The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Goodreads synopsis: 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.

Elizabeth George Speare won the 1959 Newbery Medal for this portrayal of a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

My rating: 4 stars.

Content warnings: PG. A character gets put in stocks with food thrown at them. A house gets burned down, and a cat is shot at (not killed). Characters are accused of being witches, what happens to those convicted is discussed, and a character is put on trial.

Thoughts: Were early Puritans actually a cult? They sure do align with several key portions of the B.I.T.E. model at least. Come back later for more hot takes.

That aside, it's a good book. Most of it has been done before, but its got its own style that makes it really fun to read. And having the perspective of an outsider (rather than an unrealistically progressive character who grew up in the community) helps the story a lot.

There are a few instances where the author's more modern view show through a little. Like calling the main character a "young child" when she was at marriageable age, and had a few suitors. But for the most part it seems well researched and solid in its historical setting. At least from what I know about it.

It's hard to tell what the intended audience was, since it's called a kid's book, but some of the story seems directed for older readers. But whatever the case may be, it is worth reading, and clean enough to let more mature kids read it.