How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Sam did not want to move to Salem, MA. But then again, there was a lot in her life she didn't want. She didn't want to be seen as a curse to her friends like she had before. She didn't want to be the weird kid. But, mostly, she didn't want her dad to be in a coma.
The cost of her dad's care necessitated Sam and her stepmother's move from NYC to her dad's hometown of Salem. But Sam and her dad's family don't have a great reputation in Salem as they are direct descendants of Cotton Mather, a key figure in the persecution of the "witches" during Salem's famous trials. While descendants of the victims of those trials hold a certain level of social clout both in town and at the local high school, Sam is looked at with scorn first. She manages to make friends with two boys. Well, one living boy and one ghost--a ghost who is angry with her.
All of the threads of Sam's cursed history, the angry ghost boy, and strange deaths in town lead Sam to uncover a true curse affecting her and others in town whose family histories tie into the witch trials. But who is truly behind them will shock everyone--especially Sam.
The history of the Salem witch trials hangs heavy in this novel, but in a welcome way. While some additional aspects of the trials could've been explored, it isn't possible to explore the various aspects of such a complex incident in history within a YA novel.
How to Hang a Witch overall plays into some mostly welcome YA tropes such as love triangles, mean girls, and complex relationships with parental figures. Though the twist of who is behind the curse felt a bit too cliche, this YA novel was still a fun ride for a reader who has an interest in witches, historical witch trials, and YA fiction in general.
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