Celia Rees

Imagine a story with the moral authority of The Crucible, underpinned with the terrible tension of The Blair Witch Project. Witch Child is constructed in the form of a journal belonging to a young woman in the 17th century. The writer, Mary, sees her grandmother accused of witchcraft and hanged for the crime. An unknown woman silently hides her, supplies her with paper and ink, and arranges for safe passage to the New World. Mary hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims, but old superstitions die hard. Mary soon finds that she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and superstition.
Mary's survival depends on the choices she makes, and readers will empathize with her isolation in a world of puritanical fervour. The vividly evoked environment and skilfully drawn characters are a powerful literary achievement. Mary's compelling voice drives a brilliant story that will find a sure audience with young adults.
"This is a powerful, absorbing and unusual novel."
-Bookseller
"Compelling and convincing ... Rees has become a major writer for teenage readers." -Independent