Module 4: Newbery Winners

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare, is a great historical fiction novel for young adults. The story is set in the 1700s and centers around a young girl named Katherine (Kit) who is forced to leave her sunny and carefree life in Barbados for a significantly different one in the Puritan community of Wethersfield, Connecticut. As Kit realizes how different she is from those around her, she also begins to understand how dangerous being different can be in the small community. As Kit, time and time again, shocks those in her new life by doing everything from swimming to acting out scenes from the Bible she is seen as an outcast. Because of this judgment, Kit becomes friends with Hannah Tupper, a Quaker who is also believed to be a witch. This means trouble for both Kit and Hannah and the two eventually become the target of a type of witch-hunt.

Speare, E.G. (1958). The witch of blackbird pond. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Picture credit: http://www.tower.com/witch-blackbird-pond-elizabeth-george-speare-hardcover/wapi/101806330

Impressions: My immediate impression of this book was: classic. I know a lot of people (both teachers and students) who are familiar with this book through required reading. I never read it, however, so I was eager to catch up on a book I missed. This story surpassed my expectations and I enjoyed it immensely. Although it is a historical fiction novel, the character of Kit is very easy to relate to and realistic. Because Kit is a stranger to the Puritan community of Wethersfield, it helps the reader become attached to her and we are able to explore Puritan life through a character who is also unaccustomed to it. This, of course, is what the Newbery award is about. Speare writes a story that is believable because the characters are so realistic, and at the same time she teaches her readers a little history. The story, as I expected, also wrapped up neatly by the end of the book. Everything seemed to work out in the end--Hannah gets away safely, Kit and Nat end up together as do John and Mercy. Although it was realistic for historical fiction, I felt that the ending was just a little too neat and polished.

Reviews:
"The setting is the Colony of Connecticut in 1687 amid the political and religious conflicts of that day. Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler unexpectedly arrives at her aunt and uncle's doorstep and is unprepared for the new world which awaits her. Having been raised by her grandfather in Barbados, she doesn't understand the conflict between those loyal to the king and those who defend the Connecticut Charter. Unprepared for the religious intolerance and rigidity of the Puritan community, she is constantly astounding her aunt, uncle, and cousins with her dress, behavior, and ideas. She takes comfort in her secret friendship with the widow, Hannah Tupper, who has been expelled from Massachusetts because she is a Quaker and suspected of being a witch. When a deathly sickness strikes the village, first Hannah and then Kit are accused of being witches. Through these conflicts and experiences, Kit comes to know and accept herself. She learns not to make hasty judgments about people, and that there are always two sides to every conflict. There are several minor plots as well, including three romances, which help to bring this time and place to life." Moffet, M.C. (2003). No title. [Review of the book The witch of blackbird pond by E.G. Speare]. Retrieved from Bowker's Books in Print.

"Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople?

A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat."--Coulter, E. [Review of the book The witch of blackbird pond by E.G. Speare]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395071143/ref=dp_proddesc_1?ie=UTF8&n=283155

Suggestions:
This book would work especially well in a unit about early American life, Puritan life, and the early American fear of witches/ witch hunts. This would also be a really good book for a display of Newbery Winners or historical fiction.

The Tale of Despereaux is a Newbery award winning book written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Timothy B. Ering. This four part book begins with the story of Despereaux Tilling, a small large-eared mouse who falls in love with the human Princess Pea and is sent to the dungeon because of how different he is from other mice. The second part of the book is the story of Roscuro, a rat that loves light and is forced back into a life of darkness in the dungeon when he falls into the Queen's soup which causes her to die of a heart-attack and all the rats to be hunted. The third part of the book revolves around a peasant girl named Miggery Sow who is sold into slavery and beaten by her owner. She is then taken to work at the castle where she desperately wants to wear Princess Pea's crown and is later manipulated by Roscuro to kidnap the princess. The fourth part of the book ties the story together in a way that weaves all the characters to each other and allows for a happy resolution for each.

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of Despereaux. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
Picture credit: http://childrensbooksforparents.com/the-tale-of-despereaux/

Impressions:
I picked this book because I know many people who have read it but have never been able to read read it myself. I watched the movie with my niece and enjoyed it and was expecting something totally different from the book. When I started reading it I was a little apprehensive, however once I got further along I realized that I enjoyed it a great deal more than the movie. The characters were very intricate and well thought out and despite the fact that two of the four were rodents. DiCamillo's use of the underdog-as-hero formula worked really well with the traditional hero story nuances that laced the story. For me, this made the book all the more appealing. Even though the end of the story resolved happily for each main character, I think that DiCamillo avoided the saccharine happy ending by inserting other, darker elements earlier in the story.

Reviews:

"With allegorical elements such as quests for love and light, and dangerous encounters that lead to forgiveness and redemption, Kate DiCamillo's novel (Candlewick, 2003) is a multi-layered fantasy. The hero is Despereaux Tilling, a young mouse who is improbably, but deeply, in love with a very human Princess Pea. On the dark side, there's a misguided rat named Roscuro and a serving girl, Miggery Sow, who wishes to be a princess. The traumatic events that shape the lives of these four characters, and bring them all to the brink of disaster, are resolved with some gentle lessons on the power of kindness."--Wysocki, B. (2004). No title. [Review of the book The tale of Despereaux by K. DiCamillo]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from Bowker's Books in Print.

"Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul stirring as it is delicious. Despereaux, a tiny mouse with huge ears, is the bane of his family's existence. He has fallen in love with the young princess who lives in the castle where he resides and, having read of knights and their ladies, vows to honor her. But his unmouselike behavior gets him banished to the dungeon, where a swarm of rats kill whoever falls into their clutches. Another story strand revolves around Miggery, traded into service by her father, who got a tablecloth in return. Mig's desire to be a princess, a rat's yen for soup (a food banished from the kingdom after a rat fell in a bowl and killed the queen), and Despereaux's quest to save his princess after she is kidnapped climax in a classic fairy tale, rich and satisfying. Part of the charm comes from DiCamillo's deceptively simple style and short chapters in which the author addresses the reader: Do you think rats do not have hearts? Wrong. All living things have a heart. And as with the best stories, there are important messages tucked in here and there, so subtly that children who are carried away by the words won't realize they have been uplifted until much later. Ering's soft pencil illustrations reflect the story's charm"--Cooper, I. (2003). No title. [Review for the book The tale of Despereaux by K. DiCamillo]. Booklist. Retrieved from Bowker's Books in Print.

Suggestions:

In my opinion, this book is a perfect mix of realistic elements, fantasy, with a heavy dose of traditional hero/epic elements. Because of this I think The Tale of Despereax would be a perfect fit in a display of heroic tales across the spectrum. The library could even have a hero night, where the kids could dress up as heroes--from superheroes, to firemen, to good old fashioned knights.