EducatingParents.org rating: Caution - Read With Care
This book contains text that could be considered biased against Christianity. Discussion of witchcraft and death. Topics may not be suitable for younger and/or sensitive children.

This is an informational text about the story of the Salem Witch Trials. Written in the form of a mystery with a young detective trying to piece together the story, this book is packed full of vocabulary and non-fiction text features in a "journal entry" form. The story dates back to 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, when inexplicable things start happening to group of young girls.

Teaching Connections: Social Studies curriculum connections, historical references, non-fiction text features

Website Resource: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/story/sto... ( )

I enjoyed reading this book for many different reasons. I enjoyed this book because the writing the author used was very engaging and organized. The author used a young girl to tell the story of The Salem Witch Trials. However, the author included information that would make sense to young readers. For example, the author began the book with “It was a long cold winter of 1692 in the small Puritan community of Salem Village, Massachusetts.” The author began this book with an appealing and engaging opening line which will intrigue readers to want to learn more. The author also included many useful text features throughout the book. I liked how the author included little sticky notes on the pages that gave readers the definition of hard words that younger readers would not be able to understand. I also liked how they were on the same page because readers do not have to flip to the back of the book to look in the glossary and risk losing their reading spot. The main idea of this book was to describe the unsolved mystery of the Salem Witch Trials. This Informational Book was definitely written in a way to capture reader’s attention. The depth of the information was appropriate for the audience. There are also many text features that readers would find useful in learning more about the Salem Witch trials.

A little girl playing detective gives readers information about the Salem Witch Trials. Included are definitions of words and notes with facts from the historical event. At the end the narrator ask the readers their opinion. The narrator also lists the top five explanations to the girls acting the way they did. This book is cute and short but contains a lot of information. The author boxes off the story, puts notes on a note pad, and definition on bright boxes. This separates words from the illustrations, while included different kinds of information. I would read this to my class when learning about the witch trials. My students could play detective and discuss what they believe happened to the girls who were calling people witches. ( )

In this non-fiction mystery the author uses a unique technique to capture audiences' attention. She writes the story from the viewpoint of a young girl trying to solve the mystery. The author writes the story on each page and at the bottom of each page is a notebook with the girl's notes. Also on the pages are words and their definitions. I think this was a very fascinating story. I really liked how the author presented the information and challenged readers to come up with their own theory. The illustrations in this book were very appropriate. The author also included a bibliography. I would read this to my class when talking about events that took place in the late 1600's. ( )