Wizard's Holiday

SUMMARY: In the wizarding world, a ''wizard’s holiday'' is somewhat of an inside joke, being a ''vacation or pleasure trip that rapidly turned into something else, usually involving work, but that was still pleasant in a strange way, simply because of the change.'' Diane Duane’s seventh novel in the Young Wizards series is a perfect example of a wizard’s holiday. Fresh from their most recent adventures inside an autistic boy’s mind (A Wizard Alone), wizard partners Nita and Kit are offered an unexpected windfall--a cultural exchange program halfway across the galaxy to a seemingly perfect world--when Nita’s wizard whiz-kid sister Dairine misbehaves and is galactically grounded by her mentor. Meanwhile, Dairine, stuck at home, plays host to three alien counterparts in the cultural exchange. For once, it seems like everyone will get a little break--there are no universes to save, no underwater exploits, no battles between good and evil. Which brings us back to that wizardly joke. As Nita realizes at the conclusion of Wizard’s Holiday, the ''Powers That Be'' never send any wizard anywhere without reason. It’s up to the wizards to figure out just what that reason is--and get on with the business of saving universes and battling evil. Excellent, intelligent writing, with enough technology intermingled with magic to please the palate of every fantasy and science fiction reader. Even readers outside the genre should take a look; you won’t be disappointed! (Ages 9 and older)--Emilie Coulter