Pander's Witch: English-Chinese Contrast

Author: Eileen Goffe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-07-01
Features: "Grub" is a great gift from Oxford University Press to English learners around the world. Grub is a rather cute image in English. Imagine a "grub" that is obsessed with books, tirelessly chewing on letters. Now, this "grub" has crossed the ocean and gently landed in the hands of Chinese English learners. "Grub" will first give you confidence—even if you currently only have a few hundred words, you can easily read world-class works. Grub will also remind you with its delicate chirping: to persevere in reading, to read widely and richly. When you finish the last book in the series, you will suddenly discover that you have transformed like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, ready to take flight!
In the 17th century, many people in England believed in witchcraft. A witch could be an old woman, a young woman—even sometimes an adult man or a little boy. However, witches were usually women. People were afraid of witches because a single curse from a witch could cause death. In 1612, a little girl named Janet Devoy lived near Pendle Hill in Lancashire. She was only nine years old then, and her family was poor, so she often went hungry and was very thin. She had little clothing and shoes, and sometimes went days without food. Life was very hard for her. Janet's grandmother, Old Demdike, was a witch. Her mother, Elizabeth, and her sister, Alice, were also witches. Even her poor, foolish brother, James, was a witch—so the villagers believed.
This book tells the story of Janet's family from her perspective. The story begins in 1643, when Janet was imprisoned in the Lancashire Castle prison.