The Salem Witch Trials

Graphic Library: Graphic History

by Michael Martin, Brian Bascle (Illustrator), Walter W. Woodward

Tells the story of the 1692 witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Written in graphic-novel format.

Genres: History, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Witches, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2002

Reviews

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really short and rushed but decent for a kid.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the Witch Trials in Salem, MA. It starts at the beginning with the girls who were having fits. The town decided it was the work of the devil and witchcraft. More and more people were accused and eventually hanged. It ends with people finally realizing that maybe the girls were just acting and so many people had been wrongfully put to death and they decided to stop the witch trials.

The artwork is in full color, and the foreground is more detailed. The background is plain. There are usually 2 or 3 panels per page, and there are speech bubbles and narrative text boxes.

I have been to Salem and I have read and studied this topic in school. Even when the information is presented in graphic novel format, I still think it's so dumb. How can you believe this stuff? People actually died because those three girls wanted attention and didn't like other people. It's kind of like bullying today.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.3

This does introduce key points of this tragic episode in American history, but it doesn't capture the essence of the event or the times. So many of the illustrations are of people screaming that I closed the book feeling as if someone had been screaming at me.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a very short overview you'll finish in some minutes. Giving you basic names and events nothing more. Written in 2002 so it didn't have many videos to compete with. But I bet you I could go on Youtube right now and find a 10 min video with way more details than in this book. Hence it feels rather pointless. There are also many write-ups. Even better you can find long books, podcasts, and likely a few very long videos for free if you seek it out and search a bit.

There is nothing to hate here it's a factual explanation. But man, this is lazy history. We don't even get an explanation for why the young women would be accusing older women of witchcraft. And why did judges believe it? Why not test the statements or conduct experiments? And what is all this witch thing about? Did the Salem people just want to steal property as is rumored? I would have liked either a few daily life scenes, deeper explanations, a coherent story, or background info. You are thrown into a setting with no info.

This is so short it's not worth seeking out. I'm not sure what the goal is here?

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very quick read that I think is great for children learning about the Salem Witch Trials. I’m 27 and found the information interesting because I can’t recall ever learning about it in detail. It was actually surprising how much information was packed into it in such a short book.

Definitely would recommend for children as it would be a great way to lead them into learning further about the trials.

[Chrys Fey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story done in graphic novel form that kids can understand. I appreciated it, although, yes, I hate that it happened and is part of our history. I won't give this book a low rating for stating the truth of what happened and how it happened.

[Erin Althaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was longer and had more details. It is actually a children's book, haha! But it did have some interesting information about how the Salem Witch Trials started. Very quick read.

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good novel

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool book I like it

[Sean Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be a good book to read as a child, to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials. I learned about it as a kid in history class, and I did not have a book like this to put things into a better perspective. I would not recommend this book to a child at too young of an age because they might be scared of witchcraft and the hangings.
The graphics in this book were great and really created a comic book feeling to the read. I think the drawings in this book make the story come to life more to the young readers. They can probably relate more to an event that happened so long ago with drawings like the ones in this book. This book also had statistics about the trials at the end of this book including number of deaths and people hanged.

[Holly Letson · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very unimpressive journey through The Salem Witch Trials in graphic novel form, this book says that 13 people got hung as witches, just because 2 bratty girls said that their spirit was hurting them.
By the end of the book, all you are left with is a bad taste in your mouth and a hope that these bratty girls ended up getting hung as well. Sadly, nothing happens to the girls. And, only one of the girls even plays at apologizing.
I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in this.

[Autumn Yoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the Salem Witch Craft events in the form of a comic book, which would be engaging for young students. Great for a US history lesson on Puritan history and the Salem Witch Craft events. 4th-5th grade appropriate.

[Aleisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-done graphic novel on a sensitive subject. The story is easy to understand through the dialogue and thought-bubbles, with the occasional brief explanation box at the bottom of a page. An infuriating story of herd mentality and fame.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

A terrible disappointment. The art work wasn't bad but the text was insulting. What happened in Salem and many surrounding towns during the late 1600s was a drama virtually unparalleled in American history. So much injustice should never be glossed over. It's as if this graphic novel were written for a four-year-old.