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Friday February 2, 2007

‘Incantation’ is rewarding for younger readers

by mariya kaganskaya, age 15
correspondent

I adore “Incantation’’ by Alice Hoffman. I like the book because Estrella is my age, I love it because of her clear, amazing voice, and I enjoyed reading it because it is a history lesson in disguise. Most of all, I love this book because it shows that, though there are terrible things in our lives, there will always be knowledge, and love, and hope.

The plot is clear, but very compelling. Estrella DeMadrigal, a 16-year-old girl living in Spain in 1500, is discovering that she and her best friend Catalina are no longer close and that she has feelings for Catalina’s cousin/“promised” husband. Estrella also finds out that she and her family are Marranos, Jews posing as Christians to avoid persecution, and that they practice medicine and Kabbalah — both very mysterious and forbidden in 16th-century Spain. She embraces her identity as Esther, learns about her true self, and even begins a relationship with Andres, Catalina’s cousin. And then the Inquisition happens, and Estrella has to face pain, betrayal, and the loss of her family while still keeping hope.

Most books that fall into the “historical books for Jewish young adults” genre are either for a much younger audience (such as “Number the Stars’’ by Lois Lowry, which is a beautiful book, but we’re just not in third grade anymore) or are hard to understand. “Incantation’’ is neither. This book is the right combination of simple sentences and thought-provoking phrases.

Estrella speaks to the reader in such a way that it is hard not to feel compassion for her; her language is so sweet that it is beautiful, so simple that it is touching. When she talks about the positive characters, it is impossible as a reader to be apathetic, and when she mentions the pain that surrounds her you cannot help but wonder how, in a world where there is such poignant language, hatred can even exist.

But the real reason that this is such an amazing book is that Estrella’s story really makes you think about your own life and feel for the people whose lives were, and are, filled with the horrors of war and persecution. “Incantation” and books like it serve a very important purpose: these stories remind us of the past and help us to learn from the mistakes of humanity. As Estrella says at the end of the book, “Remember what I’ve told you. Remember me.”

Alice Hoffman’s “Incantation” is more than a “young adult novel” – it is the story of the never-ending struggle of the Jewish people and the hope that saves us and brings us closer together. I dare anyone who is still capable of hatred to read this; it would do them a lot of good to remember.

“Incantation,” by Alice Hoffman (166 pages, Little, Brown and Company, $16.99) Orders: (800) 759-0190

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