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The Crucible

Arthur Miller

In the Puritan village of Salem in 1692, the minister finds a group of girls dancing in the forest at night, and his daughter falls into a strange sleep. Rumours of witchcraft spread fast, and Abigail Williams, who has secrets of her own, is desperate to keep the truth hidden.

Length
About 35,000 words
To read it
About 24 days
Stage
GCSE

Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.

Where it is taught

Why The Crucible is on the list

  • Year 10, Stretch. A step up in length or difficulty, for a confident reader. Former GCSE set text.
  • Year 11, Stretch. A step up in length or difficulty, for a confident reader. Former GCSE set text.

Reading it here

What your child does with it

  1. 1

    Choose it and set a finish date

    You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.

  2. 2

    Check in along the way

    A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.

  3. 3

    Answer two questions

    When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.

  4. 4

    Get it marked, and redraft

    Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.