A Break with Charity

A Story about the Salem Witch Trials

By: Ann Rinaldi

Narrated by: Laura Hicks

Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn’t realize is that the leader of the group, the malicious Ann Putnam, is about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. When Susanna puts the pieces together, she faces a painful choice. She can keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or she can “break charity” with the group—and risk having her family named as witches.

©2013 Ann Rinaldi (P)2013 AudioGO

Critic reviews

"Rich with details…A Break with Charity portrays an excruciating era in American history from a unique perspective, and it will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy psychology, the supernatural, and history." ( School Library Journal)

"Rinaldi’s research is flawless and her period familiarity striking, but her strongest power is as a storyteller." ( Children’s Literature)

"A graceful blend of fiction and history.... The artful placement of Susannah as an observer provides a 360-degree view of the causes and effects of inexplicable mass persecution. At the same time, the author’s quiet, factual style stands in a soothing contrast to her inherently shocking and histrionic subject matter. Finely tuned, well researched, and very accessible, this novel ranks with Rinaldi’s finest work." ( Publishers Weekly)

Interesting Historical Fiction

Picked up this audio version of a book by an author I had previously read. I like historical fiction and while this book was written for a younger audience, I found it fascinating. I regularly googled elements of the story to find that much of it is historically accurate while woven into a fiction story. Very interesting. Probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed It and am now looking for another book by this author.

Good story, narrator okay

So the narrator almost steered me away from this book. She seems a bit robotic throughout the first few chapters. However, once the story gets rolling her voice takes on a bit more life.

Perfect history book for young readers

This was a very well written story in which the author definitely did her homework and knew her facts. It definitely is written for younger folks but I still liked it. The narrator was over dramatic!!

Interesting

Would you consider the audio edition of A Break with Charity to be better than the print version?

Yes, the narrator does a pretty good job of bringing the characters to life, her interpretation of the personality of the story if pretty good.

Which character – as performed by Laura Hicks – was your favorite?

Susanna English

Stuff Stuff And Stuff

It was cool and really cool pretty cool and uh sorta cool I mean you could say it was cool