Skyborn

Clea learns that she is the descendant of aliens who were shipwrecked on earth--the reason she has lived in isolation--and meets a boy who seems to also have a secret, special past.

Gr 7-9-- Clea, a princess in Atlantis, is both arrogant and lonely in her isolation in the palace until a ragged street boy appears and is welcomed by her father as a long-lost member of their race. Delos, the boy, and Clea are jealous of each other until they discover more about the rulers of Atlantis. These people are descendants of star-farers whose space ship wrecked on Earth. Their culture is built on an uneasy coexistence with the natives, combined with the need to preserve their science and reestablish contact with their interstellar civilization. A plot to overthrow the rulers coincides with an earthquake, and leads to the rediscovery of a power that will bring the Skyborn to their rescue. The believable characterizations and suspenseful plot are balanced by speculations on the moral dilemmas of contact between technologically advanced and primitive peoples. In this, however, the book does not meet the standard set by Engdahl's Enchantress from the Stars (Atheneum, 1970; o.p.), but relies more on mysterious powers. It is, nevertheless, a readable, somewhat thoughtful story. --Carolyn Caywood, Virginia Beach Public Library Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information.