Fourteen-year-old Maria is alone and has nowhere to turn but the Catholic church. Fra Adolfo places her as a servant--and a spy--in the home of the Delgados. They are Conversos, Jews who have converted to Catholicism, and the monk is suspicions they might be Judaizers, sympathetic to Judaism or followers of the old ways. There are many stock characters: Dr. Delgado is good and wise; his daughter, to whom Maria is a companion, is alternately willful and sweet; and son Juan Pablo is as good as his father and handsome to boot. Maria, treated like a member of the family, grows to love the Delgados, but she turns resentful when she realizes Juan Pablo will never return her affection. Called in by Fra Adolfo, she makes accusations against the family, and then, remorseful, tries to undo the harm she has done. Miklowitz does a fine job of making the Spanish Inquisition seem frighteningly real, and the story shows depth and dimension, although some of the characters do not. Use this in conjunction with history classes but recommend it as a page-turner, too.

In 1492 Spain, fourteen-year-old Maria becomes the servant to a wealthy family of Jewish converts to Catholicism. When the family is persecuted by the Inquisitors, partly because of her own reports, Maria helps them flee on a ship captained by her uncle. The first-person voice isn't always convincing, but a number of the characters are engaging.

Gr 6-8-The horror of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 is told through the voice of 14-year-old Maria Sanchez, a recently orphaned Catholic. Desperation forces her to seek the help of a priest, who finds her a position as a companion and servant to 11-year-old Angelica Delgado, whose family had converted from Judaism to Catholicism generations earlier. She is determined to fulfill her mission to spy on the Delgados and find out whether they are practicing Jews, in part because of her fear of what happens to people who protect them. Maria is a likable character in spite of her prejudices shaped by the period's rampant anti-Semitism. The juxtaposition of her report to the priest and Dr. Delgado's arrest and questioning makes her feel responsible for the potential destruction of the family who took her in and treated her with kindness and respect. Eventually Maria sees and understands the Inquisition's injustice, and she ultimately takes risks to try to save the family. The introduction of Maria's sea captain uncle and his courageous involvement in the Delgados' rescue is a bit contrived but does not seriously detract from an otherwise engrossing tale. Waldtraut Lewin's Freedom beyond the Sea (Delacorte, 2001) and Jacqueline Dembar Greene's Out of Many Waters (1988) and One Foot Ashore (1994, both Walker) take the point of view of young Jewish girls escaping from the Inquisition. Miklowitz's novel offers another view of that era's atrocities and their far-reaching ramifications.-Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.