The Shelterlings

by Sarah Beth Durst Narrated by Imani Parks

Overview

A group of magical misfit animals learns to appreciate their seemingly useless powers-and themselves-when they work together to thwart a villain's attempt to steal their magic.

Holly, a grey squirrel, and her animal friends have accepted that they will never be wizards' familiars. Though they are each magical, their powers are so offbeat-Holly herself can conjure pastries (and only pastries)-that no professional magic-worker would choose any of them as a companion for noble quests. So instead of going on adventures, they languish at the Shelter for Rejected Familiars, where they are known as “shelterlings.”

When an old friend appears with a plan for curing the shelterlings' defective magic, everyone is on board to help him locate and retrieve the ingredients for a powerful spell. But when they learn that his offer is not what it seems, Holly and the shelterlings must fight to defend their magic, discovering in the process that their unorthodox skills may just be what is needed to save the day.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“[A] clever squirrel embarks on a journey of self-discovery [in] an amusing, fast-paced fantasy.” — Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2022-03-16
Hoping to enhance her magical powers, a clever squirrel embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Holly lives at the Shelter for Rejected Familiars with other disappointed animals. All shelterlings once hoped to become wizards’ familiars, but when their magical powers were deemed too insignificant to be of use, they were sent instead to the shelter, a pleasant enough place but one none of them wanted to end up in. Holly’s supposedly useless magic is an ability to conjure pastries; her barn owl pal, Gus, can transform himself into a granite statue; and a lemur named Periwinkle finds lost things. When beaver Charlie, a former shelter resident, suddenly returns seeking help in locating seven magical ingredients critical to recasting a spell to cure the shelterlings’ defective magic, Holly volunteers. Despite her misgivings, she longs for adventure and surprises herself by negotiating with a greedy dragon to retrieve a magical flower, convincing a hungry orca to recover a magical pearl, and coaching Periwinkle to find a piece of fallen star. When Holly discovers Charlie intends to betray the shelterlings by transferring their magical powers to himself, she must stop him. In an action-packed finale, Holly and the shelterlings rely on one another and discover their unusual magic may not be useless after all. The bevy of animal characters with their peculiar personalities and special powers provide humor and variety.

An amusing, fast-paced fantasy with an impressive rodent hero. (Animal fantasy. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178533475
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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