ZOE'S GIFT

Cory's archaeologist parents decide to leave her with their mentor's granddaughter in England while the three adults go off on a dig. At first Cory is convinced that her parents expect her to pick up some good habits from Zoe, who is reputed to be ``gifted.'' In the event, it emerges that Zoe's ``giftedness'' manifests itself as extrasensory powers. She is receiving messages from the past, doesn't know what to make of them, and is afraid that she is going mad. The woman who has been hired to look after the 11-year-olds while the archaeologists are away helps the girls understand that Zoe has ``the sight.'' Then they scramble to uncover the mystery that the messages point to before Cory must return to New York. Naturally, there is a past injustice that needs to be righted. The landlord who's unfairly collecting rent turns out to be Zoe's grandmother, who must confront her own long-suppressed second-sightedness and turn the inn over to the descendants of Zoe's ghostly informants. Though not particularly well-constructed, and certainly predictable, this may appeal to fans of the genre. (Fiction. 10-12)