Novel Study, Digital Download · Prequel
Shadows of Salem Novel Study
Transcendents Origins: Zachariah Shaw
Salem Village, 1692. Fear is spreading faster than anyone can stop it, and fifteen-year-old Zachariah Shaw watches neighbors turn on neighbors as the witch trials take hold. One man always seems to be nearby when events take a darker turn: Morton Graedig, a wealthy merchant whose interest in the Shaw family's land is a little too patient.
When Zach's mother, Mary, a schoolteacher who urges others to stand firm against fear, is accused of witchcraft, Zach turns to Creedence Gilpin, a battle-scarred blacksmith with secrets of his own. Together they uncover what lies beneath Salem's hysteria: an ancient war between Heaven and Hell, and a fissure on Winter Island that grows with every accusation.
As the accused march toward the gallows, Zach will risk everything to save his family…but Zach's story doesn't end at the gallows.
Novel by Devri Walls. Study journal by Carolyn Johnston.
Choose Your License
Journals and Teacher's Editions are digital downloads (PDF) you print yourself. Novels come as an ebook or a paperback. Paperbacks and the game ship, with shipping added at checkout.
For Families
Family Bundle · Ebook
Ebook novel, study journal, and Teacher's Edition, all digital. One household.
Family Bundle · Paperback
Paperback novel shipped to you, plus the printable study journal and Teacher's Edition (PDF). Shipping added at checkout. One household.
Journal & Teacher's Edition
Already own the book? Printable PDF of the study journal and Teacher's Edition. One household only. Groups need a co-op license.
Series Bundle
Family Bundles for Shadows of Salem and War of the Seven. Both ebooks, both journals, both Teacher's Editions. Save $5.99.
For Co-Ops & Classrooms
Co-Op License, Up to 15 Students
Study journal and Teacher's Edition as printable PDFs. Print one journal per student. Novel not included.
Co-Op License, Up to 30 Students
Study journal and Teacher's Edition as printable PDFs. Print one journal per student. Novel not included.
Co-Op Class Set, 15 Students
Includes 15 paperback novels, plus the study journal and Teacher's Edition as printable PDFs for up to 15 students. Ships to one address. Shipping added at checkout.
Co-Op Class Set, 30 Students
Includes 30 paperback novels, plus the study journal and Teacher's Edition as printable PDFs for up to 30 students. Ships to one address. Shipping added at checkout.
Shadows of Salem: A Social Judgment Game
Physical game for 2–10 players and a leader. Six weekly sessions. Ships to you.
Co-op licenses cover printing the journal and Teacher's Edition. Each student needs their own copy of the novel; a class set includes one for every student.
Digital items download instantly after checkout. Just want the paperback? Order It on Amazon. Or Get a Free Sample First.
What's Included
- Full novel as an ebook (Family Bundle)
- Study journal: six weekly lessons covering Chapters 1–58, with matching, mapping, sorting, and evidence activities
- History Spotlights every week on the real people and events of 1692, including Tituba, Bridget Bishop, Rebecca Nurse, and Reverend John Hale
- Graedig's Ledger: a running record students build across all six weeks, tracking how the villain gains power
- Teacher's Edition with sample responses and discussion notes for every lesson
Skills Covered
- History: the Salem Witch Trials, spectral evidence, coerced confession, and how the trials ended
- Literature: character, conflict, symbolism, theme, and close reading of dialogue
- Critical thinking: separating testimony from assumption, and tracing how a rumor becomes an accusation
- Then and now: connecting 1692's patterns of fear and influence to the world students live in
For Co-Op Group Time
Shadows of Salem: A Social Judgment Game
A game of influence, accusation, and choice. Each player takes the role of a real person from 1692 Salem for all six weeks. Every round, the leader reads a scene from the book. Players discuss it, then each sets out a Shadow Statue for the force they believe drove it (the Shadow of Truth, the Shadow of Evil, or the Shadow of Doubt) and names the player they believe is wrong.
It isn't a game about solving the witch trials. It's a game about experiencing how they happened, and seeing how quickly people form beliefs under pressure.
Physical game, shipped to you. Sold separately from the study journal. Expansion packs for larger groups coming soon.
What's in the box
- Rulebook, 1-page Quick Start Guide, and Leader Quick Reference Card
- 6 Leader Weekly Packets with 18 scripted scenes
- 10 Salem Character Cards and 30 Judgment Cards
- Shadow Role Cards for Evil, Truth, and Doubt
- 30 Shadow Statues, 3 inches tall: 10 each of the Shadow of Truth, the Shadow of Evil, and the Shadow of Doubt
- 50 scoring tokens and 10 score cards
Six weeks, six layers
Each week adds a new psychological pressure, mirroring how Salem itself escalated:
- The Whisper. Assumption becomes signal.
- The Pressure. Inconsistency becomes guilt.
- The Stillness. Calm becomes suspicion.
- The Fracture. Incomplete truth becomes guilt.
- The Authority. Confidence becomes truth.
- The Judgment. The verdict becomes final.
See all six layers on one page, with the core dynamic and the danger of each. Print it for your group sessions.
View the Poster Download the Poster (PDF)Content Notes
Know what's in the story before you start
We publish these so you can decide before you buy, not after.
Recommended for: Grades 7–12 (ages 12+)
Language: None
Romance: None
Violence: Executions from the Salem Witch Trials are shown on the page, including several hangings, along with sword combat against demonic creatures. Some blood is described; it is not gratuitous.
Difficult moments: Zach's mother is falsely accused and executed by hanging. Zach is hanged and rescued by an angel. A four-year-old girl, the real Dorothy Good, is shown in jail.
Spiritual themes: Mammon, the Prince of Greed, is the antagonist. Demons are portrayed as real and evil; God, heaven, and angels as good. Darkness is always answered by hope.
Historical themes: Real people and events from 1692 are woven together with fictional characters. Weekly History Spotlights separate fact from story.
Emotional themes: Grief, injustice, and the loss of a parent.
Not Sure Yet? Read the Opening Free.
Get the opening chapters and the first journal lesson of either novel study, a Teacher's Edition sample with answers and grading rubrics, plus the full content notes. Enter your email to get them.
Questions Parents Ask
- Is this a full curriculum?
- No. It's a supplemental novel study. Use it as a history companion, a literature elective, a co-op book club, or enrichment alongside the curriculum you already use.
- How much of it is real history?
- The trials, the executions, and people like Tituba, Bridget Bishop, and Reverend Hale are real. Zach, his family, and Graedig are fictional. Each week's History Spotlight shows students where the record ends and the story begins.
- Do we need to read it before War of the Seven?
- No. Each novel stands on its own. Shadows of Salem is the prequel, so reading it first gives students Zach's full backstory.
- Can I print the journal for each child?
- Yes. Family licenses cover unlimited printing for your household.
- How do co-op licenses work?
- One purchase covers the journal and Teacher's Edition for one group of up to 15 or up to 30 students. Each student needs their own copy of the novel. The group game is sold separately for $39.99.
- Do we need the game to use the study journal?
- No. The study journal works on its own at home or in a co-op. The game adds a hands-on group session each week for co-ops, classes, and church groups.
- Can I get a refund?
- Digital downloads are non-refundable. If a file won't open or you bought the wrong license, contact us and we'll fix or swap it.
- Is there a paperback?
- Yes, $10.99 on Amazon. The journal and Teacher's Edition are digital only.