sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

The Familiars
  • Rated 0 stars
Read The Familiars
The Familiars: Book 1

The Familiars (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Adam Jay Epstein (Author), Andrew Jacobson (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

Is the kingdom's fate in the hands of an orphan cat?

Running fast to save his life, Aldwyn ducks into an unusual pet store. Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Aldwyn's always been clever. But magical? Jack thinks so—and... read more

Summary edit see section history

The book starts out with Aldwyn, an alley cat, running away from a butcher shop, after he gets caught stealing fish. He made the mistake of dashing into a nearby shop, and jumping into a cage to hide. A couple of minutes go by, and in walks 2 people. An old man, and a young boy, Jack. It... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The book starts out with Aldwyn, an alley cat, running away from a butcher shop, after he gets caught stealing fish. He made the mistake of dashing into a nearby shop, and jumping into a cage to hide. A couple of minutes go by, and in walks 2 people. An old man, and a young boy, Jack. It turned out that Aldwyn had gotten himself trapped into a familiar shop. Familiars meaning animals with magical powers. Jack, picks Aldwyn out, even though Aldwyn doesn't have any powers.
When Aldwyn arrives to his new home, he meets Skylar, a blue jay, and Gilbert, a tree frog. Who are the familiars to Jack's relatives. The familiars think that Aldwyn has special powers like everyone else.
After a couple of days at his new home, the queen comes to visit them. Supposedly, a friendly queen, and turns out to be evil. She kills their mentor, and takes the 3 young wizards off to her castle. But before they leave, their mentor casted a protective shield on the young wizards. The queen takes them away.
Their mentor turned to the familiars after she leaves, dying, and tells them that they are the only ones who can save them. They have 3 days to find them before the protective shield wears off. Then, all cards are on the table.
Fighting off cave trolls, blizzards and a seven headed dragon on their way, they make it to where the young wizards are being held. The queen's familiar, a hare, greets them and brings them in. Aldwyn finds out he has powers, after all and Gilbert and Skylar almost dies. But in the end, they all survive.
One day, the queen comes to visit them, she tells them about the prophecy where 3 young wizards will take over the world. And those wizards were the familiars, Skylar, Gilbert and Aldwyn.

Characters edit see section history

  • Aldwyn: Black and white alley cat. Scruffy, and has a chunk missing from his left ear. Jack's familiar. Doesn't actually have any magical abilities.
  • Skylar: A blue jay with insatiable thirst for knowledge. She has the power to create illusions.
  • Gilbert: A frog with abilities he doesn't quite trust and a heart of gold. Supposedly he can see the future in puddles, but he isn't very good at it.
  • Jack: Aldwyn's loyal. Kalstaff's youngest student. Marianne's brother.
  • Dalton: The Loyal of Skylar, one of three apprentices to Kalstaff, always studying. He's broad of shoulder and square jawed. About fourteen years old.
  • Kalstaff: Great wizard who speaks many languages (including animal tongue). Teaches Jack, Dalton, and Marianne. Believes the natural sleep cycle should not be disturbed.
  • Marianne: Loyal to Gilbert, one of three apprentices to Kalstaff, likes Dalton and older sister to Jack. About fourteen years of age, with blond ringlets.
  • Loranella: Queen of Vastia and friend of Kalstaff and the Mountain Alchemist.
  • Dalton: Skylar's loyal, and a friend to Marianne and Jack.
  • Grimslade: A bounty hunter. He's the reason Aldwyn runs away from the city.
  • Paksahara: The familiar of Queen Loranella.
  • Tammy: A housecat who helps the familiars. She lives in an inn.
  • Agdaleen: A witch who went insane. One of the familiars' first real foes.
  • Brannfalk: The evil king of the Sunken Tower. He's been dead a long, long time. Rumored to have a special fondness for dragons, and was said to have owned seven of them.
Show all 14 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “But, we're just a bunch of familiars.”
    Aldwyn
  • “What, these? They're not fleas, they're freckles”
    Aldwyn
  • “Tricks? Tricks are for circus monkeys. I’m an illusionist.”
    Skylar
  • “Hi, I’m Gilbert. But you can call me Gil. Or Bert. Do I have any flies in my teeth?”
    Gilbert
  • “I want to be a Beyonder. I want to travel to distant lands and fight off enemies. Maybe I'll be the first one to find the center of Necro's Maze.”
    Jack

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

It all started with Aldwyn's whiskers beginning to tingle - the way they always did when he was hungry.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. Catch Of The Day
2. Unfamiliar Surroundings
3. Stone Runlet
4. Some Berries And Bookworms
5. Walkabout
6. Midnight Visitors
7. Into The Unknown
8. Agdaleen And The Octopus
9. The Tree Frogs of Daku
10. Vastia's Most Wanted
11. The Bridge Of Betrayal
12. A Secret History
13. The Mountain Alchemist
14. An Unwelcome Return
15. Torentia Falls
16. The Sunken Palace
17. The Hydra Of Mukrete
18. Paksahara
19. The Propesized Three

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 3 in The Familiars. (standard series)

Followed by Secrets of the Crown.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Adam Jay Epstein (Author)
  2. Andrew Jacobson (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Peter Chan (Illustrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: USA
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
ISBN: 0061961086
Page Count: 256

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

"The Familiars combines the magic of Harry Potter and the adventure of Warriors into a enchanting story readers will love. Whether furry, flippered, or feathered, you'll be taking a closer look at your family pet." Michael Buckley, author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Into the Wild
  • Fire and Ice
  • The Fourth Apprentice
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close