Salem wenches, bitch witches... those are some of the names that the local townspeople call the "afflicted girls," who provide more and more names to the local magistrate for attention and relief from boredom. Perhaps accusing the people of witchcraft will rid Salem of fear and mistrust.

The witch trials are a circus. The afflicted girls, as well as many local residents, attend the trials. The accused witches are not appointed counsel, and their words of defense fall on impatient ears. Witches who confess accept responsibility for naming others. Those who refuse to admit to their wrong doings are condemned to die. Then, they are hanged in public, sometimes with children watching. Jails in both Salem and Boston are overflowing with convicted witches. 

Susanna English is a teen growing up in Salem among adults and children alike who live in fear of being named as demons in consort with the Devil. Her family members fall victim to the afflicted girls' insatiable appetite for drama. Susanna learns of the magistrate's latest strategies from her boyfriend Jonathan. When her family flees for the more liberal and accepting Boston, the young woman stays behind to speak the truth... if doing so will not lead to her own demise.

A Break With Charity:  A Story About the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi, 1992

Puritanism in the 1690s in Salem, Massachusetts made for long, hard winters. Entertaining, drinking, and dancing were frowned upon in that culture during those times. Epidemics of small pox and other devastating diseases made life even harder in the northeastern United States in the late 17th century. Some Salem citizens keep their horses saddled at all times in order to expedite their immediate departures should they be accused of holding hands with Evil.

• Ann Rinaldi's web site
• Books about the Salem Witch Trials
• Books about witchcraft