Green Witch

Starred review from February 22, 2010
Green, whose lyrical narration was the hallmark of Hoffman's survival story Green Angel
(2003), returns in an equally spellbinding tale that emphasizes themes of rebirth. A year after Green lost her family in the fiery destruction of an unnamed city, those living in a nearby village struggle to reinvent their lives. Some, rumored witches, choose to isolate themselves. Green, now almost 17, feels compelled to record their losses, but is also determined to discover the fates of two friends: Heather, a former schoolmate, and Diamond, the mute boy who stole her heart. Her quest takes her to an island of prisoners, where she discovers old acquaintances and strangers who have suffered as much as she. Banded together, they have the power to change the course of the future. Hoffman's sparse prose encapsulates the pain of grief and the resiliency of the human spirit, and suggests that love is a stronger force than tyranny. Haunting, philosophical, and filled with poetic imagery (“my beloved city is still in pieces, the buildings like silver stars—some fallen, some rising, some constant in the sky”) this book will leave an indelible mark. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from May 1, 2010
Gr 9-11-Green, 17, who first appeared in Hoffman's "Green Angel"(Scholastic, 2003), continues in the wake of her family's and town's decimation by a group known as the Horde, who despise modern invention, the future, and any type of growth. Green, called so due to her ability to make things grow, has shown inner growth from the time of being isolated and brutalized, both by the events brought on by the Horde and at her own hand, to the present when she is now reconnecting with other survivors in the town. "Loss does different things to different people]I have planted a garden, reached out to my neighbors, begun to write down my story." And so she does, going on a soul-searching quest for answers about the nature of life, love, and the future. Four of the neighbors she speaks to are said to be witches, but they are the sages of the story who impart wisdom and gifts unto Green that serve her well on her quest. With the help she gains from their counsel, she sets off in an attempt to free prisoners from the Horde's prison, and also to test the waters of her own strength and capacity for love. Hoffman's spare language leads to a story sounding as if it were being told by a sage. It is a language and voice promising more stories from Green, more growth to be seen within herself and within the hearts and spirits of the people. If this makes for a Green Witch, readers will find her a welcome witch indeed."Tracy Weiskind, Chicago Public Library"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
Grades 7-12 Hoffman continues the postapocalyptic fable she began in Green Angel (2003), about a teen who loses her family when a nearby city is destroyed. A year after the tragedy, Green continues to heal by tending her wildly flourishing garden and collecting the stories of survivors, but she longs for her beloved, Diamond, who has gone missing. After listening to so many voices, Green feels, There is only one story I want to get to the end of now. Will he come back to me? Will I want him if he does? Determined to find Diamond, Green consults a series of witchlike women, who offer lines of wisdom (Love is an act of will, What you dream, you can grow) that sometimes read like purposeful aphorisms. But Hoffman writes in lyrical, stripped-down poetry that distills both magic and elemental experience into essential, unforgettable words: He was nothing to me, and then he was everything. Teens will want to talk about everything here: the potent emotion and loss; the 9/11 parallels; and the violent, eye-for-an-eye ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)