The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Where is Kit from originally and why is coming to America so strange for her?

Page 6 — Barbados; people don’t swim; they don’t know who she is; people are critical and judge quickly and unfairly

6

In whom did Kit find a friend in this chapter?

Page 10 — Nat at the beginning; the little girl whose doll she saved; John Holbrook

10

Define the word “heathen”.

Page 11 — a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person

11

Why was John concerned for Kit at the end of the chapter?

Kit is not accustomed to the culture she is entering to and he doesn’t want to see her get hurt or be judged wrongly

List one character and Kit’s interactions with them on the ship.

Page 16 — Nat couldn’t believe she jumped in the water and became angry when finding out she had slaves in Barbados; John was always surprised and seemed to have a warning voice when learning about her background; Goodwife Cruff didn’t like Kit and didn’t want her near her child; Prudence admired Kit

16

Describe Kit’s family.

Page 32 — Aunt Rachel is old and thin; Uncle Matthew is old and serious; Judith is beautiful as her mother once was; Mercy has extraordinary eyes and uses a crutch

32

Summarize Kit’s history and how she came to live with her aunt and uncle.

Page 37 — Her grandfather was sick and an overseer ran the plantation; the overseer finished the crop and then disappeared; when her grandfather died there were debts; Kit sold the land to settle the debts; she sold her own slave for passage to America

37

Why was Matthew’s reaction so shocking to Kit?

Page 44 — She grew up with fine clothing and didn’t realize her aunt’s family felt beautiful clothing was wrong

44

Why did Kit cry on her pillow that night?

Page 49 — She felt useless; it would have been better if she was a boy

49

Describe Kit’s experience at church and why she was upset at the end of the chapter.

Page 53 — People stare and talked about her; she was uncomfortable; she had to sit still for two hours and went numb; there was a second service in the afternoon they were going to

53

Describe the altercation between the reverend and Kit’s uncle.

Page 61 — The reverend is a loyalist and supports the king, but Uncle Matthew doesn’t

61

Why did the Reverend think that Mercy is weak and why does Kit disagree?

Page 64 — Mercy is lame and can’t walk well, but she has an inner strength the entire family relies on

64

What helped Kit enjoy Saturday evenings?

Page 74 — William called on her each Saturday and he didn’t expect her to be useful; the prospect of marrying him

74

What helped Kit better understand her uncle?

Page 81 — Knowing that he was angry and sad all the time from losing two babies, both boys

81

What was the answer Kit received from Hannah?

Page 97 — That though she’s like the alien flower, she can grow where she’s planted; to talk to Mr. Kimberley about her mistake and the school

97

How does Kit’s family feel about Hannah.

Page 99 — She’s dangerous because she’s a Quaker

99

Who’s Hannah’s seafaring friend?

Page 106 — Nathaniel from the ship

106

What secret world did Kit pull Prudence into?

Page 118 — Learning to read; meeting Hannah; meeting with Kit secretly

118

Do you agree Kit should have pulled Prudence into her world? Why, or why not?

Listen to your child’s answer

What awkward situation did Nat put Kit in when he walked her home?

Page 132 — She had to tell her uncle where she was; William was jealous seeing Kit with him

132

What tragic event happened in this chapter?

Page 142 — Judith thought John wanted to court her, when in reality he was asking Matthew for permission to court Mercy; now he is courting Judith because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings

142

What did Nat mean when he said, “To think I worried about that little bird. I might have known it would gobble up a nice fat partridge in no time”?

Page 151 — The bird is Kit and he’s mocking her; he was worried about her coming to Connecticut, but she’s done well for herself in finding a wealthy young man to marry and take care of her

151

Why was Kit proud of her uncle?

Page 163 — For taking a stand in what he believed in

163

What danger is Prudence in?

Page 173 — Prudence’s mom will punish her for learning to read and for meeting with Hannah and Kit

173

Why is Judith so upset?

Page 176 — John’s enlisted in the militia as a doctor

176

Summarize this chapter.

Page 177 — Mercy and many in the town are very sick; a crowd came wanting Matthew to help them kill Hannah, they think she’s cursing the town; Kit sneaks out, runs to Hannah and gets her away from her home; the people burn her home and look for her but can’t find her; Kit noticed the Dolphin sailing by; Nat brought Hannah and her cat to the ship; Kit returned home and Mercy’s fever broke

177

Why is Kit locked up in a shed?

Page 200 — She was accused of being a witch since she had gone to see Hannah

200

What happened at the trial?

Page 218 — Nat brought Prudence to prove that Kit wasn’t a witch

218

How did Prudence’s parents react when she told them she had been going to Hannah’s home and Kit had been teaching her to read?

Her mom was angry, but her father was proud of her for learning to read

Describe Kit’s first winter.

Page 234 — Harsh, cold, snowy, gray, dreary, depressing, dark

234

Who arrived at the end of the chapter and why was it so shocking?

Page 238 — John Holbrook; he’d been taken captive by Indians; he looked gaunt and ragged; When coming in the house, he went straight to Mercy and not Judith

238

Summarize the conclusion of this story.

The engagement announcement of Judith and William and Mercy and John was made; Kit realized she wanted to be with Nat; Nat bought his own ship; Nat walked with Kit to get her uncle approvals to marry her