Myths! Lies! Neighbors casting spells? Grab your brookstick, beloved educator and author Kate Messner is cleaning up the biggest myths and misconceptions about the Salem Witch Trials. A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEARIn 1692, a few paranoid Puritans accused their neighbors of being witches sending the town flying off the (broomstick) handle. Before it was all over, dozens of women in Salem, Massachusetts were executedmdash;burned at the stake. RIGHT?WRONG! There was some serious witch worry, but no one in the United States was put on a pyre (though the truth isn't much better).nbsp;And women werenrsquo;t the only ones caught in crossfire.What really happened? The truth is historians arenrsquo;t totally sure. But it is certain that religious beliefs, a changing world, and a few super nosy neighbors collided to spell disaster for one New England town. No joke!Award-winning author Kate Messner demolishes everything you thought you knew about history.Ready to bust new myths? Check out more titles in the History Smashers series: The Mayflower bull; The American Revolution bull; The Titanic bull; Plagues and Pandemics
