Incantation

Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. Little, Brown & Co., 2006. ISBN-10: 0-316-01019-7


Plot Summary
Estrella deMadrigal lives in Spain in the year 1500. Her family is well respected and her brother is even studying to be a priest. Her best friend is her next-door neighbor Catalina. On the day the Jewish man's books are burned in the town square, Catalina stays to watch, but Estrella's mom sends Estrella home. Soon proclamations are posted warning that false conversos- Jews who are pretending to be Christian- should be reported. Catalina, angry that her betrothed seems interested in Estrella begins asking questions. Why doesn't Estrella's family eat pork? Why do they light candles on Friday night? Why indeed? Even Estrella doesn't know, but she knows that terrible things could happen if anyone reports them.

Critical evaluation
Told in Hoffman's magical, mystical style, Incantation is the story of many magics: the magic of Judaism with its hidden secrets and traditions so important that they're worth risking life for; the power of friendship and the power of betrayal; mesmerizing quality of fire and the enchantment of bookburning. Hoffman manages to give a topic as grim as the Spanish Inquisition an ethereal quality.

Readers Annotations
Estrella has always known that her family was mysterious. Her grandfather holds secret study sessions with other scholars, and her grandmother uses words that Estrella doesn't understand. But Estrella always thought that she was excluded from the secrets because she was too young, or too dumb. Not until the Spanish Inquisition threatens to expose the secrets does Estrella learn that she has been kept in the dark for her own safety.

Information About the Author
Hoffman was already an established author of adult fiction when she began writing for children and young adults. Her work is characterized by magic realism, and romance.

Genre
Historical fiction

Curriculum Ties
Spanish Inquisition

Booktalking Ideas
Read the proclamation that identifies false conversos and Estrella's reaction to the proclamation.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 6-9

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2007


Why Book Included
I've enjoyed Hoffman's novels for adults, so I wanted to read some of her young adult fiction.