When young Elana unexpectedly joins the team leaving the spaceship to study the planet Andrecia, she becomes an integral part of an adventure involving three very different civilizations, each one centered on the third planet from the star in its own solar system.
First published in 1970 and winner of a Newbery Honor the following year. At once a tale of fantasy as well as science fiction, it is as innovative and captivating today as when it was written. This is arguably one of the most sophisticated novels to wear the Newbery Honor seal in terms of its deep philosophy. Yet it is also a fast-paced adventure that marries the romantically moral traditions of dragons and magic with the fantastic and speculative conventions of science fiction.
See bio under Sylvia Engdahl. (Her middle name was used only on some hardcover editions of her Young Adult novels. Her novels for adults therefore are not included in lists where it appears.)
Almost all nonfiction books that appear under her name were edited, not authored, by her.
