Set in the future, when humankind has populated many different planets. Each world is in a different stage of development, some civilizations far more advanced than others. The most highly evolved peoples form the Federation, and are sworn to keep their presence secret from more primitive worlds, for fear of influencing their development.

On the small green planet of Andrecia, some unenlightened space colonists have invaded, intending to wipe out the native inhabitants in order to use the planet's resources. At the same time, the Federation sends down a team of intergalactic anthropologists, who decide to intervene and save the native population- but they must do so without revealing their identity to either the natives or the colonists. Members of each group come into contact with ways of thinking and knowledge far different from their own. It is told in alternating viewpoints of the three main characters. Georyn, a native villager, is on a quest to slay the dragon that is ravaging his countryside (clearing land for the colony). Jarel, a doctor among the colonists, struggles with his conscience as he comes to realize the natives are people with real potential, not just primitives devoid of feelings as his companions think. And Elana, a teenager who snuck onto the rescue team, finds herself involved far more than she'd expected, as she must play the role of a magical enchantress to guide Georyn against a peril he cannot hope to face alone. It's a story about perspectives and new awareness. There's adventure, magic, philosophy, and even a love story.

DogEar Diary ( )

First edition (woohoo!!!)

One of my favorite books of all time!!! If I were going to change my name, I would change it to Elana. So well-written. Sylvia Engdahl has one helluva head on her shoulders. I always feel a little inspired reading her words. ( )

One of my favorite books of all time!!! If I were going to change my name, I would change it to Elana. So well-written. Sylvia Engdahl has one helluva head on her shoulders. I always feel a little inspired reading her words. ( )

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. CCBC categories: New Editions of Old Favorites; Fiction for Young Adults; Fiction for Children. 2001, Walker, 288 pages, $18.95. Ages 11-15. (CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2002)). Won Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Sixth Edition, 1976 ; National Council of Teachers of English; United States

I picked this one up because the cover was neat. It's a young adult story about a woman, her father, and her fiance landing on a planet and trying to follow the prime directive, interacting more than really allowed with a "primitive" people and some aggressors from another planet. It has some interesting musings about relative levels of civilisations and how some misdirections are necessary. Some fairy tale tropes are employed to teach the "primitives" how to overcome the people wanting to enslave them. ( )