(1) YA A (fictional) Catholic mystic, Dolssa de Stigata, escapes being burned as a heretic in 1241 France; mostly, this is the story of Botille, an enterprising young matchmaker from a tiny fishing village who rescues Dolssa. Botille's spirited character, the heart-rending suspense of events, and the terrifying context of the Inquisition in medieval Europe all render the novel irresistibly compelling. Historical note appended. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(4) YA Loosely anchored to its historical setting, this tale follows Baltasar as he comes to terms with his complex religious and ethnic ancestry, learns to conjure, searches for his father, and accompanies Columbus to the Americas, all while fleeing the Inquisition. Although Mlawski's attempt to demonstrate the era's cultural complexity is admirable, too many elements compete for prominence in this multicultural fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA When Isabel, the beautiful daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella's respected court physician, discovers her family's secret Jewish roots, her bold actions put the family in peril as the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada threatens torture, expulsion, and death. The characterization of historic figures is over the top, but this is a powerful, dramatic portrayal of Spain's brutal years leading up to the 1492 Jewish expulsion.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) YA Perfect Fire Trilogy series. This sequel to Blue Flame finds Raimon under siege with Occitanian loyalists while Yolanda grieves in Paris. The relationship between the lovers creates a strong narrative thrust, and the dangers they encounter generate more than enough excitement to bear readers along through the complex plot permutations. Thorough scholarship and an immersion into medieval sights, sounds, and points of view characterize the story.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Chayka. Rafael and his orchestra conductor father live as conversos (Jews who practice their faith in secret) in sixteenth-century Barcelona. The text describes how Rafael manages to blow the shofar for Rosh Hashanah right under the city leaders' noses. The story is intriguing, but the telling is a little stiff. Well-composed gold-hued paintings illustrate the tale. An author's note gives more information.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Young slave Calepino has lived a privileged life, taught to read and write at a wealthy noblewoman's estate in seventeenth-century Colombia. He leaves his sanctuary to assist a doctor at a leprosy colony, but puts the doctor, a Jewish refugee of the Inquisition, at risk trying to help another slave boy. The story's characters are well defined, and the setting is vividly described.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) YA World History series. India describes the cultural evolution and contributions of ancient India to the modern world. Inquisition examines the social and political climate that led to religious persecution in the Middle Ages. The straightforward writing, though accessible, is bland, and the two-column layout results in a sterile, textbooklike appearance. Maps, artwork reproductions, and illustrations add interest; some primary source material sidebars provide more historical context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these World History titles: Ancient India and The Inquisition.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) 4-6 Translated by Sondra Silverston. Illustrated by Avi Katz. Manuel Nuñez narrates the story of his Portuguese Jewish family passing as Christians in Inquisition-era Spain. Manuel's struggles as an adolescent boy and as a Jew are handled competently, but the historical aspects occasionally overwhelm the characters. Dark, static black-and-white illustrations accompany the text. An afterword gives more historical background. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(2) YA In sixteenth-century Spain, Catholics coexist uneasily with Muslims and Jews despite the Inquisition. Sixteen-year-old Estrella's family is Jewish (she learns this later); like many descendants of the 1492 Jewish expulsion, they've disguised their faith for generations. This compelling recollection, resonant with imagery, is a powerfully told story of familial love and transcendence of the cruelest kind of experience.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(3) YA Jerry, an elective mute since her mother's disappearance years earlier, moves in with an elderly aunt. Items in an old trunk allow Jerry to travel into the past and discover her family's sad history. As she regains her voice, she learns about her ancestors, Spanish Jews living under the Inquisition. This disturbing, at times graphic novel, tells an engaging story--part fantasy, part historical fiction.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) YA In World History series. In balanced, readable prose, the books in this series recount their subjects' actions and motivations, setting them within appropriate cultural contexts: Queen Victoria's role in establishing the British Empire; Joan's martyrdom; Cromwell's assumption of power to rule England; and the ruthlessness of the Inquisition. Black-and-white illustrations and sidebars of primary material extend the documented text. Bib., ind. [Review covers these In World History titles: The British Empire and Queen Victoria in World History, Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War in World History, Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War in World History, and The Spanish Inquisition in World History.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications series. Each of the books in this series begins with an account of the disaster it concerns, followed by background including what is known of the origins and outcomes. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a few diagrams, the detailed but uneven texts reward close reading. Chronologies end the books. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications titles: The Black Death and The Spanish Inquisition.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA 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.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA In 1492, the year of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel turns thirteen and learns she is in fact Ruth, a Jew whose family has never truly renounced the faith of their fathers. After a series of harrowing incidents that leaves her bereft of her parents, Ruth and her brother find safe passage to a new life in Istanbul. The novel, informative and interesting throughout, moves steadily forward and features fine characterizations.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn