Mystery Of The Witches Bridge

by Barbee Oliver Carleton

Book Overview

Evil haunts the Witches' Bridge...the foggy marshes...the old Pride house!! Now young Dan Pride has come to live there. Can he escape the terror that hangs over Witches' Bridge? That night, Dan sees a weird light, flickering out on the marsh. "D-A-N,"the light spells out in code. "DAN PRIDE..."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590029525
• ISBN13: 9780590029520
• Release Date: January 1967
• Publisher: Scholastic Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

For lonely kids

I read this over and over again when I was in sixth grade. Dan Pride is recently orphaned and lives in a creepy old house out in the New England salt marshes with his Uncle Julian, who seems to want little to do with him, and Julian's ferocious and devoted hound, Caliban. Dan's great-great-something grandfather was executed as a witch in colonial times; he was fond of his fiddle playing, and folks say that late at night when the wind is in the east, you can hear him playing his fiddle down by the old bridge . . . (cue scary music). That's how I remember it, anyway. I took a lot of comfort from it when I was going through some hard times as a kid.

Great young adult book that doesn't speak down to you!

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. I had all but forgotten about it, when I discovered the ravaged paperback in a box of items from my childhood. This was the book that taught me to love reading. It had all the elements necessary or a 9 year old boy to get excited about it: mystery, creepy setting, and interesting dialogue and writing. This book does not treat the reader as if they were mentally challenged, but rather attempts to challenge the reader. It's a primer for more advanced novels.When the lead character, Dan Pride, crosses over the marshes for the first time and sees his new home, you can almost feel the chill of the fog and the dampness of the sea. It is a book well written and well presented.If you can get your hands on a copy for a young man you know, then do. He'll devour it quickly and learn to love reading as well.

A mesmerizing book that should be made into a movie

I read this book in 8th grade and loved it. I read it again when I was 23 and loved it even more. As a native of Massachusetts, I can certainly relate to the atmospheric scenery of the marshes that Barbee describes in this book. It also contains a spine tinging plot, and believable characterization of the young Dan Pride. This story would make a wonderful film for children and adults alike. With films like The Crucible and The Sixth Sense, to name a few, in high profile these last few years, that have to do with mystery and the supernatural, the Witches Bridge would make a timely film. The actors who I see playing the roles are Gary Sinese as Julian Pride, Brad Renfro as BillyBen Cory, Joan Allen as Susan Bishop, and Hale Joel Osment as Dan Pride. I plan to write a screen play eventually and maybe make a small scale home movie of it myself someday. I have already composed a song for the opening credits and have ideas for the trailor/preview. Ms. Carleton, if you are reading this, send your story to a film producer today. It has amazing potential. "Out of the night, and the fog, and the marsh, these three, success shall come to thee!"

The Mystery of Witche's Bridge

This book has it all, a spunky kid, a centuries old mystery, a wild man in the marsh, in short, everything you could want in a good children's mystery story. I first read this book thirty years ago and was suprised to find that I remembered every twist and turn like it was yesterday. I was amazed that it was not a bit dated. It is rare to find a book that still has the power to raise the hair on the back of your neck after thirty years.This book should be republished. It is a crime that a book this good (and wholesome to boot!)should be unavalible.

One of the best and most memorable books of my childhood!

About three years ago I was lucky enough to come across a tattered version of a little paperback I had purchased from a school book club when I was in fifth grade. Fear gripped me and the hair stood on the back of my neck as I turned each page of The Mystery of the Witche's Bridge and remembered the first time I had read it.This is a classic supernatural mystery written for the ten to twelve year old crowd. It is well written and keeps the reader riveted to the words. A real page turner. It is a crying shame that it is out of print. Today's mysteries for kids pale in comparison. I enjoyed reading it as an adult as much as when I first brought it home in 1969.