WICKED GIRLS by Stephanie Hemphill

Bibliography

Hemphill, Stephanie. 2010. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Balzer + Bray. ISBN 0061853305

Summary

This is a fictionalized account told from the perspective of three of the real young women involved in the Salem witch trials. Ann Putnam Jr. is the driving force behind the accusations. Margaret Wilson, Ann’s cousin, is a love-sick girl who is torn between loyalty to her cousin and the game they have created and her betrothed and the life they could have together. Mercy Lewis is a servant in Ann’s house and one who Ann idolizes. She clings to the safety that following Ann brings. As these girls and their friends continue to accuse, and the consequences become direr, will they choose to continue their game, or will honesty prevail?

Critical Analysis

Hemphill creates a believable story about the motives and personalities of the accusers in the Salem witch trials. She weaves her tale from the perspective of the three main characters, with the other characters’ personalities being viewed from different angles. While their personalities are distinct, the language used by each of the characters does not match their age. Ann, the youngest, often sounds much older than her supposed twelve years. While she is most often the ring leader, her voice also comes across as much older than her seventeen year old peers', which can confuse the perspective at times. The language used also attempts to reflect the Old English that would have been spoken in the late 1600's, but doesn't quite feel natural.

The changing perspectives were clearly defined at the beginning of each poem, which helped separate the characters and helped the reader keep the switching perspectives straight. While each poem has a rhythm of its own, the individual poem titles and notice of changing perspectives help give the reader a chance to mentally prepare for the shift. By choosing to write using the free verse poetic form, Hemphill was able to successfully convey the changing emotion as characters manipulated each other and power was sought and lost in a battle of peer pressure and adult exploitation.

Review Excerpts

2010 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award winner

Horn Book Guide – “In this forceful verse novel, Hemphill gives voice to those who writhed, twitched, and shrieked their way to power during the Salem witch trials.”

School Library Journal - "What emerges is a slow but gripping look into the minds of the group and the way their dynamics shift as power is gained and lost throughout the course of the events" - Genevieve Gallagher

Connections

This would be a great novel to read as a literature connection when studying the Salem Witch Trials.

It would be a great connection to studying the idea of peer pressure and what it can lead people, especially teens, to do.

This would be a great book to pair with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible - ISBN 0140481389