Originally published as :Missed Connection," a title that proved misleading to some young readers, this science fantasy tells of Mandy, 13, who, on earth since her mother's death, is invited to spend the summer with her father on a distant planet. She misses the space bus, takes a cab, then crashes on a world where magic works, but mechanical things do not.
Yendor, 14, a sorcerer's apprentice, hasn't completed his training; now his sorcerer has died. His mistakes cause his town leaders to volunteer him as a guide to help Mandy reach the spaceport 1400 kilometers from her crash site.
The trek takes several weeks, with the two facing many dangers. They are challenged by dragons and trolls and ... each other. They argue, they fight, but they grow to like each other.
Reaching the spaceport, Yendor sees Mandy off, both promising to write. Yendor apprentices himself to another sorcerer. Mandy reunites with her father. Will they ever see each other again?
