Rating: 
Summary: For Love of Mother
Review: The story of Nita and Kit has finally reached adolescence...with a bang. They quarrel and then both are busy when the other calls. Nita's mother is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. And Kit's dog Ponch seems to be creating universes!This story reminds me of Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars, but with 21st century troubles. Also, Duane's characters are more fully developed -- more human -- than even Podkayne. Even the cats are human in a feline way. But that dog, Ponch, is thoroughly canine! All the main characters have to be modeled on real persons, probably as composites. Their behavior is just right for the circumstances. You have to like both sets of parents and the younger siblings are okay even if a little snotty. In fact, Dairine is becoming quite likeable whenever she forgets to be obnoxious. While this story deals with adult themes of responsibilities, limitations, and tolerance, it does have some action and gives us a further glimpse of the training and function of wizards. I would assume that the next volume in this series continues the developing maturity of the main protaganists. I am looking forward to it.
Rating:
Summary: Old Adults like this series too....
Review: The Young Wizard's series is not just for Young Adults... I was in my 30's when I discovered it. I'm hooked. That said...
This book lives up to the tradition that Ms Duane has created for scenes that are either slyly or blatantly funny, thoughtful, poignant, terrifying, awe-inspiring, shiver-giving, and above all, believable in the context of the story.
Her characters all have their strengths and weaknesses...and they are not static either... one of the subplots deals with Dairine no longer having the incredible power levels she started out with and having to deal with this, not to mention possible loss of her mother and adolescence just around the corner... heavy stuff for an 11 year old who can put 'Created a sentient silicone race' on her resume.
Ms Duane does not fall into the 'Wizardry can solve everything' rut either, she even has Nita muse that while it may be the simple answer sometimes it isn't always the right one.
Her characters may have super powers, and get into some pretty fantastical situations, but they themselves are always believable, real, multidimensional. They make mistakes. They lose their tempers. They misinterpret what someone says, then second-guess themselves about what he/she really meant, and agonize about what they should have said. There is a scene between Nita and her mom that is sweet, touching, and makes you stop and think...how important is it REALLY to be 'right'?
They don't stop being real people with real problems and concerns just because they have extra powers and abilities.
It is not just the Young Adults who can thoroughly enjoy and benefit from reading this series... and it's nice to know that even wizards are just people, (although not necessarily human-type) too.
Rating:
Summary: These are incredible books
Review: These books are some of the best fantasy ever! Some people say to read them if you've read Harry Potter...I say read them no matter what! The Wizardry books are on a level with Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, only we get even more to enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is definitely the best in the series! It's emotionally deeper than the other books in the Wizardry Series. Not to mention, this is a book you will definitely sympathize with.
Rating: 
Summary: Believable
Review: This book is great; it finally shows Kit and Nita not getting along like some unbelievable "storybook characters," but getting down to the nitty-gritty truth: no best friends get along all the time. This book does a great job in displaying the emotional trials that many teenagers and pre-teens face in growing up. VERY enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Young Wizards Apart
Review: This book is the darkest of the first five, and deals with the heavily emotional issues of puberty and the impending death of a close family member. At the outset of the book Nita (Juanita) Callahan and Kit (Christopher) Rodriguez argue about the best way to clean up a waterway. The argument seems petty because both are after the same goal. However, there seems to be a communication gap between the two. This event sends Nita on a voyage of personal discovery that intensifies when she learns that her mother has cancer. For the first time since becoming a wizard Nita learns that even wizardry has limitations. Even Dairine, her powerful and talented younger sister, is incapable of handling the cancer that is slowly taking their mother. Dairine is justifiably angry at her own inability to kill the cancer, and realizes that to battle this demon will require a finesse that she does not possess. Nita must go on a voyage of self-improvement that only she can undertake. She must learn to recognize and find the kernel of a being, be it a world or a person. Nita must learn to manipulate that core, to help it marshal the powers that the kernel represents and commands. Only by manipulating the kernel does Nita have a chance to save her mother from cancer. As the book develops Nita finds friends from other planets who have been manipulating kernels for some time. Nita is also developing advanced skills as a wizard, and I can see the potential for Nita to advance in the wizard hierarchy. Eventually Nita comes to realize that even with all she knows and with all her will that she still needs the help of friends, who come through for her when she really needs it. I was quite surprised at the dark atmosphere of this book. I wondered whether Diane Duane was calling on personal experience, battling a disease that we have so little understanding of in the only way she knows how. It seemed to me that Diane caught a feeling, an emotion, quite well, which also made me wonder at the appropriate age range for this book. I would recommend perhaps ages 12 and above, or perhaps even a bit more. In spite of the dark atmosphere, I enjoyed this book and would rank it as perhaps the second best book in the series after "A Wizard Abroad." Because of how well Diane created the imagery of the fight with the cancer and Nita's battles with the Lone Power I give this book a solid five stars. This story stands reasonably well by itself. However, I recommend reading at least the first story in the series, "So You Want to Be a Wizard," and preferably the second story, "Deep Wizardry," prior to reading this book. Reading the third book in the series, "High Wizardry," adds little background information other than reinforcing the relationship between Nita and Kit. The fourth book in the series, "A Wizard Abroad," I would also recommend reading because this book furthers the emotional conflicts within Nita as she continues to mature into a young woman.
Rating:
Summary: Young Wizards Apart
Review: This book is the darkest of the first five, and deals with the heavily emotional issues of puberty and the impending death of a close family member. At the outset of the book Nita (Juanita) Callahan and Kit (Christopher) Rodriguez argue about the best way to clean up a waterway. The argument seems petty because both are after the same goal. However, there seems to be a communication gap between the two. This event sends Nita on a voyage of personal discovery that intensifies when she learns that her mother has cancer. For the first time since becoming a wizard Nita learns that even wizardry has limitations. Even Dairine, her powerful and talented younger sister, is incapable of handling the cancer that is slowly taking their mother. Dairine is justifiably angry at her own inability to kill the cancer, and realizes that to battle this demon will require a finesse that she does not possess. Nita must go on a voyage of self-improvement that only she can undertake. She must learn to recognize and find the kernel of a being, be it a world or a person. Nita must learn to manipulate that core, to help it marshal the powers that the kernel represents and commands. Only by manipulating the kernel does Nita have a chance to save her mother from cancer. As the book develops Nita finds friends from other planets who have been manipulating kernels for some time. Nita is also developing advanced skills as a wizard, and I can see the potential for Nita to advance in the wizard hierarchy. Eventually Nita comes to realize that even with all she knows and with all her will that she still needs the help of friends, who come through for her when she really needs it. I was quite surprised at the dark atmosphere of this book. I wondered whether Diane Duane was calling on personal experience, battling a disease that we have so little understanding of in the only way she knows how. It seemed to me that Diane caught a feeling, an emotion, quite well, which also made me wonder at the appropriate age range for this book. I would recommend perhaps ages 12 and above, or perhaps even a bit more. In spite of the dark atmosphere, I enjoyed this book and would rank it as perhaps the second best book in the series after "A Wizard Abroad." Because of how well Diane created the imagery of the fight with the cancer and Nita's battles with the Lone Power I give this book a solid five stars. This story stands reasonably well by itself. However, I recommend reading at least the first story in the series, "So You Want to Be a Wizard," and preferably the second story, "Deep Wizardry," prior to reading this book. Reading the third book in the series, "High Wizardry," adds little background information other than reinforcing the relationship between Nita and Kit. The fourth book in the series, "A Wizard Abroad," I would also recommend reading because this book furthers the emotional conflicts within Nita as she continues to mature into a young woman.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best so far!
Review: This book was written by Diane Duane and is one of my favorite books of all time. This is the fifth book in the award winning Young Wizards series. To really understand the characters in this story, however, I would suggest reading the rest of the books in this series first.
In this story, Nita is still recovering from her mother's death and Kit is left partner-less. Nita is being troubled by strange dreams containing clowns and robots. Tom calls Kit over to investigate a wizard who has been on his ordeal, a test that you have to become a wizard, for three months, but hasn't left his house. Together Kit and Nita have to discover more about this new wizard named Daryel. They also have to figure out why the most evil force in the universe is working relentlessly to destroy him.
As I said before, this is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. In fact, it's my third favorite book ever. (My first favorite is also in this series) I strongly suggest this book, and the rest of the Young Wizards series to anyone that loves science fiction or fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book!
Review: This book ws just as good, if not better then the others in the series. I got it and I just couldn't put it down! This one was emotionally harder to read, because of what Nita's going through with her mom, but it helped you relate to her better. I would recommend this book to anybody who liked the Harry Potter series or that sort of fantasy book.
Rating:
Summary: An average book
Review: This is a book about a young girl Wizard that is trying to save her mothers life. But to save her mothers life she must risk her wizardry and possibly her life trusting the one person she has been fighting against. It was interesting throughout the entire story. It is an emotional story that deals with the losing of family members.
I thought the end of the book just kind of abruptly stopped. I did not think that this book was like any other books.
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