GIFTS by Ursula K. Le Guin
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  4/1/06
    Publisher:  Harcourt
    Reviewed by:  Lynn Crow
    Rating:  5 Stars


    In Ursula K. Le Guin's GIFTS, the gifts in question bring more trouble than happiness to the novel's main character,
    sixteen-year-old Orrec.  Orrec lives in the Uplands, a rough landscape where small clans squabble amongst themselves
    to maintain their land holdings and cattle herds.  The leader of each clan has a specific gift: a mystical power that allows
    them to call animals or twist human bodies with the force of their mind.  Orrec is the next in line to lead his clan, and his
    family's gift is one of the most terrible: the undoing.  His father can kill a man with a word and a gesture, and it is
    expected that Orrec will come into the same power.  However, when Orrec's power arrives, it is wild and
    uncontrollable, and he must stay blind- folded to avoid harming those he loves.

    The best thing about this outstanding novel is its premise. Everyone has wished at one time or another for a secret
    power.  GIFTS forces the question: what if your having such a gift caused harm to the people around you?  It gives no
    easy answers, exploring the issue with depth and feeling.  The society and culture of the Uplanders is detailed and
    realistic, making the conflicts that much more powerful.  Readers will quickly feel as though they've lived in this
    wonderful and terrifying world themselves.

    As narrator, Orrec is thoughtful and questioning, with a rhythmic voice that recalls traditional story-tellers.  He handles
    the tragedies and disappointments in his life with honesty and good humor.  Despite being from a somewhat alien
    world, his view is very human and teens will find it easy to see through his eyes.  When he is finally able to face the
    most disappointing truth of all, readers will cheer even as they share his pain.

    GIFTS is an excellent read for teens of all interests.  Fans of fantasy will be particularly drawn to it, but the world is
    grounded enough in earthly reality that it should appeal even to those who usually avoid the fantastical.  Thought-
    provoking and suspenseful, with a dollop of action and romance, a novel like this is a gift to its readers.
Annals of the Western Shore Bk. 1:
Gifts
by Ursula K. Le Guin