The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

Witch trials and unwed mothers in the same book?! In 1645, Nell’s grandmother is ailing and Nell must quickly learn to take over as her town’s healer. However, in this time of Puritanism and witch hunts, it is a dangerous profession for women to be midwives and healers. When the minister’s eldest, and unmarried, daughter, Grace, becomes pregnant, she goes to Nell to terminate the pregnancy. Nell refuses to terminate the baby because the baby was conceived on May 1st—under pagan tradition, babies conceived on May Day are sacred children called “merrybegots.” Unable to admit her failing to her father and the town and wanting to get rid of the person who knows her secret, Grace, with the help of her sister, Patience, contrives to blame her condition on Nell and her grandmother. In this time when the Puritan church was fighting against old, pagan beliefs, it was not difficult to get the town riled up about the “witches” in their midst.

While piskies (pixies) and fairies have some minor roles in this story, the story is more historical fiction than fantasy. Set before the Salem witch trials of 1692, this story gets into the psychological background of the witch hysteria that took over New England in the late 17th century. While not a big page turner, the story will still hold your interest to the end.

Book; 13+; ISBN 978-0689876912; New York: Atheneum books for young readers, 2005