The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble is set in seventeenth century Andover, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Faulkner lives with her two sisters, baby brother, father and mother, surrounded by extended family. The book starts with her in the stocks for having raised her skirts to run. She has to go to church the next day, and expects her grandfather, the preacher, to spend the entire time lecturing her from the pulpit. But instead he speaks about bearing false witness and lying. This is the first that 10-year-old Abigail learns about the Salem Witch hysteria. When it is announced that the girls involved in the Salem Trials will come to Andover to seek for witches, Abigail is immediately worried about her father who suffers from mental illness. But no one in Abigail’s family is accused at first, until her grandfather continues to speak out against the accusations of others in the community. Then her beloved aunt is accused and jailed in Salem. And finally both Abigail and her older sister are accused by their former servant. Then the book becomes one of horror as readers are brought face-to-face with the conditions of the people held after being accused. The filth, lack of light, hunger, rats, and much more work to break spirits and ruin health.
The title of The Sacrifice has many meanings in the story. It is a gripping tale that is impossible to put down. Those looking for a book that truly portrays the way it was in Puritan Massachusetts will fiind a great book here. Recommend to children who like historical fiction and teachers who are covering this historical period.