Book Descriptions
for Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
First published in 1970, when it was named a Newbery Honor Book, Enchantress from the Stars remains a fresh and accessible work of science fiction more than 30 years later. A stowaway on her father’s spaceship, Elana eagerly anticipates the adventure of encountering new civilizations, but she is unprepared for the reality of cultures different from her own. The Federation Anthropological Service, of which her family is part, demands that its members commit to aiding evolving populations without revealing the Federation’s sophisticated technology and advanced social structure. The current mission takes place on the medieval world of Andrecia. The Andrecians face invasion by a more advanced civilization that won’t hesitate to wipe out the native people, whom it considers less-than-human, if they interfere with the mining activities of the Imperial Exploration Corps. The Federation’s goal is to provide the Andrecians with the tools to discourage the Imperial mining. Eager to help, Elana is hindered by her emotional involvement with a young Andrecian woodcutter, who believes her to be a magical Enchantress, and whom she feels the Federation is unfairly manipulating. Meanwhile, a Medical Officer with the Imperial contingent is bothered by his colleagues’ dismissal of the Andrecians as non-human. The voices of these three young protagonists offer distinct perspectives as events unfold in Engdahl’s examination of how societies view each other. The Andrecian portion of the narrative takes the form of a traditional folk tale, an apt framework for delineating the different stages of cultural evolution of the book’s characters. (Ages 11–15)
CCBC Choices 2002 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2002. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Rediscover this beloved Newbery Honor-winning classic, Featuring a brand-new cover and a foreword by Lois Lowry!
Elana, a member of an interstellar civilization on a mission to a medieval planet, becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion. How can she help the Andrecians, who still believe in magic and superstition, without revealing her own alien powers? At the same time, Georyn, the son of an Andrecian woodcutter, knows only that there is a dragon in the enchanted forest, and he must defeat it. He sees Elana as the Enchantress from the Stars who has come to test him, to prove he is worthy.
One of the few science fiction books to win a Newbery Honor, this novel continues to enthrall readers of all ages.
Critical acclaim for Enchantress from the Stars:
A Newbery Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild selection
An ALA Notable pick
Winner of the Phoenix Award
Finalist for the Book Sense Book of the Year Award
Elana, a member of an interstellar civilization on a mission to a medieval planet, becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion. How can she help the Andrecians, who still believe in magic and superstition, without revealing her own alien powers? At the same time, Georyn, the son of an Andrecian woodcutter, knows only that there is a dragon in the enchanted forest, and he must defeat it. He sees Elana as the Enchantress from the Stars who has come to test him, to prove he is worthy.
One of the few science fiction books to win a Newbery Honor, this novel continues to enthrall readers of all ages.
Critical acclaim for Enchantress from the Stars:
A Newbery Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild selection
An ALA Notable pick
Winner of the Phoenix Award
Finalist for the Book Sense Book of the Year Award
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.