In 1692, two girls from a Puritan village in New England start having fits, babbling and contorting their bodies. 'The Devil has been raised among us,' says the minister. The girls accuse three women of tormenting them. The women are tried and convicted of witchcraft. So begins the infamous Salem witch hunt. Young and old, social outcasts and pillars of the community, women and men - no one is safe, anyone can be branded a witch. No evidence is needed - in the Salem court, the word of the 'afflicted' is enough to convict the accused and send them to jail. Nineteen are hanged on Gallows Hill, and four die in prison. A chilling story of fear and paranoia spiralling out of control, with terrifying results.

 

This book is aimed at children in secondary school.

There are 160 pages in this book. This book was published 2003 by Hachette Children's Group .

Chris Priestley, author of Jail-breaker Jack (Hodder), Dog Magic (Transworld, shortlisted for the Children's Book Award) and My Story: Battle of Britain (Scholastic).