Author: Pamela Keyes

ISBN: 1-59092-131-3
ISBN: 1-59092-062-7

The following review was contribute by:  Kathryn Atwood Click Here To View More Of Kathryn's Reviews.

Pamela Keyes doesn't waste any time getting her story, "The Rune of
Zachary Zimbalist" moving.  The first sentence of the book has five-year
old Zachary sensing his new house's magical power.  Three paragraphs later,
he is in the midst of a brief conversation between a talking cat and a
ghost girl who says Zachary is to be her apprentice.   This is definitely a
pre-adolescent book, full of action, surprising plot twists, a hero who is
constantly doubting his powers and of course, a deep and ever present
danger.

We soon get the low-down from his mentor, the ghost girl Maria: Zachary
has the power of "parlance" (similar to George Lucas' "force" concept only
more individualized) so he's been chosen to be an apprentice by the
"Connedim," the connecting dimension that connects all historical times,
past, present and - as in the case of Zachary's roommate Jabari - the
future.  He needs to go with Maria and his cat Eddy Abby a place called
Craton in the Connedim.  Craton resembles a summer camp, but this is no
ordinary summer camp: Wilbur Wright gives flying lessons (without
airplanes, that is) and Alexander the Great teaches warfare via parlance
powers.  They need to know this skill because there is a great and terrible
group of enemies known as The Scatterers - individuals who use and who have
used their parlance to change history in dramatic and destructive ways.

While I admit to more than a few yawns while watching Zachary and his
friends hone their flying skills, and also while reading endless summaries
of events that just took place before my eyes, I will also admit to
watching with fascination as the story develops some, well, interesting
story development.  It is quite possible that Zachary's uncle - who
supposedly died in a car crash that brain-damaged Zach's father but somehow
left Zach unscathed - is alive, possible changed history to save Zachary
and could just be the leader of the Scatterers, the bad guys who sense
Zachary's extreme parlance powers and who have been trying to get him to
join their forces.  The stakes get pretty high and the story gets pretty
exciting.

Keyes' world, though just occasionally hokey (of course, Alexander the
Great is always frowning and Zachary's mandibal - a living soccer ball --
bites someone's rear), remains true to its own rules.   In the main, "The
Connendim" books are entertaining and give little historic figure lessons
all while saying some positive things about family ties, trust,
self-confidence and friendship.