The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a historical fiction novel written by Elizabeth George Speare. The story is set in the year 1687 and revolves around a young girl named Kit Tyler. Kit is raised by her wealthy grandfather in Barbados until he passes away. With no family left in Barbados, Kit decides to travel to Connecticut in order to live with her Aunt Rachel Wood. However, life in the Puritan community of Wethersfield is very different from what Kit is used to. She finds the Puritan lifestyle restrictive and is unable to fit in.

Witch of blackbird pond summary

Growing up in Puritan New England is no fun. Read our short book summary of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare and find out why.

Introduction See All

Summary See All

Themes

Characters

• Katherine "Kit" Tyler
• Hannah Tupper
• Nathaniel "Nat" Eaton
• John Holbrook
• Matthew and Rachel Wood
• Mercy Wood
• Judith Wood
• William Ashby
• Prudence Cruff
• Goodwife Cruff
• Reverend Bulkeley
• Governor Edmund Andros

Analysis

• Tone
• Genre
• What's Up With the Title?
• What's Up With the Ending?
• Setting
• Tough-o-Meter
• Writing Style
• Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
• Narrator Point of View
• Plot Analysis
• Allusions

Quotes

Premium

She finds the Puritan lifestyle restrictive and is unable to fit in. Kit's beauty and free-spirited nature make her an outcast in the community. She also has a difficult time adjusting to the strict religious practices and the lack of freedom for women.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond Summary

Having just lost her grandfather, Katherine “Kit” Tyler leaves her home in tropical Barbados on a ship (the Dolphin) bound for Connecticut. There she is determined to find her Aunt Rachel Wood, her only remaining family.

On the ship, she flirts occasionally with the mocking but otherwise good-natured captain’s son, Nat Eaton. She also causes a scene when she jumps overboard to rescue a young girl’s doll. The passengers – especially the girl’s mother, the nosy Goodwife Cruff – are suspicious of any woman who can swim. After the swimming incident, Kit's only companion on the boat is the Puritan John Holbrook, a studious man sailing to Wethersfield to study with the Reverend Gersholm Bulkeley.

Once the ship arrives in Wethersfield, Kit must fess up: her aunt’s family doesn’t actually know she’s coming. Nevertheless, the captain and Nat escort her to the Wood family’s house where she meets her Aunt Rachel, her Uncle Matthew, and her two cousins, Judith and Mercy. Kit’s uncle is a stern man, though once he learns of her orphan status, he begrudgingly allows Kit to stay. What other choice does he have?

Kit is introduced to the laboring life of Puritan New England and all of its tedium. There are chores to attend to and loads of wool to card. Having only worn fancy dresses in the past, Kit must find clothing appropriate to her new station.

Kit also gets to know the Wood family. Uncle Matthew is sometimes harsh, though he is also solid and dependable. He does not agree, we should note, with the King of England’s politics, which is kind of a problem, since it's the 1680s and Connecticut is one of England's colonies. Aunt Rachel was once a beauty, but, as we find out, has lost two sons – a situation that has taken its toll. As for the two daughters, Mercy is kind and patient and suffered from a fever as a child that has left her lame in one leg. Judith is a pretty, prissy flirt, though generally nice.

Time for boy-talk: Judith has her eyes set on William Ashby, the richest, most eligible young bachelor in town. One day at church, however, William sees Kit dressed in all of her finery (that is, fancy dress) and takes a definite liking to her. He asks Uncle Matthew if he can come and call on Kit. Judith doesn't seem to mind much, and instead sets her cap for John Holbrook – whom she meets at church – instead.

One day during work in the fields (which Kit hates, by the way), Kit sees a woman down at Blackbird Pond. It’s Hannah Tupper, Judith explains, a Quaker with a brand on her forehead. The woman could be mistaken for a witch, Kit admits. She feels, though, that the Meadows – the place where Hannah lives – are a space of peace and quiet. She feels at home there, much more so than she has anywhere else in Wethersfield.

William begins to call on Kit, though the two really have nothing at all to talk about. Kit likes the idea of marriage to a wealthy man, though, since it will get her out of the hard labor of the onion patch. John Holbrook starts coming along as well, and everyone assumes he is crushing on Judith. (Little do they know…)

As the seasons turn, Mercy and Kit are tapped to run a schoolroom out of the Wood family house. Kit is thrilled with this opportunity to earn her keep (and to get out of that darn onion patch). Everything is going well until one day Kit decides to have the children playact a skit from the Bible: the parable of the Good Samaritan. Unfortunately, this is the same day that the headmaster is coming to visit. The man is shocked by the liberties Kit takes with the Bible. (Puritans, famous for being stuffy, thought playacting was a huge no-no.) He dismisses the school, fires Kit, and threatens to suspend Mercy as well.

Upset, Kit runs to the Meadows – that place of peace and quiet – where she cries until she falls asleep. When she wakes she meets Hannah Tupper, witch of Blackbird Pond herself, who takes Kit into her house and gives her some delicious blueberry cake. Hannah is extremely kind, it turns out, and owns some very adorable cats. The two women become fast friends. Emboldened (that means that she gained courage) by her new friendship, Kit approaches the schoolmaster and asks him not to suspend Mercy. He agrees, and gives Kit her job back too. Kit and Mercy continue to teach at the school, but Kit is much more careful now.

One day Kit meets Prudence, the girl whose doll she rescued from the ocean, lurking outside. Prudence’s mother won’t let her take lessons at the school (her mother thinks she dumb and can't learn), but Kit convinces the girl to meet her in the Meadows for secret private lessons. Kit lets Prudence borrow her silver horn book (a tiny paddle with the alphabet listed on it), which she keeps at Hannah house. She introduces Prudence to Hannah and the two become friends over blueberry cake and kittens.

New information: Kit learns that Nat, the captain’s son, is also a friend of Hannah’s. He visits her from time to time. He does chores for Hannah, helps her around the house, and brings her presents from his voyages. During one of these visits, Nat and Kit thatch Hannah’s roof together and share a semi-bonding moment. Nat ends up walking Kit home, where he (much to Kit’s embarrassment) meets the Wood family. Uncle Matthew ends up finding out that Kit has been visiting Hannah Tupper. He forbids her from seeing the old woman again.

Kit also learns – through the power of observation – that Mercy is secretly in love with John Holbrook. Well, as luck would have it, John confesses to Kit one day that he is also in love with Mercy – and will be asking for her hand in marriage. Hot dog!

The town’s cornhusking party rolls around and John totally botches his engagement attempt. Judith, who's rather pushy, thinks he is asking for her hand in marriage and the deal ends up being sealed by Uncle Matthew. Kit is the only one who knows the truth: that John wanted to ask for Mercy’s, not Judith’s, hand in marriage. William asks Kit about their own courtship around this time, but Kit successfully puts him off.

A little later, Kit runs into Nat Eaton, the captain’s son, at the docks. He's a bit grouchy because he has just delivered the fancy diamond-paned windows ordered for William Ashby’s new house and his Barbados bride. Nat, of course, assumes that Kit is getting married. The two exchange some heated words. That night, Nat and some of the men from the Dolphin decide to prank William Ashby by illuminating the windows of his new house with jack-o-lanterns. Nat and the men are put in the stocks for lighting the jack-o-lanterns and are banished from Wethersfield.

The novel’s political action starts heating up as Governor Andros comes to town to take Connecticut’s charter and replace it with his royal presence. The men in the town, among them Uncle Matthew, are livid and argue for their right to govern themselves (they are currently ruled by the King of England). Meetings take place at the Wood house and William Ashby, of all people, steals back the charter when Governor Andros visits. We also find out that John Holbrook has enlisted in the militia to fight the Indians.

Newsflash! A fever strikes the town’s young people. Kit and Judith get sick, as well as Mercy. Mercy has a terrible case of the fever, it turns out. The town looks for a scapegoat (someone to blame) and finds it in the Quaker Hannah Tupper. They decide she's a witch who has cursed the town with a fever. They form a mob to burn her house down.

Fortunately Kit gets to the Meadows in time to save Hannah. Hiding from the mob, Kit thankfully spots a ship in the river. It’s the Dolphin! Nat comes to the rescue and takes Hannah to his grandmother’s house. He offers to take Kit too, but she can’t leave, she tells him, because of Mercy.

Mercy’s fever finally breaks, but all is not well in Wethersfield. In the absence of Hannah, Kit is put on trial for being a witch. She is accused of consorting with the devil, mainly by Goodwife Cruff and her husband, who have found Kit’s hornbook (the little paddle she used to teach Prudence the alphabet) in the rubble of Hannah’s house – and their daughter Prudence’s name written on sheets of paper.

Though Uncle Matthew defends Kit, no one else in the town will help her – William Ashby doesn’t even show up to the examination. Fortunately, Nat returns from his banishment just in time to take little Prudence to trial to testify for Kit. With the young girl’s testimony (she proves that Kit was simply teaching her to read and write), Kit is set free. Nat must flee because of the banishment, but he tells Prudence to say goodbye to Kit for him.

Kit breaks off the engagement with William. (Finally!) Judith and William start to get cozy. John returns from the militia and runs into the waiting arms of Mercy. A double wedding takes place in which Judith and William marry alongside Mercy and John.

Kit concocts a plan to return to Barbados and become a governess, but before she does she realizes she’s in love with Nat. (Again: Finally!) Fortunately, Nat returns to Wethersfield, the proud owner of a ship named the Witch, and asks Kit to marry him. They plan to a future together that will include Hannah and both of their families.

The Witch Of Blackbird Pond

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Elizabeth George Speare was a well-known author of children’s books during the mid-twentieth century. Her second novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1957), earned her a Newbery Medal in 1959. She won another in 1962 for The Bronze Bow (1961), as well as a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1989 for her lifetime contribution to children’s literature. Her other novels include Calico Captive (1957) and The Sign of the Beaver (1984). Speare’s books are often found on the required reading list in American grade schools.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is categorized as Teen & Young Adult, US Colonial & Revolutionary Fiction, and Children’s Colonial US Historical Fiction. It is intended for readers aged 10 and older. This study guide and all its page citations are based on the Kindle edition of the novel. The plot is heavily influenced by the author’s own experience as a lifelong New Englander who also enjoyed traveling extensively.

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The novel is set in the American colony of Connecticut and covers a period of one year, from April 1687 to the beginning of May 1688. All the story’s events unfold in the small Puritan town of Wethersfield. The narrative technique is limited third person, told exclusively from the perspective of Kit Tyler. Kit’s point of view is central to a modern reader’s understanding of the Puritan world since her descriptions as an outsider make that world more accessible to us.

As the story opens, Kit has just left her home in sunny Barbados to live with her only remaining family in an austere atmosphere of Puritan religious ideology. Kit’s impulsive nature and colorful style of dress immediately put her at odds with her stern uncle and the rest of the local authorities. She is taught that the purpose of life is to work and pray in order to please God. When Kit befriends a reclusive Quaker woman living on the edge of town, she sets herself in opposition to the values of the community. In the process of describing Kit’s plight, the novel examines the themes of being caught between two worlds, the dangers of intolerance, and the value of listening to one’s heart.

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Plot Summary

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is sailing aboard the Dolphin from the island of Barbados to her new life in the colonies. Although Kit was surrounded by luxury in her grandfather’s home, his death has left her penniless. Kit must now go live with her Aunt Rachel’s family in the Puritan community of Wethersfield.

While still on the ship, Kit becomes friendly with Nat Eaton, the captain’s son. Both share a love of the sea and of reading. As the ship makes its way upriver to its final destination, Kit manages to run afoul of the Puritan code of behavior when she dives overboard to retrieve the doll of an unhappy little girl named Prudence Cruff. Prudence’s mother immediately suspects Kit of being a witch since ordinary women can’t swim. Kit is warned by Nat that the Puritans are a superstitious group and that she needs to learn how to fit into their society.

When Kit arrives on her family’s doorstep, her Aunt Rachel and cousins Mercy and Judith welcome her. Uncle Matthew is reserved and intolerant of her ways, but he grudgingly gives her a home under his roof. Over the course of the following weeks, Kit is appalled by the number of household chores that she must learn. On Sunday, the one day of rest, everyone spends four hours in church listening to bleak sermons. Kit sees a glimmer of hope when the town’s wealthiest citizen, William Ashby, courts her. He is building a fine new house for his intended bride. Kit finds William boring, but at least he would treat her as something more than a housemaid.

During the summer, Kit runs into trouble with the authorities while giving reading lessons to the local children. She tries to enliven their studies by having them act out scenes from the Bible, which scandalizes the local schoolmaster. Unable to find a way to fit in, Kit flees in tears to an open grassland on the outskirts of town. It is called the Great Meadow, and here she meets the wise old Quaker widow, Hannah Tupper. The freedom of the meadow and Hannah’s gentle advice help Kit reconnect with her own values. Kit goes back to her school duties and even finds a way to teach Prudence Cruff in secret at Hannah’s cottage. The cottage becomes a refuge for Kit and Prudence, as well as Nat, who has been Hannah’s friend for years.

When an illness sweeps over Wethersfield and many children fall ill, the citizens immediately accuse Hannah of witchcraft and burn down her home. Fortunately, Kit and Nat have already rescued Hannah and gotten her to safety. Kit herself isn’t so fortunate since Goodwife Cruff accuses her of casting a spell over Prudence.

Kit is brought before the town magistrate and charged with witchcraft, but Nat and Prudence come to her defense. Prudence proves she isn’t under a spell when she reads a passage from the Bible, and the charges against Kit are dropped. During the long, bleak winter that follows, Kit decides to return to Barbados for good. However, she has come to appreciate the people who are her friends and family in New England, too. At the same time, she realizes that she is in love with Nat and turns down William’s proposal. When Nat returns from a sailing voyage in the spring, he asks Kit to marry him, thus allowing her to enjoy sailing to the islands with him in the winter and maintaining her emotional ties in Wethersfield the rest of the year.

Book Review: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (4/5)

I needed a book for my When Are You Reading? Challenge and this worked out perfectly. 1500-1699 can be really challenging so I was happy to find one that worked out so perfectly. On top of that, it seems this is a classic middle-grade book that I missed out on somehow. It’s nice to have read it now and feel like I’m not missing out.

Cover image via Amazon

Summary from Amazon:

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

Because I’m such a big fan of historical fiction, one thing that struck me was that this book seemed a bit out of time. I’m thinking specifically of Kit’s upbringing in Barbados which seemed very modern from what I know of the late 1600s. It colored the book for me moving forward from there. I did feel that the Puritan colony in Connecticut was rather well portrayed from my knowledge of history and I found that fascinating.

From what I know, the characters were very true to life for the time. Judith and Aunt Sarah were very lifelike and felt like people you could know in any time period. Kit was very rebellious and ahead of her time which makes it easier for a modern reader to connect with her. I think they were good characters for a MG novel and I liked them a lot.

Mercy was my favorite character and I wanted everything to go well for her. She was so kind and had accepted her station in life tough Kit wanted more for her. She was glad to teach the children how to read and be a help around the house. But the reader wanted her to find love and her arc completed beautifully.

Kit was easy to relate to because she wanted life to be fun and carefree, more like a childhood of modern time. Because she was easy to relate to, the Puritan culture she was in stuck out even more than it would have otherwise and served as a great backdrop to show her struggle to fit in and the strict culture she was living in.

Elizabeth George Speare
Image via Amazon

I thought the ending was very sweet. I liked how William’s allegiance changed and how Kit came to realize that she wanted her freedom and how she could go about that. Mercy’s ending was very fitting for her character. While I figured out how Kit’s story would end about halfway through, these side character arcs were happy surprises.

Kit seemed so oblivious at the beginning of the book that her character was a bit annoying. It was hard for me to like her at first because she seemed to be so flippant and didn’t listen to those around her. She grew on me later, but it didn’t start off well.

My audiobook was read by Mary Beth Hurt and I thought she was wonderful. Her voice for Hannah was wonderful and she gave good weight to the emotions the characters would feel.

Fitting in was hard for Kit. She wanted to blend in with her family, but she was a bit lost on how to do that. The change from her upbringing on a tropical island to Puritan New England was stark and I understand why she struggled. It took her time and she made mistakes. In that time, making a mistake almost cost her her life and freedom. Now, we have more leeway to make mistakes and not have to count on Nat to deliver us from the trial.

Writer’s Takeaway: One thing YA authors struggle with is giving a young adult the agency to make changes in their life due to their age. Setting her story in the late 1600s gave Speare this ability and I think she tackled it well. Historical YA is important because it helps growing minds see what their life could have been like and I think Speare did this very well.

Enjoyable and fun. Four out of Five Stars.

This book fulfills the 1500-1699 time period of the When Are You Reading? Challenge.

Until next time, write on.

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Kit befriends a girl named Mercy, who introduces her to her family. The Woods are kind and accepting of Kit, but she still struggles to find her place in the community. Despite this, Kit finds solace in spending time with Nat, a young sailor who often visits Wethersfield. The town is faced with a measles epidemic, and many people, including Kit's cousin Judith, fall ill. Kit helps take care of the sick and is praised for her bravery. This event changes the community's perception of her, and she slowly starts to gain acceptance. However, trouble arises when the Puritan community accuses Kit of being a witch. She stands trial and is found innocent with the help of Nat, who stands up for her. Kit realizes that she cannot stay in Wethersfield, as she will always be an outcast. In the end, Kit decides to return to Barbados, where she feels she belongs. She leaves behind her friends and the community she has grown to know. The Witch of Blackbird Pond explores themes of tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of staying true to oneself..

Reviews for "The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Summary of the Main Protagonist"

1. John - 2 stars - I found "Witch of Blackbird Pond" to be incredibly boring and uneventful. The plot was slow-paced and lacked any real excitement or suspense. The characters were one-dimensional and I couldn't connect with any of them. Overall, I was disappointed with the book and would not recommend it.

2. Sarah - 3 stars - While I appreciate the historical setting and the author's attempt to address themes of prejudice and discrimination, I found "Witch of Blackbird Pond" to be overly predictable and lacking in depth. The romance aspect of the story felt forced and unrealistic, and the resolution of the conflicts was rushed and unsatisfying. I think there are better historical fiction books out there that explore similar themes with more nuance.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I was required to read "Witch of Blackbird Pond" for a school assignment, and I really struggled to get through it. The writing style was dry and the characters felt flat and uninteresting. The storyline didn't captivate me and I found myself zoning out often while reading. I understand that this book is a classic, but it just didn't resonate with me personally.

4. David - 1 star - "Witch of Blackbird Pond" was a complete waste of time for me. The plot was predictable, the characters were forgettable, and the writing was lackluster. I couldn't find anything redeeming about this book and I regretted picking it up. I would strongly advise against reading this if you're looking for a captivating and engaging story.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Summary of Language and Writing Style