Enchantress from the Stars facts for kids
Enchantress from the Stars is an exciting science fiction novel for young adults. It was written by Sylvia Engdahl and first published in 1970. The story takes place in a special universe created by Engdahl, called the Anthropology Service universe. This book is sometimes called part of the "Elana series." That's because its sequel, The Far Side of Evil (1971), also features the same main character, Elana.
Awards and Recognition
Enchantress from the Stars has won some important awards. In 1971, it was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal. This is a big award given by the American Library Association for the best children's book by a U.S. author.
Later, in 1990, the book won the Phoenix Award. This award is given to great English-language children's books that didn't win a major award when they first came out. The award is named after the mythical bird phoenix. This bird is reborn from its ashes, just like the book became popular again after many years.
In 2001, a new hardcover edition of the book was released. It included a special introduction by author Lois Lowry. The next year, it was a finalist for another award, the Book Sense Book of the Year Award.
Behind the Story: How the Book Was Made
Sylvia Engdahl started writing parts of Enchantress from the Stars way back in the 1950s. Many of the ideas in the book came from that time. This was even before famous science fiction shows like Star Trek became popular in the 1960s.
A writer named Carol Littlejohn wrote about the book in 1997. She noted that many of the book's ideas are similar to Star Trek. For example, both stories show peaceful space exploration. They also focus on not interfering with other planets' cultures. However, in Engdahl's book, the characters take this rule of non-interference much more seriously. They are even stricter than the crew of the spaceship Enterprise in Star Trek.
Story Summary: Elana's Adventure
Elana comes from a peaceful, very advanced civilization. They travel through space and are called the "Federation." Their job is to watch over planets that are still "maturing." They let these planets grow on their own, without any contact or interference.
Elana secretly sneaks onto a spaceship. She wants to join her father on a mission to a planet called Andrecia. On Andrecia, things have gone wrong. A powerful, technologically advanced group called the Imperial Exploration Corps has invaded the planet. They want to take Andrecia's natural resources.
To help the people of Andrecia, Elana must act carefully. She needs to guide a young woodcutter, who is a native of Andrecia, against the invaders. But she cannot let him know the truth about her advanced civilization or the invaders. So, Elana pretends to be an "enchantress." She teaches the woodcutter and his brother special mind powers, like moving things with their thoughts. She also gives them tools, making them believe these tools are magical. Elana hopes these actions will make the Imperial Corps leave Andrecia peacefully.
