Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity--and her family's secrets are made public--she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.

Winner of numerous "best book" citations and infused with the rich context of history and faith, Incantation is a transcendent journey of discovery and loss, rebirth and remembrance that Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry described as "Magical and spellbinding...Painful and exquisitely beautiful."

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

There are 166 pages in this book. This book was published 2007 by Little, Brown & Company .

Alice Hoffman writes for both children and adults. Her previous children's novels, Aquamarine, Indigo and The Foretelling, were highly acclaimed. She lives just outside Boston, USA, with her husband and two sons.