Annotation: Set within the Spanish Inquisition, 16 year old Estrella learns the hard truth about her family and the people she thought were her friends.
Justification for Nomination: I would venture to say this novel is a masterpiece. After sitting on it for a week, the effects of the book start to sink in and you want to share it with everyone you know. With a unique subject matter, Hoffman has managed to tell a story of two young girls that will have the reader weeping from an emotional rollercoaster. The girls, Estrella and Catalina live in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Catholicism is the only religion that is tolerated, and Jews are being burned and persecuted. Estrella and Catalina have been friends forever and know and trust each other fully. Eventually the Inquisition reaches their families and betrayal from Catalina forces the execution of Estrella's mother, brother, and grandpa, a family hiding their Jewish background.
This gripping, sparse, and powerful novel is not for the squeamish. The scenes of torture and burning are hard to read. The betrayal is heart wrenching and you wish you were present to do something about the injustices. Despite the incredibly difficult subjects covered, there were uplifting moments. Special bonds were created between Estrella and her grandma and grandpa. We also follow Estrella and her mother into the Moorish neighborhood where her mom brings wool to her dying friend. Teen readers will be quickly drawn into this novel which will surpass their expectations for an historical novel. This could easily begin the reader's search for more information about this period of time in Spain.
Genre: historical fiction
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