Top 16 Books About Salem Witch Trials Fiction Updated 04 /2024

I went to Salem for the first time a few weeks ago, and I still haven't thought about it. Throughout my whole life, I've been crazy about going to Salem, and I'm still crazy about it. There is a lot I like about the history of the Puritans and their trials, but there is also a lot I like about the current obsession with witchcraft in the town, which shows up in everything from cool witch shops to tourist traps. It's not yet fall, but I thought I'd put together a list of must-read books about Salem (or Salem adjacent, really). Please add your own ideas in the comments below!

Fiction

The Crucible.

I thought I'd get this one out of the way. But even though I think Miller's depiction of the Witch Trials is overused. It's an allegory for the McCarthy Trials, though. They aren't the same! It's important and worth reading.

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather.

On the other end of the spectrum is How to Hang a Witch, which Mather wrote about a high school student who is related to Cotton Mather. So I don't want to give anything else away. But I think it's great and the sequel will be out soon.

I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé.

This book imagines a long story for Tituba, the slave woman who was accused of witchcraft in Salem. Tituba is mentioned in a lot of nonfiction stories about the trials, but she isn't mentioned very much in a lot of fiction about the same events. This is Conde's way of trying to fix that.

Try I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, if you want to read about the Salem Witch Trials in another language and want to learn more about them. When Richard Philcox wrote this book about Tituba, a West African slave, it was in French. It tells the story of how Tituba came to Salem.

In 1692, Condé is accused of witchcraft and put in jail in Salem, Massachusetts. He tries to tell Tituba's story in a new way.

Everyone has heard about Tituba in the real world, but in most fictional books about the Witch Trials, Tituba isn't very important.

Also, learn a little more about the Salem Witch Trials, like how sexism and racism played a role.

The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Though you may have read The Scarlet Letter in high school, The House of Seven Gables is still worth reading. The story is about a mansion in Salem, MA, and the (maybe) supernatural things that happen there. It's a good thing you can go to Salem and see the real House of Seven Gables.

Witch Child by Celia Rees.

It tells the story of Mary, who was a young girl when her grandmother was hanged for witchcraft. After that, she was taken to the "New World." But Mary is taken to Massachusetts, where the Witch Trails take place, so she can see them.

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent.

When Kent tells the story of Sarah Carrier, who is the daughter of a woman who was accused of witchcraft, he talks about how she grew up. This book is hard to put down, and it's a little darker than some of the other books.

The Heretic's Daughter is a story that takes you back in time and shows you what life was like during the Salem Witch Trials. It puts you in the middle of the hysteria that swept the city.

The Heretic's Daughter is one of the most intense books about witch trials. It tells the story of the Carrier family. You can see how a mother and daughter have to stand together when they are charged with being witches.

My mother was accused of being an evil person. What does it feel like to be the daughter of someone who has been accused? Sarah Carrier takes you on a tour of Salem during the witch trials to show you how cruel the world was.

A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi.

At the end of her book, A Break with Charity, Rinaldi talks about how a young girl named Susana helps people who are in need. She is a witness to the Salem Witch Trials.

Crane Pond by Richard Francis.

The story of Samuel Sewall is told by Richard Francis in Crane Pond. Sewall was the only judge who later apologized for his role in the trials. In Crane Pond, you can see things from a different point of view.

Crane Pond is a book about the Salem Witch Trials that is written in literary fiction. It is based on a true story.

Samuel Sewall thinks he is a good judge and a fair person. When he was a judge, he played a big part in the Salem Witch Trials. Later, he was one of the only judges to come forward and publicly apologize for his role in the deaths of so many people who were not guilty.

Crane Pond is a book written in Salem that talks about religion, the law, and faith coming together. See how each of these forces leads to a very bad and regrettable time in history.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Physick's Book of Deliverance Dane takes you on a tour of an old house that has been left to rot. This book is set in Salem and talks about a family's history to show off all of its mysterious secrets.

Follow Connie Goodwin on her journey as she finds a book of spells in her Grandmother's old, abandoned house in Salem, and learns how to use them.

What will she learn about Deliverance Dane? How much of a role did her family play in the witch trials in Salem?

The Shape Of Mercy by Susan Meissner

Lauren Durough goes to a state college instead of Stanford, defying her parents' expectations. Make her mark on the world, and make her own money.

Abigail Boyles is an 83-year-old librarian. Lauren takes on the job of taking care of her. It's her job to write down the journal entries of her ancestor, Mercy Hayworth, so she learns more about the Salem witch trials and her own history.

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