Pictures of Scotland.org Amazon.com Store

The most recorded executions of accused witches occurred in Salem village. It began when (or so the book says) when a fortuneteller named Tituba stared predicting a group of girl's fortunes. The girls then started behaving strangely days after. They threw strange fits. The villagers believed it was the work of evil hands A.K.A. witches. Superstition took over and the Salem townsfolk started to accuse other people of being witches. The Chases, Mary, Caleb, and Virginia, unwillingly find themselves victims of atrocities committed by the villagers. Then Virginia, Mary and Caleb's mother, is accused of being a witch. The children formulate a plan to save their mother before she is hanged.

All the main characters in this book were down to earth decent people. They were persistent in their beliefs, yet they were simple. I would only recommend this book to intellectuals and philosophers. People will have to carefully read through it to enjoy it. I personally liked it. It's important that we understand History so we do not make mistakes.


pretty good   August 28, 2002
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Beyond the burning time by Kathryn lansky is about a town that goes bad. The main character is a 12- year -old girl named Mary. When several girls start acting peculiar and start having fits, seisures, and twisting there body in unnatural ways. Saying it was the devil they accused innocent people of witchcraft. Their false accusations killed many people. A little while after Marys mother Virginia was accused of witchcraft. Mary and her brother Caleb try to devise a plan to help her escape.

At first the book is confusing but once you get into it starts getting better. Still my favorite type of reading is science fiction like Brian Jacques series or the lord of the rings trilogy. Anyway I would recommend this book to all types readers


Which witch and whose who   August 24, 2002
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I liked that this was a fictional story about a non-fictional topic. It tells you about a time in history and the events that happened. It was true that they hung people but the names of the people they hung in the book are made up. I disliked that there were so many names. It made it hard to tell who was who. In the book someone's first name was the same as someone elses last name. This book is similar to the book Farewell to Manizar because in both books people are unjustly accused of things they didn't do and persecuted for them. Overall I thought the book was O.K., it could have had a little more detail about the surroundings.


Beyond the Burning Time   August 24, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Beyond the Burning Time

Beyond the Burning Time was a interesting book with a few scares. I both liked and disliked the book. The reasons that I liked the book were that I have always enjoyed reading about history. I also liked the book because it had shocks and surprises such as people no one would of ever thought were witches (Rebecca Nurse and Martha Cory) were accused and killed. Intenseness is also something I like in a book and in this book when Mary and Caleb are trying save there mother it shows that. The only reason I disliked the book was because knowing that it was a true story and that the events really occurred, it made the book a bit scary. Compared to other novels I have read Beyond the Burning Time was much more realistic because it was a true story. I haven't read many non-fiction novels so it was it was a change. Beyond the Burning Time was a very enjoyable and easy read.

My overall impression of the novel was that it was very well wrote and anyone who has read it or does read it should like it. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about non-fiction and history. I really enjoyed reading the book Beyond the Burning Time and I recommend it to anyone who has some spare time.


Accusations of Witchcraft in Salem   August 23, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

How would you feel if someone betrayed you and said that you are something that you are not? In the novel Beyond the Burning Time, by Kathryn Lasky, the people of Salem Town thought that Ann Putnam, Mary Walcott, or Mercy Lewis were saviors because they were supposed to the gift to spot witches. These girls would say they saw something and then they would accuse someone of witchcraft. Their word alone was enough to put people in jail and on trial for witchcraft. It was thought that there were five witches in Salem. The Chase family of Salem Town did not believe in witchcraft. Imagine the surprise of Mary and Caleb Chase when the three girls look closer to their own family. Are the accusations of the girls real?
I liked this novel because it taught me about a specific time in American History. The witch-hunts in Salem are not one of the proudest moments in our history. They are an example of how hatred and fear can destroy innocent peoples lives. One thing that I disliked about the novel was how arbitrarily people made accusations. There was no way to verify whether the accusations made against the people were justified.
When I compare this book to other books that I have read, this one of my favorite books. I liked this book because it was interesting to read. It interested me because I could never imagine living in a situation like Mary did. It is hard to imagine living at a time when life could be a living hell.
This was an enjoyable book for me to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about American history. This story gave more than the facts of what happened in Salem Town. It gave us a glimpse of the experience through the eyes a person who lived through it.