Killing the Witches revisits one of the most frightening and inexplicable episodes in American history: the events of 1692 and 1693 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. What began as a mysterious affliction of two young girls who suffered violent fits and exhibited strange behavior soon spread to other young women. Rumors of demonic possession and witchcraft consumed Salem. Soon three women were arrested under suspicion of being witches--but as the hysteria...

Follows fifteen-year-old Samantha Mather, who has moved to Salem with her stepmother 300 years after her family hanged witches there, to find she is ostracized by the witch descendants at school, as she unravels the lost secrets of the hangings and her family.

In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Beginning in January 1692, Salem Village in colonial Massachusetts witnessed the largest and most lethal outbreak of witchcraft in early America. Villagers--mainly young women--suffered from unseen torments that caused them to writhe, shriek, and contort their bodies, complaining of pins stuck into their flesh and of being haunted by specters. Believing that they suffered from assaults by an invisible spirit, the community began a hunt to track down...

Explains why the people of Salem had such a powerful fear of witches, why certain people were more likely to be accused, and how innocent people were tried and found guilty in a long string of court trials.

Discusses what people have believed about witches in different time periods, witchcraft practices from different cultures around the world, and how societies have perceived those called witches.

Presents the practices, rituals, and roles of witches and magic-makers around the world and throughout history.

Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts. There they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. In addition to new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of Dementors, outsmart a werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius and his relationship with his parents. Harry and friends master advanced magic classes, cross time barriers and change the course...