Okay begin with the title - what are Shelterlings? Shelterlings are animals who now live together in a shelter for Rejected Familiars. They all longed for an adventurous life so they climbed a mountain to gain a magical gift and then expected to become a familiar for a wizard. Working with a wizard would mean a life heroic deeds and grand adventures BUT all of the various animals in this book have failed. Their magic is either strange, seemingly useless or it just doesn't work properly.
Here is a list of some of the animals and their magic:
- Holly is a squirrel and she can conjure pastries of any flavour or size.
- Charlie is a beaver and he conjures flowers - enormous in size and quantity.
- Gus is a barn owl who can turn himself in a stone.
- Periwinkle is a thief who can find 'lost' objects.
- Clover is a cow who tells prophesies but you need to expect the opposite things to happen.
- Zephyr is a fast turtle with no brakes.
- And more - skunk, porcupine, fox, mouse, bat, gecko, toad and flamingo.
Charlie has been in charge of the shelter where the rejected familiars live. He did leave a while ago but now he has returned with a fabulous plan. He knows how the rejects can repair their magic and fulfill their dreams. He tells the group about seven important objects that need to be collected and then taken to the Moon Mirror, where with the help of a magical spell, everyone will have their magic restored and then they can find a wizard and become a true familiar. Their days as Rejected Familiars will be over. BUT is all of this too good to be true?
While Charlie was away, Holly has been in charge of daily life at the Shelter. Now she decides they all need to work hard to collect the seven objects and strangely while they do this each discover their failed talents are actually very useful. But there is something else going on. Charlie is wise and kind but then he seems to snap and snarl. Does he have another plan for the seven objects and that spell he will cast at Moon Mirror? And what are these magic items - a flower that must be plucked from a cliff as the sun hits the petals at dawn; a herb that grows in the place where there has been a lightning strike; a desert fruit that ripens under a full moon; a pearl found deep in the ocean; a heart-shaped moon rock buried in a volcano; a crystal in a cave; and a piece of a fallen star.
An amusing, fast-paced fantasy with an impressive rodent hero. Kirkus
Blurb from author page: Holly the gray squirrel dreams of being a wizard's familiar and performing mighty magic. But squirrels aren't exactly known for being noble companions, and Holly's only magic trick is conjuring pastries. A tasty talent, but useless. Which is why she lives at the Shelter for Rejected Familiars with other oddball magical animals, including Gus (a barn owl who can turn to stone), Zephyr (a super-fast turtle with super-slow reactions), and Clover (a cow who constantly predicts the future but is always wrong). When an old friend presents a plan for curing the shelterlings' so-called defective magic, it seems like a dream come true -- but first they must find the rare ingredients of a powerful spell. How can a group of misfits complete such an impossible quest? And more importantly, should they? Maybe being different isn't a mistake. Maybe it's exactly what's needed to save the day!
Listen to an audio sample here from part way into chapter one. Read chapter one. And read more plot details in this review. I didn't race through this book but I think it will appeal to quest and fantasy fans aged 10+.
I previously talked about this book by Sarah Beth Durst:
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