My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had read Jane-Emily recently and wanted to try Witches’ Children too. And what a surprising book it turned out to be. A very serious and sobering point has been brought out thru this story based on the Salem Witch Trials. The Mass hysteria that had occurred then was unprecedented and resulted in one of the worst and bleakest point in history with countless people accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death.

Patricia Clapp reimagines the story thru Mary Warren who recounts the beginning of the madness that grips the 10 girls who all shows symptoms of similar hysteria screaming, and contortions believed to be brought out by witches known to them, the girls then begin to pick names at random and thus heralded as possessing divine capabilities begins to exult in the power they hold over the so called grownups who lose all sense of reasoning.

The account of the trials is harrowing but the author has not gone into in depth detail to make it boring. It is a solemn book about the repercussions that happens when children are allowed to become “Gods” and can easily be followed by all. The characterization of each and every bewitched girl is wonderfully done and it was a pleasure to read even with a sad topic.



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During the winter of 1692, when the young girls of Salem suddenly find themselves subject to fits of screaming and strange visions, some believe that they have seen the devil and are the victims of witches.