Alexander, Alma. Worldweavers; gift of the unmage.

ALEXANDER, Alma. Worldweavers; gift of the unmage. HarperCollins. 389p. c2007. 0-06-083955-4. $16.99. JS

As the seventh child of two powerful seventh children, Galathea Winthrop was expected to grow into magical abilities beyond anything previously imagined. Instead, she has spent the last 17 years trying desperately to achieve something, anything, in her Ars Magica class at school. Thea has learned to live with her older brothers' jokes about her lack of abilities, but what she cannot face is the look in her father's eyes each time she tries to do magic and fails.

After one last failed magical attempt, Thea overhears her parents talking about sending her to the Wandless Academy, the only school in the country for those who cannot perform magic (otherwise known as the Last Ditch School for the Incurably Incompetent, at least to Thea). Thea's final chance to awaken her dormant gift is a mysterious trip back in time to meet with an even more mysterious tutor, a member of a now-extinct people known as the Anasazi. In the Anasazi's ancient world, Thea learns that she is not incapable of performing magic, but rather that her spiritual self chose not to let her, at least in her world. Now, she must figure out why, before those from whom she was protecting herself discover that she has found her powers.

Gift of the Unmage is an incredibly fresh and unique twist on young adult fantasy that blends contemporary ideas and ancient magic with phenomenal skill. Like the Harry Potter series and other books in the "Cinderella" genre, Alexander's novel will appeal to anyone who has ever secretly wished for an undiscovered talent that would change his/her life. Occasional convenient plot devices and the young-adult mindset of the heroine may make this book slightly too elementary for the advanced or discerning fantasy reader, but in all other senses it is a perfect, page-turning weekend companion.

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

Cara Chancellor, Hollywood, FL