WICKED GIRLS: A NOVEL OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hemphill, Stephanie. 2010. WICKED GIRLS: A NOVEL OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS. NewYork: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-06-185328-9 

Hemphill, Stephanie. Read by Stina Nielsen, Michal Friedman, Celeste Ciulla, and Barbara Caruso. 2011. WICKED GIRLS: A NOVEL OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS. Recorded Books. CD. ISBN 978-1-46-181805-2

PLOT SUMMARY

Award winning novelist, Stephanie Hemphill, has brought us a fictionalized version of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, including WICKED GIRLS very own queen bee, Ann Putnam, Jr. Hemphill writes from the the minds of three girls involved in the accusations, Ann (12 years old), Mercy Lewis (17) and Margaret Walcott (17), hence the story unfolds from their points of view. One particular male character, Isaac, is a cringe-worthy bad boy of the late 1600’s. Readers will love to hate him, although the girls’ behavior eclipses the misdeeds of this resident bad boy. The novel leaves you to wonder, Just how far would I go to belong?

AUDIOBOOK

FORMAT

I borrowed WICKED GIRLS in CD format from the library. It was the unabridged version. There were five sound discs and the listening time was 5 hours, 15 minutes. The CD’s were in a hard, plastic casing with the book cover on the front. I also checked out the hardcover, in case there were any moments I felt compelled to read in print.

READER

The choice to use a different reader for each of the three girls is an important feature of this recording. Although the reader calls out the title and subtitle of each chapter, it is the changing of voice which grabs the listener’s attention. Ann Putnam, Jr., really is a little girl. To hear this verse read by a young actress underscores the malevolent nature of the character. It creates a bone chilling effect which heightens the drama from the written form.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality was excellent. The pronunciation was Puritan perfect from each reader.  There were no background effects, which supported the drama of the verse. Hemphill’s word choice was allowed to carry the full emotion of every image.

The readers were matched to the ages of the girls, with Mercy and Margaret read by older teens. Their submission to a young Ann’s will, only aged 12, is haunting as the viewpoints volley back and forth by chapter. 

The reference papers are read by an older female. It feels like a wizened voice brings the information to you, i.e. a favorite professor explaining the worst of humankind in a nurturing manner. It mesmerizes the listener and gives respect to the victims.

The audio version engaged me quickly. I was completely absorbed and found myself adding miles to my trips to the grocer, just to continue listening without interruption.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Each chapter is a collection of poems from one girl’s point of view. At the beginning of each, there is a title and subtitle. The subtitle names the narrative voice, which helps keep the girls’ identities clear. Within each chapter, the stanzaas break when different characters speak, or when the action moves to a different person. These structural features support the reader and helps one to absorb the verse more easily.

The language of WICKED GIRLS creates a sensory experience as Hemphill fluidly integrates language features of the period.

“Go on, stand ye by the Reverend,

And tell all what thou hast seen.”

Mister Putnam’s voice disavows

Hesitant feet. Ann scurries forth.

  Page 79  

The drama waxes and wanes throughout, as the verse moves through speakers, particularly when expressed as the narrative voice of Ann. 

Ann Putnam, Jr., leads the charge of “witch” against victims. The verse is crisp and rhythmically pleasing, as each line break carries emotion. As the novel progresses, the girls jostle for power within their group and Puritan community. Hemphill arranges the lines to increase the emotional power of this jostling:

What is good about witches

        is that when I call out “Mother,” 

Mother listens and replies,

“Yes, dear Ann.”

Page 89

When it evolves, as the reader knows it will, to the deaths of innocent victims, Hemphill does not shy away from the hangings. These descriptions suit a secondary audience best, although mature fifth graders could read it. Her word choice is concise, yet brings the reader to the scene. An example is in this stanzaa:

                                                               She dies slowly.

                                                               She swings

                                                               though no wind blows.

              Page 252

There are reference aids at the front and end of the novel. At the front, it lists the seven girls who “see” witches, along with their back story. This was particularly helpful and as the narrators switched roles and referred to various girls in the group, I would often flip to the beginning to skim the backstory and orient myself. It was useful, for me, to have both the audiobook and hardcover to support my experience. 

The reference pages at the end begin with the history of the real girls this fictional novel is based upon. Hemphill could have stopped there, but chose to add the history of the victims, too, which felt like a respectful ending. This choice of layout added emotion to Hemphill’s final line: “Do not forget what happened here.”

PERSONAL RESPONSE

I was captured by all the readers from the start. Every character came alive for me. As a listener, it made the experience of free verse more powerful than the print novel would have by itself. 

I think this novel is perfect for the young adult audience. It appeals more to the female reader than the male. Elementary age is too young, although I could see a mature fifth grader enjoying it. It definitely gives the listener/reader an understanding of the period of the Witch Trials. The mean girl theme will have particular appeal to a middle grade audience.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The verse format is fresh and engaging, distilling the actions of the seven accusing girls into riveting narrative.”

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW: “Even those familiar with the historical events will savor the exploration of the underlying motivations, as Hemphill breathes life into those long dead and holds a mirror up to contemporary society.”

CONNECTIONS

*The verse begs to be read aloud by different readers. A great activity for a middle grade or high school classroom would be to allow three different girls to read chapters for the class. Also, allow the students to listen to several tracks on the audiobook and compare it to reading the verse in print alone. 

*Compare the parallels of this group’s dynamics to contemporary schools. How are these girls bullies? Why don’t the adults see through the transparency of their behavior? With current technologies, could these sorts of “false accusation” occur today?

*In this video clip, Stephanie Hemphill reads the opening lines and discusses why poetic verse is the best writing form for this novel.