree, the people. They were a great visual to have as an addition within the story. This was a really incredible historical book, full of information, names, stories and the truth of what happened in Salem all those years ago. It’s also a good showcase to how much society has fabricated the narrative of what actually happened to be how they wanted to tell it.
Those girls who created all this, my goodness what dirty little liars they were, and Putnam what evil, he was whispering everything in their ears and perpetrated so much of the tragedy and hatred that happened. It was insane what they caused and what amount of hurt they caused.
I cannot believe how much I managed to learn from this book, how much was told and through the perspective of someone being present when it all happened, and all the sorrow, the deceit, the lies, the pain and the death that was witnessed through all these trials. It’s an utterly heartbreaking piece of history and it will always be so devastating.
The illustrations though some seemed too comical for something so serious were a nice addition to the story. I liked seeing pictures of the trials, the tree, the people. They were a great visual to have as an addition within the story. This was a really incredible historical book, full of information, names, stories and the truth of what happened in Salem all those years ago. It’s also a good showcase to how much society has fabricated the narrative of what actually happened to be how they wanted to tell it.
October 17, 2025
You Hear What Happened in Salem? The Witch Trials of 1692 by Katie Kennedy is a captivating tale that is essentially the original true crime story, and it’s totally addictive.
This middle-grade nonfiction account of the infamous witch trials in colonial America is filled with pure chaos and paranoia. It walks you through the first accusation to the ending, where 19 people are found guilty and tragically hanged for the crime of witchcraft.
What I Liked: The book opens with a Who’s Who list, giving background on both the Accusers and the Accused to help readers understand the characters. Black and white illustrations set the spooky tone for each chapter. The chapters themselves are short, but packed with riveting information including what a "witch cake" is and how people actually used it to try and sniff out a witch! It’s clear the book was heavily researched, and as a bonus, the author includes a list of additional books so you can keep learning.
Did You Hear What Happened in Salem? is a book that history lovers as well as true crime junkies will enjoy.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here: https://yabookscentral.com/did-you-he...
This middle-grade nonfiction account of the infamous witch trials in colonial America is filled with pure chaos and paranoia. It walks you through the first accusation to the ending, where 19 people are found guilty and tragically hanged for the crime of witchcraft.
What I Liked: The book opens with a Who’s Who list, giving background on both the Accusers and the Accused to help readers understand the characters. Black and white illustrations set the spooky tone for each chapter. The chapters themselves are short, but packed with riveting information including what a "witch cake" is and how people actually used it to try and sniff out a witch! It’s clear the book was heavily researched, and as a bonus, the author includes a list of additional books so you can keep learning.
Did You Hear What Happened in Salem? is a book that history lovers as well as true crime junkies will enjoy.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here: https://yabookscentral.com/did-you-he...
September 25, 2025
This is a rather detailed introduction of Salem Witch Hunt and Trials, and I love the beginning two chapters as it draws the readers with illustrative ideas. Yet the further is actually more like a retelling for each event.
I have to say it's more didactic than I imagined. I know it is a good lesson for readers to build critical thinking, but maybe it's for me, I think some of the murmur or self-talks are obvious and intentional.
The mixture of using the character's real name or "Goody" sometimes got me confused, but due to the number of cases the author intended to convey, it may be inevitable.
This is a hard book to write -- too many relations and too many speculations need to be considered.
If any middle-schoolers and up would like to learn more about Salem and the trials, it is a good start.
But if you would go further and learn more, I'd say Peabody Essex Museum's online guide is marvelous, that would be a great resource as well: https://www.pem.org/pemcast/pemcast-1...
I have to say it's more didactic than I imagined. I know it is a good lesson for readers to build critical thinking, but maybe it's for me, I think some of the murmur or self-talks are obvious and intentional.
The mixture of using the character's real name or "Goody" sometimes got me confused, but due to the number of cases the author intended to convey, it may be inevitable.
This is a hard book to write -- too many relations and too many speculations need to be considered.
If any middle-schoolers and up would like to learn more about Salem and the trials, it is a good start.
But if you would go further and learn more, I'd say Peabody Essex Museum's online guide is marvelous, that would be a great resource as well: https://www.pem.org/pemcast/pemcast-1...
July 25, 2026
3.5 stars.
It’s a tricky thing trying to relate dense facts in a way that tweens and teens will find engaging. Readers learn a lot about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693, but the execution is a mixed bag. The anthropomorphic narrator comes across as very flippant, at least in the audiobook version. And the tendency to ascribe motive to the girls who started the accusations moves outside of what is factually known.
Kennedy establishes historical context for the prevalence of witchcraft accusations in Europe toward the end of the narrative.
The audiobook does not specify the sources that she used in her writing. I’ll be interested to see the back-matter in the print version.
Thanks to Workman Kids and Libro.fm for the complimentary e-audiobook.
It’s a tricky thing trying to relate dense facts in a way that tweens and teens will find engaging. Readers learn a lot about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693, but the execution is a mixed bag. The anthropomorphic narrator comes across as very flippant, at least in the audiobook version. And the tendency to ascribe motive to the girls who started the accusations moves outside of what is factually known.
Kennedy establishes historical context for the prevalence of witchcraft accusations in Europe toward the end of the narrative.
The audiobook does not specify the sources that she used in her writing. I’ll be interested to see the back-matter in the print version.
Thanks to Workman Kids and Libro.fm for the complimentary e-audiobook.
July 29, 2026
3.5 stars for Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?: The Witch Trials of 1692. Yes, I totally think this is true crime. I'm shocked, but not too surprised that so many lives were impacted and people were killed over acting out. Craziness.
The printed copy is engaging, short, and I have seen multiple kids pull it off the shelf. The audio version is more conversational/podcast vibe which was engaging and fun. I recommend both or whatever format you prefer.
Thank you @WorkmanKids for sharing this one with me, and thank you @Libro.fm for sharing an audio version.
The printed copy is engaging, short, and I have seen multiple kids pull it off the shelf. The audio version is more conversational/podcast vibe which was engaging and fun. I recommend both or whatever format you prefer.
Thank you @WorkmanKids for sharing this one with me, and thank you @Libro.fm for sharing an audio version.
November 10, 2025
This would work well if taught alongside The Crucible… but I’d rather just teach The Crucible. Don’t get it twisted; there’s good parts about this book: I like the illustrations, and it’s a serviceable way of delivering information about the Salem witch trials, I just didn’t like the narrator and the tone of this very much. It’s not for me (because I'm not a middle-grade reader nor a big fan of true crime), but I can see it functioning well as a companion text.
March 8, 2026
From 1692-1693, families in Salem were pitted against each other when some girls accused others of bewitching them. They writhed and yelled and stuck themselves with pins, but even when others called out their lies, the courts found them guilty. With some humor and wit despite the gravity of the subject, this is a thorough chronicle of a tragic period in American history. It is also a reminder of the importance of scientific evidence in government and law.
July 30, 2026
Thank you to Libro FM for an ALC of this audiobook. I really enjoyed the deep dive into the Salem Witch Trials. Katie Kennedy did an incredible amount of research and leaned into the primary sources when writing this book. Using an unusual narrator who is quite sassy and sarcastic really helped the flow of the book and made it a perfect fit for a YA reader. I learned some new things and enjoyed the audio production which used music and sound effects.
February 11, 2026
I read this for my Teachers as Readers book club. The last chapter is the best in the book. This was the only chapter that I felt was easy to read and straightforward. The rest felt jumbled and difficult to follow. I don’t like when a book calls itself nonfiction or even historical fiction and adds so much interpretation or personal feelings. I don’t think any of my students would read this.
February 28, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Evil does exist but it goes around on two feet, not a broomstick. “ Ain’t that the truth. Humans have long blamed religious fables and magic to cover their own monstrosities.
It was an okay middle grade telling of the trials.
“Evil does exist but it goes around on two feet, not a broomstick. “ Ain’t that the truth. Humans have long blamed religious fables and magic to cover their own monstrosities.
It was an okay middle grade telling of the trials.
April 21, 2026
3.75 stars
Interesting and informative, but it was very hard to keep the large cast of characters straight. The lists in the beginning of the book definitely helped but more visual aids would have been helpful with this issue.
Interesting and informative, but it was very hard to keep the large cast of characters straight. The lists in the beginning of the book definitely helped but more visual aids would have been helpful with this issue.
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November 11, 2025i appreciate the further reading list, but what are the sources for the historical information in the book?
December 27, 2025
Great hear overview for a younger audience. I enjoyed the perspective of the narrative as well as the support provided throughout.
February 7, 2026
Read with my daughter (10.5 yo) very interesting and intriguing read. We enjoyed it!
March 26, 2026
This is a great look at the events in Salem, very accessible and interesting, and also draws parallels to behaviors and things we're seeing happening in the world now. Very well done.
July 16, 2026
This audiobook would help teachers teach about tone, bias, and the importance of recording history in a fun way. Enjoyed the narration twist at the end.
July 19, 2026
Full review to come. 2.5 stars rounded up. This was a strange one for me. While the history was really great— I think the audio without illustrations does the book a disservice.
August 4, 2026
I really enjoyed some parts of the book, and I like that it was told from the point of view of the hanging tree, but I felt like it was really sporadic and hard to follow at times
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews