The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

Maggie Blair is an isolated, illiterate girl who lives alone with her mean grandmother on a tiny island in 17^th century Scotland. Her life consists of hard work and not much else. Maggie is a strong character who proves herself to be more sensible than those around her even before she learns to read. This is a solid historical novel about a witch scare and the true-to-life persecution of Scottish Presbyterians by the English King Charles II.

The witch scare, trial and hanging are only the beginning. It goes on to cover a part of history that is not well known and it does so from Maggie's perspective which is very thought-provoking. Great book for 7th grade and up.