On the day of the execution there were nine accused set to die. Nine bodies entered the mortuary, and nine bodies were prepared for burial. On the morning of the burial, only eight bodies remained. No one knows who entered the room with the bodies–or no one is telling, and absolutely no one wants to be the one to go before King James with this confusing and disturbing news. The body missing? It’s Elizabeth Device, the most outspoken of those accused of witchcraft. The search has begun to recover the body, but no one has noticed the one clue that could lead them to the answers the king has demanded.

Initially set in the 1600s, Jeremy and the Witches’ Medallion: The Witch Hunt, by Randy Gauthier, takes place 12 years following the execution of nine accused witches. With the proposed sale of the land belonging to the woman whose body went missing and the survey of her property begins a sequence of events revealing much about her way of life. Picking up 400 years later in 2012, the author continues the story in present times with a whole new cast of characters young readers will find more relatable. Author Randy Gauthier does a wonderful job of touching on every disturbing aspect of the era when witch trials were prevalent.

The mystery surrounding the magpie is an especially gripping part of Gauthier’s work. I am also intrigued by the use of the present tense. I am generally not a fan of novels written in the present tense, but it somehow works with this particular storyline–it helps to build the right amount of tension and keeps readers engaged.

Jeremy’s storyline is the one that will draw in young adult readers. As a senior in high school with big dreams of becoming an Olympian, he takes readers on a journey like no other. Though the novel is steeped in elements of fantasy and science fiction like time travel, Jeremy serves as readers’ guide through history, stopping momentarily to provide facts and tidbits they will find keep them grounded and invested in the storyline.

Jeremy and the Witches’ Medallion: The Witch Hunt gives young adult readers a fantastic peek into the witch trials and famous historical incidents and manages to blend it well with a good many relevant present day references. The shift from present tense to past tense and back again can be a little confusing, but the time-travel and history lessons more than make up for it. I highly recommend Gauthier’s work to any fan of historical fiction.

Pages: 340 | ISBN: 1647501520