The Daymaker

Reminiscent in tone and texture to Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy, this is unusual, affecting fantasy. Ten-year-old Zanne's life in Garth, a small, spare village of Inland, is filled with the seasonal cycles of her parents' farm and with the concerns of her mother, who is keeper of the Covenant that binds life to Inland. But Zanne's childhood is disrupted when she saves her favorite uncle from raiders by ""merging'' him with a tree, and she is sent to Covenant school, to learn to put her powers to the good of Inland. There is a stronger force involved for Zannethe call of the Daymaker, the legendary power of the past when there were machines and everyone lived in relative comfort. The struggle between the Covenant and the Daymaker sends Zanne and her closest friend on a quest through the badlands to find the Daymaker. From the frightening opening where Zanne's home is threatened by raiders to her climactic discovery of the truth of the Daymaker and its role in the world of Inland, Halam has created a memorable story. Ages 10-up. (August)