Invisible World by Suzanne Weyn - OPTIONAL

Weyn, Suzanne  Invisible World, 240 pgs.  Scholastic Press, 2012.  $17.99  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

Elsabeth comes from a long line of magical women and she can see people’s thoughts and memories.  Her nanny and her father have always encouraged her to use and control her powers and they decide to go in a ship to America to use her gifts to make advancements in science.  However, as the ship crosses the waters there is a horrible storm off the coast of Bermuda and the ship goes down.  Elsabeth survives, but is unsure if her family has made it as well.  After three days at sea, she washes up on the beach on a plantation and is revived through the help of a young black slave named Aakif.  Elsabeth and Aakif eventually find themselves in Salem, Massachusetts in the thick of the Salem Witch Trials.  With Elsabeth’s powers as a witch, she falls under suspicion and she can also see the evil that is at play in the community.  

I didn’t like this book for many reasons.  First, the front cover proclaims that the book is a novel of the Salem Witch Trials, but this book muddies the facts.  Second, the story is full of adventure and moves along quickly, but it doesn’t spend a lot of time on character development so the characters aren’t very endearing.  Third, the ending was too neat and tidy and not realistic to the times, it was as though the author wanted a happy ending and so she forced one.  Also, it is Satanically dark for the age level it would appeal to.  

MS-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.