Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature)
Fourteen-year-old Thea is a “double-seven”--the seventh child of two seventh children--in a near-future Earth where magical abilities count. She is, however, a dud, as her six older brothers are quick to acknowledge. In a final bid to reclaim her rightful abilities, she is sent back in time to study with an Anasazi shaman in the southwest. Here she meets Grandmother Spider, Trickster, other Old World figures, and realizes her worth just in time to thwart an alien menace on returning to her own place in time. Alma Alexander’s fantasy is part boarding school story--á la Hogwarts in reverse--but primarily an extended meditation on Thea’s months-long “walk” through ancient lands and philosophies in search of her true self. Her journey from “whiner’ to intelligent questioner is a little fuzzy at times, as is the accomplishment of her final coup. Still, kids bred on Harry Potter might find this story an amusing diversion. 2007, Eos/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 5))
Try to imagine Carlos Castaneda’s mythos meeting Orson Scott Card’s Tales of Alvin Maker(with the substitution of a depressed adolescent female protagonist), and you’ll have a feel for this fantasy stew. Teenaged Thea, scion of a family of mages, shows no sign of mystical ability and is transported to a distant time and dimension for training by Native American avatars—a spiritual warrior and Grandmother Spider, the world’s weaver. Several subplots involving Thea’s family and the backgrounds of her friends at a school for the magically challenged supplement the complex main plot—which remains obscure until the last third of the book. Cardboard adult characters are predominately unhelpful; only the mythic characters (both human and animal) support the teenager emotionally and magically. The plot is suspenseful and engrossing with likable teen characters having to save the world from a mysterious entity introduced by greedy aliens. The combination of suspense, magic and teen angst will appeal to young-adult fans of Isobel Bird’s Circle of Three series and Tamara Pierce’s Circle of Magic books. 2007, Eos/HarperCollins, 400p, $16.99. Category: Fantasy. Ages 13 to 16. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cara Chancellor (KLIATT Review, March 2007 (Vol. 41, No. 2))
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. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2007, HarperCollins, 389p., $16.99. Ages 12 to 18.

April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 10))
Fourteen-year-old Thea has grown up under the weight of impossible expectations, since, as the seventh child of a seventh daughter and seventh son, she should have extraordinary magical abilities. Instead, her parents have grown increasingly disappointed as their various strategies to spark her mystical powers all fail. In desperation, Thea is sent into the past to seek help from Cheveyo, an Anasazi warrior. While there, Thea discovers that she has repressed her own boundless gifts, intuitively knowing since a young age that showing her strengths would have meant ruin for herself and indeed the world, as the ruthless alien race of the Alphiri would have stopped at nothing to harness her power to their benefit. Shortly after her return to her own life and time, a long-awaited battle between the Alphiri and Thea (backed by current allies and past mentors) culminates in a breathless struggle that goes to the forces of good, though it also becomes clear that this encounter is only the first of many. While Thea’s time with Cheveyo is contemplatively paced, the rest of the book cracks along, with Thea garnering allies, determining her destiny, and, of course, saving the world at a lightning clip. Readers will find the inscrutable and haunted Thea remarkable at any pace; Alexander skillfully offers details of Thea’s past to inform and engage readers, while shrouding her future in such mystery that fans will eagerly anticipate the remaining two novels of the planned Worldweavers trilogy. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Eos/HarperCollins, 389p., $17.89 and $16.99. Grades 7-9.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
In a society where everyone has magic, fourteen-year-old Thea--the seventh child of two seventh children--has none, gravely disappointing her family. Throughout the course of the story, she travels the spirit lands, learns not to whine, and saves the world. The book suffers from some cumbersome pacing, but occasional flashes of humor perk things up. Thea's quest for self-actualization is believable. (Worldweavers series). Category: Older Fiction. 2007, HarperCollins/Eos, 389pp, 16.99, 17.89. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Teri S. Lesesne (VOYA, April 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 1))
Born the seventh child of two seventh children, Thea is expected to achieve great things in terms of her magical ability. However hard she tries, though, she cannot seem to perform even the most fundamental of spells, transformations, or anything else. In desperation, her parents send her through a Portal to the care of Cheveyo, an ancient magician of the First World. Under his tutelage, Thea comes to understand that she indeed does have great power, which she will need to use if she is to protect her own world from the encroaching Nothing that is threatening the best of the mages. With her friends at the Wandless Academy, Thea is able to call upon her powers to protect her world. Doing so might just have alerted those who would use her talent for personal gain. This novel combines elements of magic, culture, and spirituality with a firm grounding in the very real world of Thea as she struggles to find her identity in her family and in the world of magic. Native American culture is highlighted via Thea's journey through the Portal to the First World. Thea's friends at the Wandless Academy all possess abilities that, although none have deemed magical, serve to assist Thea when she confronts the evil forces in her world. It would be easy to cast this book as a Harry Potter clone. Although it will appeal to those who love Harry, there is much more in store for readers who discover, along with Thea, the ordinary magic in the world around them. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P M J (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2007, HarperCollins, 400p., $16.99 and PLB $17.89. Ages 11 to 15.