The Salem Witch Trials

Blast Back!

by Nancy Ohlin, Roger Simó (Illustrator)

Get ready to blast back to the past and learn all about the Salem Witch Trials!

When people think about the Salem Witch Trials, things like witchcraft and the Puritans may come to mind. But what were the trials all about, and were people really practicing witchcraft? This engaging nonfiction book, complete with black and white interior illustrations, will make readers feel like they've traveled back in time. It covers everything from how the craze started to what happened at the trials, and more. Find out interesting, little-known facts such as how most of the accused were from outside of Salem, Massachusetts, and how even animals were accused of witchcraft! The unique details along with the clever and humorous interior illustrations make this series stand out from the competition.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Witchcraft

112 pages, Paperback

Published July 25, 2017

About the author

I am the author of Consent (Simon Pulse 2015) as well as Always, Forever, a YA retelling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Beauty, a YA retelling of the Snow White tale.

I've also contributed to several celebrity novels, including a New York Times-bestselling YA trilogy.

My favorite cures for writers' block are long walks, long showers, popcorn, chocolate, and really expensive coffee. I talk to myself a lot while I write (you know, to make sure the dialogue zings).

Thank you for stopping by, and happy reading!

Reviews

[✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

➳ 3 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

giving this 3 stars because i read it a while ago but i remember it being informative and i remember enjoying it as a kid ☁️



୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

[Jett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read books like this but this one was different, it was interesting but dark and creepy at parts that's why it gets a 4 star but besides that 5 stars. NOTE. In the top ten nonfiction books I've read.

[TrishaIyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting learning about what they did and believed back then.

[Harrison A]

I read, "Blast Back The Salem Witch Trials" by Nancy Ohlin. This book provides a recap and history overview of the Salem Witch Trials. This took place in the 1600's and was set back in the colonies of the America. The book explained how there are people who believe in witches and the devil. There are different types of these types of people. This caused issues back then because people were really religious and were scared about this. People would talk and spread rumors about people they thought were witches. They set up special trials where judges listened to witnesses explaining why they thought certain people were witches. There was no jury or lawyers at all which was a problem and caused trials to not be fair. Many of the witches were either jailed or hanged because they were found guilty. There are many issues in Salem Village and Salem Town that caused most of these rumors and lies to happen. The two towns were fighting back and forth and this was a problem. Animals were also accused of being witches too. The book introduces many of the key people that were involved in the trials including: Ministers, Judges, and Witch Hunters. It also tells about a little girl that was only 5 years old who was thrown in jail.

The Salem Witch Trials inspired many things. How our court system operates today with ensuring attorneys for the accused and cross examination of testimony came about because of these trials. There were plays, songs, books written about the Salem Witch Trials as well. During the Cold War the term " Witch Hunt" was used as people went after traitors to America. This came from the Salem Witch Trials.

I chose this book because the theme of the month was to read something new and I thought it would be interesting and a topic that would be new for me. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars because I really didn't like the topic. In general it is a good educational book I just don't care for the subject.

[Alina Karapandzich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I think this series in general does a great job of giving succinct summaries on different events and historical periods in a fairly easy to understand way. The vocabulary is pretty advanced for a YA book, so I would definitely say these books are more for 5th/6th graders and up, just because the vocabulary alone introduces a ton of new words that many don't come across until college even. The black and white, pencil sketch-like illustrations add some lightness to the density of the text and some humor too usually. I also like the way these books really break up the event/period into different subjects. For example, the book on Egypt has a section on the geographic setting, a brief history of Egypt and how the ancient peoples/land differs from Egypt today, the language and religion of ancient Egyptians, what daily life was like, funerary practices, art, culture, professions, etc. I also like that these books really don't gloss over the less than glamorous and idealized details of the past. For example, the one on Greece does not gloss over the fact that Athenian democracy was far from a true democracy, and that women were treated as mere objects/property of men, and the Greeks owned many slaves who were also unable to participate in politics. Too many history books romanticize these past societies and pedestal them, forgetting that there is a reason humans are meant to progress forward throughout time/history, and things are indeed better for many people now than they were in Ancient Rome or Greece or even during the Salem Witch trials. Overall, a great nonfiction series to introduce kids to a plethora of subjects, cultures, and historical events.

[Dylan Bogner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Salem Witch Trials ( Blast Back!) by Nancy Ohlin is about people that were accused by witch craft and other signs that the devil is controlling them. Now we know that magic is not real but back then people would say things like a man or woman ( usually girls) would transform into a cat and jump out a window to attack or an evil spirit would come out of a body to attack as well. If the court believes them they would give them a trial most would go to jail or be executed by hangings. Even animals were accused by witchcraft! Most "witches" were in Salem Town or Salem Village, they would go to trials and go to jail or die. All the people that were accused of witchcraft weren't actually a witch they just had some kind of sickness like Lyme disease, epilepsy and asthma. I give this book a 4 star because it was really good and gave lots of historical information. I recommend this book for people that like history and witchcraft.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book make it look like it's for a younger audience, but after previewing it I found the material would not be appropriate for my 3rd grade classroom and would be more suitable for much older grades. I can imagine some parents might not approve of their children reading about some of the topics covered in this book. I would be wary about placing it in a classroom library or having younger children read the book without adult supervision. As an adult, I found the content very interesting.

[Remy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the format of this little book, and the illustrations are fun. It also works hard to explain all sorts of details and background info (which is a plus). I didn't like the flow of the text very much, though - it's not as engaging as I would like. I also didn't like the page about Wicca, the 2 pages of examples of witchcraft, or the page about voodoo. As a Christian, I wouldn't want my kids exposed to that material so casually. Because of that - this book is a no-go. I will, however, take a look at the rest of the series for some of the other topics.

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read full of historical facts dealing with the Salem Witch Trials. It is really quite a sad story as many were unjustly put to death because they were falsely accused of being witches or participating in witchcraft. It appears that many of the targets were just people who questioned things, had made enemies with the wrong people, or simply were just easy targets. Some people had even moved away and were brought back to Salem to be tried. Again, a very sad story to think that many people lost their lives for such senselessness.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look forward to reading more books from this series!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great take on the history of the Salem witch trail. Many details packed into this little book. Fun read, great starter book to this history.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really easy for children to understand, but not "dumbed down" either.

[curiouskat_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, even better than the who hq books (which I love as well).

[aubree Noelle]

I love this book it's talking about what the consequences like getting tossed into a river and stuff it was good

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teacher, I really liked how important concepts and terms were defined in the text instead of in a glossary, so the flow of reading wasn't interrupted. I learned things about the Salem Witch Trials that I had never known before.

[Natalie G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book for March. Blast Back The Salem Witch Trials, by Nancy Ohlin. This book is information about different witch trials through the years. For example say if a neighbor told the court that you were a witch you would get interegated and if you admitted you would go to jail if you didn't admit you would be sentenced to death. There was even a dog sentenced to death but when it was shot she didn't die and the dog was proven innocent.

This book is learn something new because it informs you about witch trials. I recemmend this book to anyone who likes learning new things. I rate this 5 out of 5 stars because it does a good job at informing the reader about witches.

[Roberta]

Reading a lot of kids books on this topic. This one includes some background on voodoo and witchcraft. Illustrations too cute for a serious topic.