Rating: 
Summary: Spring Break stuck on Planet Alaalu
Review: - It all begins when Nita Callahan, your average four-teen year old wizard, comes home from school one day to find out that her younger sister (Dairine, another wizard) has signed her up for an exchange program, across the galaxy.
- So Nita travels light-years with her best friend Kit to the plaent Alaalu, hoping for some peace and quiet relaxing on the planet's otherworldly but super beaches.
- It starts that way, but *surprise suprise* before they even know what's going on Nita and Kit find out that there arch-nemesis the Long Power, (the Power that created death itself) is on the planet too! And this time It lives there happyly in a great structure made just for It.
- The people on the planet don't understand who this dark power really is, but NIta and Kit do. This power has tried to kill them many times, succseeded in killing Nita's mom, and done horrible things to change them and their lives.
- They warn their fellow wizard who is native to the planet Alaalu, but the wizard blind to the truth and instead decides she can't trust these two wizards form Earth.
- So to gain back their friendship, and of course to save the planet, the make a deal with the power that created death. It starts good, but ends as a big mistake. Of course deals with death never turn out.
- And when all seems bad, and Nita and Kit are sure it's over forever, their alien friend comes to save them.
- So the evil Lone Power is defeated once again and Nita and Kit return home early.
- But uh oh. They forgot about the other side of their exchange program, while they were gone new wizards from wierd planets all over that galaxy are staying with Dairine and Nita's dad! the Lone Power strikes them too, though not directly, and Dairine and the other alien wizards must save the Sun from bubble-storming and destroying the Earth!
- This book may sound queer (i luv that word, queer queen quails quibble), but it is really great. It's another masterpiece by author Duane about the struggles of pre-teen kids who some-times wield magical forces that need to battle super-natural Powers. (Powers That Be)
- Read the other books in this series. They're real great. Nita and the Lone One power rule the duel. I LUV these books, they surpass even harry potter and lord of the rings.
- Look for book eight, coming soon, (in spring '05, i hope!), and nice reading. find out more about that book (Wizards at War) by going to young wizards website.
- Overall this is a great book. Very original and fun. See you on errantry!
Rating:
Summary: "Noninterventional" does not mean what you might think...
Review: ...and "wizard's holiday" has proverbial status in the series for a *reason*. But then, you could probably figure that out from the cover blurb. Series concept for those coming in late: Wizards are those with the abilities and character to be offered the duty of preserving the universe, using a language in which you can't lie and *can* define (or redefine) reality. And if you're a wizard, you aren't likely to refuse to help just because you're on vacation and not assigned to the problem -- because if you were, you probably wouldn't be one. I think the third book is still my favorite (of an excellent series), but this one is close. It's fun without failing to be serious; it involves the Callahan family recovery from events in the fifth book, an unusual use for a worldgate, Kit's sister flirting with a tree, what happens when you make paradise on earth and then stop, and the Lone Power giving impromptu history lectures. Sort of. And, of course, just because you're on vacation and not assigned to help doesn't mean you won't. You probably wouldn't have become a wizard else. As a structural part of a series, this book is interesting in that it resolves the dual plot introduced within its own pages and answers an assortment of small questions while leaving several major ones open -- including Ponch's continuing strangeness, the setup for the next book and one or two "echoes" of previous plots. I suspect the earth-plot of connections to the first book, though I could be imagining that, and Nita may have done something with consequences as interesting as those of the life-price spell.... We also visit Choices made, well-made, and re-made in a completely different way from "High Wizardry" and "The Book of Night with Moon", but with some familiar questions. And judging from the end... I think the action of the next plot is going to follow very, very closely on the heels of this one. I can't wait. Figuratively speaking, of course.
Rating: 
Summary: ok, not her best
Review: Although this book is throughly enjoyable, Diane Duane did not surpass the other six books in the Wizard Series. It is not nearly as good as A Wizard Alone or even A Wizard's Dilemma. If you are just dying to read this book I suggest that you wait untill it comes out in paperback.
Dairine has signed Nita and Kit up for a sort of wizard exchange program. They are thrown half way across the Universe to an obscure planet named Alaalu. Dairine and her dad have to cope with three alien wizards intent on learning all about the earth.
As Nita and Kit learn more about the planet they are staying on they discover that it is perfect, or nearly as perfect as a planet can get. There is no money on Alaalu, and if the Alaalins want something they just trade for it. When the Alaalins die, if you can really call this dying, they just disappear into their planets atoms, and you can still hear their voices at night. There is no greed or hatred, and there has been no war on this planet. Ever. Nita suspects something is wrong, and discovers that to become perfect the Alaalins have stopped evolving, and their species can never reach their full potential because of this. Nita and Kit must find a way to keep the Alaalins evolving or else they will never achieve what they were born apon this planet to do.
Meanwhile, Dairine and her day are having difficulty trying to keep the public from knowing they have three alien species living in their house. To make matters worse One of Dairines alien friends has discovered that the Sun is going nova. Now Dairine has to pull the alien wizards together and come up with a plan to save the sun, or the whole planet will be skorched.
Like I said, it's not Diane Duane's best, but it is still a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful addition to the series.
Review: I loved this seventh addition to the wonderul series. It's so funny to see how each of the different people react to Earth and life there, and also Nita and Kit's adventures on their side. One of the funniest and most poignant yet!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful addition to the series.
Review: I loved this seventh addition to the wonderul series. It's so funny to see how each of the different people react to Earth and life there, and also Nita and Kit's adventures on their side. One of the funniest and most poignant yet!
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful continuation...
Review: I've been reading this series ever since High Wizardly got me hooked when I was a kid, doesn't that make me feel old?, and even grudgingly buy a hardback every time a new one makes an appearance. I loved how this book gave equal concentration to both Dairine and Nita in the form of complex dual plotlines, and my only gripe is with the rushed feel of the ending. I'm quite resigned about lack of closure (I look forward to reading many more 'Wizard' books in fact), but the Dairine ending especially seemed forced and stilted. Characters we had learned to care about were thrust into a situation that was barely explained and resolved with as little effort. I do look forward to Wizard at War though, and especially a continuation of Ponch's increasingly oddness, Dairine's otherwordly friends, and the price Nita will ultimately be required to pay for her interference with the Lone Power.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful continuation...
Review: I've been reading this series ever since High Wizardly got me hooked when I was a kid, doesn't that make me feel old?, and even grudgingly buy a hardback every time a new one makes an appearance. I loved how this book gave equal concentration to both Dairine and Nita in the form of complex dual plotlines, and my only gripe is with the rushed feel of the ending. I'm quite resigned about lack of closure (I look forward to reading many more 'Wizard' books in fact), but the Dairine ending especially seemed forced and stilted. Characters we had learned to care about were thrust into a situation that was barely explained and resolved with as little effort. I do look forward to Wizard at War though, and especially a continuation of Ponch's increasingly oddness, Dairine's otherwordly friends, and the price Nita will ultimately be required to pay for her interference with the Lone Power.
Rating:
Summary: Young Wizards Away
Review: Life seems to have returned somewhat to "normal," such as "normal" may be defined when three wizards are about, after the fifth book in this series, "A Wizard's Dilemma," and the sixth book in this series, "A Wizard Alone." However, we quickly discover that Nita's (Juanita Callahan) younger sister Dairine has applied to a wizard exchange program, without bothering to ask permission of anyone. Dairine is restricted to the Solar System as punishment while Kit (Christopher Rodriguez) and Nita are off to the safest planet in the galaxy, Alaalu. The other portion of the exchange program is that three aliens visit the Callahan household. Two of the aliens, Sker'ret, an insectoid, and Filif, a tree-like being, are friendly in their own way. The third alien, Roshaun, is humanoid and quite arrogant. Dairine quickly learns quite a lot from the first two aliens, but the third has her puzzled as she tries her best to make friends with him. While things appear to be going smoothly, the wizards on earth and the wizards away on Alaalu each discover there are problems. The wizards on earth discover that the sun is sick, and that sickness is going to spill over onto planet earth, with catastrophic consequences. Quickly we learn why those particular four wizards were sent to visit the earth. On Alaalu, Kit and Nita feel as though something is not quite right with the planet. How can there be anything wrong with a planet that is nearly paradise? Kit and Nita discover the most insidious side-effect of a society without fear, including the fear of death. How can they help the residents of Alaalu escape from the stagnation that they chose millennia ago? Is it ethically right for Kit and Nita to change their world so much? Diane Duane has seldom avoided deeply philosophical issues, but in this book she tackles an issue that has been discussed in many circles: What are the consequences of a perfect society? Further, if the perfect society caused the society to effectively stop evolving, should an outside agent "correct" the problem? What choice would a reader make? As Diane outlines the choices the reader discovers that the choice is not easy, regardless of how beneficial the outcome. At some places this book is a little too philosophical, and this book is not light reading. The story is well-written and coherent, but may either bore some readers or lose others. However, I enjoyed this complex story and the arguments Diane puts forth to support her character's actions. A well crafted story. This book relies on the reader knowing about Dairine, Kit and Nita. For the first time in reviewing this series I recommend reading all six previous book, "So You Want to Be a Wizard," "Deep Wizardry," "High Wizardry," "A Wizard Abroad," "A Wizard's Dilemma," and "A Wizard Alone." You may read this book without reading any of the prior books, but you will miss out the depth of the relationship that has developed between the three characters.
Rating:
Summary: Lack of Darryl
Review: Over all the book was very good. I was disappointed in the lack of Darryl. I had assumed that he was going to be one of the main characters in the later books. I was interested to see what was going to happen to him. I hope he makes a bigger appearance in A Wizards War.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE STORY
Review: There is very little to say about WIZARD'S HOLIDAY except it meets what has become an extremely high expectation of quality and professionalism from the pen of author Diane Duane. The blend of magic, action and raw human emotion is truly amazing in it's impact. The time span between her last volume, WIZARD ALONE and WH is too short to expect much growth from the principal characters so instead we see others, before now seen in mostly supporting roles, begin to flesh out and come into their own. We also see a family still grieving over the lost of their beloved mother and wife begin the slow path to healing. Ms. Duane's entire handling of the death of Nita's mother has been nothing short of spectacular as she continues to explore this darker side of our existence. For any young adult with interests in fiction, especially that which straddles the border between fantasy and science fiction, I give WIZARD'S HOLIDAY an unqualified HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Do be aware though, this is the seventh book in a series and the reading of the first six is, while not absolutely required, highly recommended.
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