Adam Jay EpsteinReseñas

The narrator wants this to be a traditional seek and find book, but well, Gordon just wants to stand out. His replacement is rather shy and doesn't really want to stick around and be found. This one starts silly and playful, and then ends with all the classic seek-and-find challenge you are looking for in a seek and find book.

It's time to find Gordon!

This is a search-and-find book, which offers bright and detailed illustrations with tons of looking fun. The scenes range from amusement parks to city streets, and offer all sorts of things to gaze at and find. While the first part of the book starts with simply finding Gordon (a cute, little monster-like character), it soon spreads into more.

I found it wonderful that this book grows and spices things up on the search end. While it starts with finding just Gordon in the various, packed places, it then shifts gears and has kids looking for more. Later, it ups the game again and describes different things which need to be found. This adds a bit more variety and keeps the entire thing from becoming boring. Plus, the illustrations carry lots of other surprises to keep readers coming back for more.

And there are words. Just a few short phrases introduce the pages and give beginning readers something to discover on that end...or it works to make this into a bit of a read-aloud. Plus, the ending wraps it up with warmth and a sense of friendship. This was really nice, since it made it into more than just a search book

I enjoyed reading and gazing at this one and can imagine kids will do the same...over and over again.

I received an ARC and really enjoyed searching through the illustrations.

Still an enjoyable series to read. I wish they'd focus a bit less on Aldwyn and a bit more on the other Familiars and the Loyals.

It's kind of annoying that they didn't finish this series. They left it open with a lot unsolved. I don't think another book is coming out since this was published in 2014. Still, I am glad I read The Familiars, I just wish I was younger.

3.5 This was and enjoyable read. It's an adventure novel about animals, something I wish I'd read when I was younger because I was crazy about these types of novels. The animal-human relationships were a highlight of the novel. I see it in many Junior/Middle Grade reads, but it's not usually handled in this fashion. It was new and fresh. I could also see areas where the authors drew in ideas form myths and legends as well as some other novels, but the were very suttle and mixed in ery well with their original ideas.

This is the story of one Wily Snare. Raised by a menacing "father" figure deep in the Carrion Tomb and working as a trapsmith for as long as he can recall, the little hobgoblet has never seen the light of day...as in the actual sun because I guess his skin was suppose to melt off if its rays ever touched him. Yeah, sounds a LOT more than unpleasant, so I don't blame him for being a fan of the underground....but what if every thing he was ever told, every thing he ever took as truth, suddenly turned into a lie?

Yes, my friends, Wily Snare is in for QUITE the surprise, when invaders turn unexpected friends, his true heritage is revealed, and he finally finds the confidence within to not simply be a grand trapsmith, but a...well, okay, I can't say that part, but trust me, it's BIG, and it's GRAND, and it's all that his little non-gobhoblet (because he's HUMAN!) heart has desired for so long.

I adored the mysterious characters that kept creeping into the story, and how their purposes were always something more than what they at first appeared. I found the combination of magic and science, or rather more specifically engineering, on display fascinating, and a good representation of how they truly blend. My heart was shocked by some reflections though I did have my suspicions as the story progressed, but it was also warmed by the family Wily found, and how his sister from some other, well, mister/creature, stood by his side steadfast as Modul in a river (he's an moss golem, in water he drinks/hydrates...fascinating creature!).

All in all, a great fit for Middle Grade Fiction readers of all ages, boys and girls, elf and golem, hobgoblet and Roamabout, alike. There is so much to love, so much to discover, so much adventure to be had that one trip through the traps within doesn't seem like nearly enough....good thing it's the first in a NEW SERIES! (Woo hoo!)


**copy received for review

First, I love how book two picks up right where book one leaves off leaving no unexplainable time gaps to try and figure out. If you decided to start with book two though, you wouldn’t be completely lost. There is enough information shared to bring you up to speed in order to follow along in the opening chapters, however the journey will feel more complete if one started at the beginning.



The familiars have secured their loyals once again…but Pakashara will have none of this chummy business. She wants to rule them all and put the lowly humans back in their place with the help of an army of animals….dead animals (as in zombie like). Yes….she plans on raising an army of those animals that have passed in order to claim what she feels is rightfully her future. To stop her, they must find the Shifting Fortress, for it is only within its walls that the spells to save (or ruin) all of Vastia can be cast. But how does one pin down a shifting object when by definition alone it is constantly on the move? They’re about the find or…meet the new undead minions of Pakashara paw to paw.




Filled with danger, adventure, magic, friendship and family these are wonderful stores for Middle Grade fans through adults. You have the old “diamond in the rough” message illustrated thanks to Aldwyn, as well as the “things aren’t always as they seem” adage courtesy of…well, all three of them and several others they meet along the way. We uncover the pasts of all three of our unlikely heroes and learn that family can be flesh and blood….but it is also those that we hold nearest to our hearts that make us whole.



Aldwyn’s character is coming to terms with a past that keeps changing. Skylar shares a part of herself that was no intended for her friends to see. Gilbert reveals the underlying reasons for his shaky sense of his magical abilities. Suffice it to day that there are twists and turns some of which are easy to spot while others take a moment to wrap your mind around (especially the River of Time…) but it all adds up to a whole lot of fun. Book three is forth coming and word to the wise....there’s ALSO going to be a movie based on the series!

Carinissima storia per ragazzi.

E' una storia molto carina ma che secondo me pecca in alcuni punti di troppo semplicismo o comunque di una scrittura non eccellente che banalizza un po' le situazioni..
Il libro è un fantasy indirizzato ad un pubblico giovane ma leggibile tranquillamente anche dagli adulti per passare qualche ora spensierata.
I personaggi principali sono i famigli, ovvero degli animali deputati ad essere i compagni di ragazzi che studiano da apprendisti maghi.
Ci sono Skylar, una ghiandaia blu che sa sempre tutto e che ha come dono principale quello del creare illusioni, e Gilbert, una rana un po' pasticciona che sa leggere il futuro nelle pozzanghere, che sono i famigli di Marianne e Dalton.
A loro si aggiunge, casualmente, Alwin un gatto randagio che sta scappando da un cacciatore di teste e che non possiede nessun potere magico, che viene scelto dal giovane apprendista Jack.
La trama è molto simile alle storie fantasy per bambini: un evento nefasto rovina la serenità dei ragazzi che stanno studiando magia: vengo rapiti e rinchiusi in un posto segreto, i tre animali, quindi, partono per un lungo viaggio nel tentativo di salvare i loro leali.
Ovviamente il viaggio non sarà semplice e i tre animali dovranno superare parecchie prove e conoscere mostri, animali mitologici e inaspettati benefattori.

Il giudizio è comunque positivo, è un libro che, nonostante io non ami il genere, scorre veloce e si legge facilmente anche in spiaggia.

So much fun, this series, which began with Snared: Escape to the Above. Wily Snare, a "trapsmith," was responsible for trap-maintenance in a wizard's lair. But he learned that, in fact, he is a prince who is slated to someday rule. This latest adventure sees Wily and his friends once again on a quest: and, perhaps more importantly, it sees Wily through the travails of self-doubt. I appreciate the book's positive message of coming to believe in yourself.

Full review to come.

Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Not great
Recommended: Recommended
Level: Middle School

This book is pretty meh.

I picked this up at my review group for work hoping I would get a middle grade combo of Tomb Raider and fantasy creatures dabbling in puzzles and escape room like situations. Instead, this book was overly tropey, full of clichés, and very info dumpy.

The characters are also meh. Not one of them is that greatly developed, the majority of which seem a bit like copies of characters in other works, such as Harry Potter (Wily) or Guardians of the Galaxy (everyone else). The plot was pretty predictable and the way the rag tag group of misfits got out of trouble was seemingly all too easy on almost every occasion.

While usually one of my favorite parts of a fantasy is the made up terminology and slag words, in this case it was a huge deterrent. Everything that could be considered world building felt messy and like one giant info dump that was boring. Every time a new word was used, there would immediately be a paragraph explaining to what type of creature it belonged and what it meant, when half the time it was easy enough to guess what it meant. It kind of felt like the author wasn’t giving the reader a change to figure things out for themselves, which is ironic in a book that’s supposed to be about traps and puzzles.

Overall, I’m sure this will appeal to a lot of younger middle school aged children, but for me it was just okay. I liked the sense of adventure, but I wish the puzzle aspects would have been more prominent.

DNF couldn't get past the first few chapters. I just don't like talking animals.

I've had this on my to read list for a long time but I finally picked it up for a book club which needed a Wisconsin author (and then didn't finish it and didn't go to book club anyways. Ahem.) anyways, I admit that I bogged down a bit but managed to finish it, which makes me wonder if I've lost my taste for middle grade fantasy or if this just....wasn't very good.

Aldwyn is a clever alley cat, able to avoid any dangers in the medieval town he lives in. But he can't survive being chased by the most dangerous of the bounty hunters, especially when the hunter uses magic. A series of lucky occurrences and Aldwyn finds himself mistaken for a magic-working familiar and going home to a new family, which includes his "loyal" Jack, know-it-all blue jay Skylar, who has some secrets of her own, and the friendly but dim frog Gilbert. Aldwyn barely has time to settle in to his new life when there's a catastrophe of epic (and magical) proportions and he finds himself on a dangerous journey with the other two familiars to save their loyals.

There are black and white sketches, some of them full-page, throughout the book, but they don't add much to the story and are mostly forgettable. The story...well, forgettable is a kind word. Chaotic, random, cliched....it clearly was not for me. It appears to be the typical quasi-feudal/medieval fantasy world with added magic, weird creatures, etc. The history sounds interesting, but it was revealed randomly and in bits and pieces that were irrelevant to the main story. The plot is vague and wandering, heavy on the foreshadowing and there are no surprises in the ending; the familiars save their loyals, Aldwyn turns out to have magic, the queen is innocent, etc. Even the building of the characters is cliched and doesn't add up. At one point Aldwyn is thinking about how he doesn't have any loyalty to his new "family" and could just leave and only a few paragraphs later he's thinking about the tight bond he's formed with Jack (in the space of....less than a week?)

It's no surprise that the authors are screenwriters since this book reads a lot like the screenplay for an animated movie - lots of quirky magical creatures and descriptions of scenery, some simple twists and turns, and a cliched ending with a soppy moral. The series itself has been optioned for a film, but is listed simply as in development, no actual release date is planned.

Verdict: Even with a movie planned, this doesn't strike me as the type of project that increases demand for the book when the movie is released; more the type of thing where people are surprised to learn it's based on a book. It's predictable, poorly plotted, and rather boring overall. However, plenty of kids have enjoyed the series and it's no worse than, say, the Warriors series or any of the gazillion and one medieval-fantasy-with-animals books out there. There are, however, quite a few of those and this is nothing particularly new. So, an additional purchase if you have a plentiful budget, demand for this type of book, or fans of this series in particular.

ISBN: 9780061961083; Published 2011 by HarperCollins; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Adult Reader Reaction: What a fun, fast read. Events start at a fast pace and the speed of the action continues to the last page. Readers will easily identify with specific characters (human and animal) and keep turning the page to learn more about them (as well as what happens next). There are lots of subplots, too. Jack, Marianne, and Dalton are orphans, and it is nice to see that they have positive adults in their lives; these are not Oliver Twist- or Harry Potter-type situations.

Pros: Lots of action and well-developed characters will wrap readers into this story from beginning to end.

Read our full review and add yours at The Reading Tub®.

Adult Reader Reaction: I'm glad I read this right after finishing The Familiars (Book 1). There are subtle yet important references that I would likely have forgotten if the story wasn't still fresh in my mind. The plot has a few more twists than Book 1, which made it even more enjoyable. Deciphering the nursery rhyme added to the depth of the plot, kept the curiosity going, and expanded the reader's knowledge of the Familiars and Vastia.

Pros: Readers will cheer on Aldwyn, Gilbert, and (even) Skylar! From start to finish, this engaging, unpredictable adventure is a wonderful read. It is an excellent read aloud choice for mixed-age audiences.

Read our full review and add yours at The Reading Tub®.

This is the third book my daughter and I have read this school year.
This is also the third book in the "Familiars" series and it was an extremely satisfying story. If you have read my previous reviews for the other books in the series you know we love these books and all of the characters. This third book solves the "evil bunny" problem in a very complete and satisfying manner. It also dropped more clues about remaining mysteries - Aldwyn's twin sister, Skyler and her commitment to the noctonoti society.
Characters:
All of the characters have been developing beautifully as we work through the books. All of you authors out there - this is how you invest readers in the stories and in the characters. We met them in the first book, found out interesting things about them, watched their friendship develop in a very real way, and each successive book delves deeper into each character. We enjoy the story line but it is the relationship of each character that drives our love for the books.
Plot:
The story on this third books completes the plot line started in books 1 and 2. As before, the familiars (three animals) are separated from their loyals (three humans). They embark on a quest to find animal descendants of the first ruling council in their land. At first, this felt a trifle tedious to me. Here we were being introduced to a bunch of new characters - each chapter was the search for a new animal. This felt like an exercise in prolonging the book as opposed to expanding the plot. However, as I mentioned in a previous review for this author, he does not waste plot points. Each step (each animal gathered) added new clues to the main mysteries, or provided needed skills. For instance, near the end of the book, we discover that Aldwyn's can read minds (like his mom). We realize that we have been receiving clues to this mystery all throughout the book. Another example, is the developing bond between the King Cobra and Mongoose descendants. Each time we see these characters, their bond grows. By the end, we have a powerful team in place that can help the three main characters complete their quest. As always, read this author thoughtfully. None of the plot is throw away or just out in for padding.
In conclusion, we both love this series and can't wait to read book 4. This is an extreme rewarding author is read and I highly recommend these books.

This is the 2nd book my daughter and I have read this school year.
This is also the 2nd book in the "Familiars" series.
The first book set up all the characters and developed their back stories. It also introduced a villain and story arc. This second book develops everything a few steps. The characters are familiar and so the author has been able to show their personalities a bit more vividly. For instance, there is more humor. The relationship between the characters has grown as well. The trust between the members of their group is palpable and is obviously valuable to each. They each have something to contribute and their confidence in their individual abilities strengthens in the face of opposition.
The plot is as tight as In the first book. The animals go on a quest to save the world from the evil bunny (I never get tired of saying that!) and to return magic to humans (stolen by aforementioned evil bunny). The animals are directed by an ancient epic poem which shows them the way. They encounter all sorts of other characters and have to find a way to solve each part of the poem puzzle. The thing to remember about this author is that each part, each character, each mystery is interconnected. Sometimes it seems as though you are just having a random encounter - something to fill the pages of an adventure book. However, be warned, each of those bits and pieces will come around again and be an important part of the book. Read with attention for maximum enjoyment!
My only complaint is that the ending of the book is a dreadful, painful cliffhanger - I do hate those! Its like book 2 of the LOTR books - just a sort of interstitial between 1 and 3. A great book - tightly and wonderfully written with lots of important things happening - but still, always, it is the book in-between.
Overall - a wonderful book with memorable characters and I can't wait to get to book three!

First book my daughter and I have read in the new school year!
This was a wonderful adventure written with heart and lots of unexpected twists. In short, a very engaging book! I can't wait to read the others in this series.
The main characters are three familiars (magical animal companions to human magicians or loyals). Each animal is presented with its own personality, back stories, problems, and mysteries. While they may seem at first to be simply drawn with stock characteristics (a smart bird, a sweet but slightly dim frog, and a street-wise cat) they quickly morph into interesting and complicated friends. In fact, it is this strong connection with the readers and with each other that provides the heart of the story. It is this growing bond which makes the reader care about the fate of this imaginary country and it's inhabitants. The humans are definitely off to the side and not as richly developed. However, what is presented beautifully and graphically is the love that develops between the familiars and their loyals (got to love that word) and how this love makes the animals stronger. I will be interested in seeing what happens in later books.
The plot is rollicking and never loses your attention. It is an adventure story with lots of twists that keeps you engaged until the last page. In fact, my daughter and I have been living in this world ever since (doing pretend play - making the dog and cat be familiars :-). The story is fun and the world is full of details that make it feel real.
No complaints here about this book. My daughter and I both had a great time.

Aldwyn is a stray cat who survives by his wits and stealing fish. When he is on the run after stealing a fish, he “hides” in a store full of animals. He is then chosen by Jake to be Jake's familiar. Whoops! Now, Aldwyn has to pretend to be magical to fit in with the other familiars that belong to Jake's siblings. When Jake and his siblings are kidnapped, it is up to the three familiars to save them.

I really enjoyed this cute book. It's fast to read and I loved the perspective being from the animals' points of view.

So much fun. Truly a cross between Harry Potter and Warriors.

Admittedly, there are a lot of things that don't always work or just seem very very very unlikely, or that just, y'know, don't make sense. For instance, when the Familiars travel into the Beyond, why do they run into so many familiar faces and people and stuff? I thought no one knew what was in the Beyond.

But really, the story is just so much fun that those details aren't really a big deal. A very good fantasy adventure for a younger audience.

Maybe 2.5 stars. Here's another older review from my LJ blog; I'm adding them to GR to keep track of them. I wrote this one back in 2010.

I think this book should have popularity, let me first say, at least among grade school kids, because of the spin of having a bunch of animals do the heroic questing and saving the world. And a motley group of animals they are, too -- an alley cat, a blue jay, and a tree frog. Still, it is terribly generic as a quest fantasy. It is, for lack of a better word, cute. I read that the two authors wrote this book to spur a movie contract, and it reads like it, like the skimpy novelization of a children's animated movie (which, to be honest, I would probably rent, as long as it's not one of those creepy, too-realistic computer-animated features, like The Polar Express). It's also been picked up by a movie studio and has a big web site, so all the powers of publicity may be behind this thing. �à ÀAll of the characters are clichÌ©d: think Harry Potter with animals -- the orphaned, misunderstood, always-in-a-scrape hero, who turns out to have amazing powers and a prophetic DESTINY; the bookish, know-it-all girl who is always telling everybody what to do; the dim but sweet-natured friend who is along for comic relief; the wise old mentor who isn't any help; the evil villain with not one single redeeming point . . . you get the idea. There are some scenes -- such as when Jack, apprentice wizard, goes to the shop to pick out his magical familiar -- that are very, very Harry Potter (in this case, a mix of HP picking out his wand and his owl). Even the plot twists are predictable, unless you have never read another fantasy nor seen a fantasy movie nor played a fantasy game in your whole life. What, you say? It turns out that familiars have a secret history in which THEY are the ones that have done all the good, important deeds, and the magicians are the BEARDS who took all the credit? Shocking!•à À

Nevertheless, despite all my complaining, it has some fun world-building with the way the familiars interact with their magicians and an appealing lead (the scruffy alley cat Aldwyn, who relies on his smarts for most of the book instead of magic, which is at least something. Of course, it's because he doesn't think he can do magic, except when he really, really needs to, it just happens, like it always does in these books).

It's very plotty and action-oriented, it has some funny moments, and though it feels a like a gimmick, it'll provide an entertaining, uncomplicated read for kids, who will probably get a kick out of picturing a cat, a frog, and a bird on the road together.

Entertaining enough for me to finish, but not an overly great read. The characters seemed a little one dimensional - brave feline, sly/brainy jay and foolish frog (sound a little familair? It's like a furry Harry Potter). I felt sorry for Gilbert, his entire presence in the plot seemed to be to bumble around, make an idiot of himself and get mocked by all and sundry (ok, so he's more a Neville than a Ron). Plus there is no way you could disguise a frog as a chicken! Why did the jay with her awesome powers of illusion not simply make them invisible or look like something else? In fact, there were numerous situations in the tale where the simple use of her abilities could have saved them from a world of hurt.

And why did the frog not ride on the cat? Tree frogs are tiny - a hopping frog could never keep up with a running cat. Ultimately, I felt the author treated the animals too much like they were people in strange bodies than if they were actually animals. And what's with the cat spending so much time awake? And not eating the bird (or for another matter, the frog). Actually, now that I think about it - for most of the book, nobody but the frog ever ate anything.

And this is the second book I've read in a row about a persistent bounty hunter that just won't give up! Seriously, getting tired of the being-pursued-across-the-world-by-villain-that-can-find-you-ANYwhere... (At least in the previous one he had more justification than just money, surely even the money isn't worth risking your life for).

Cute, but aimed at the 8-10 market and doesn't stand up to too much analysis by the older more cynical reader. A couple of nice, if rather predictable twists, and one quite irritating one. I'll let you figure out which is which.

I *might* see the movie. I think that would work better.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Review Originally posted at RJ Does Books

The story opens with Aldwyn, an alley cat from the city, being chased down for stealing a fish. Ironic how the cat becomes the "mouse" in this chase, isn't it? :P In order to escape, Aldwyn ducks into a pet shop and is chosen by little wizard Jack, who, by chance, entered the shop in search of a familiar—A wizard's magical animal companion. How could he refuse? A nice hot meal everyday, a roof over his head, decent company. It was as if Aldwyn had won the lottery, so he decides to play along, even telling the other Familiars in the household Skylar, a blue jay, and Gilbert, a tree frog, that his power was telekinesis. Just a little lie, what could possibly go wrong? They seemed to believe it anyways.

Until, the evil queen of the land known as Vastia captures the young wizards, then it's up to the three Familiars to save them. In a race against time, and battles between creatures great and small, these familiars will stop at nothing to save their loyals.

The Familiars is a very cute read. It definitely has some predictability and may feature some classic and repeated elements, but it was still great and was given it's own spin on it. I haven't really read a middle-grade novel in ages (really when I was middle-grade myself) so it was definitely a great book to start with again. Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson do a fantastic job at creating a novel for all ages filled with friendship, loyalty, lots of humor, fantasy/magic, and most of all adventure. I can definitely see why this book is being made into a movie!*

While reading, it was as if I was already watching the movie. There were many interesting creatures and magical things that I can't wait to see on the big screen. After reading this first book, I can officially say that I would definitely love to get my hands on the sequel.

*A 3-D computer animated film of The Familiars is currently in development by Sony Pictures Animation (Surf's Up/Open Season/Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) and is scheduled for a 2014 release.

I was sure this was going to be one of those "read the first few chapters and get a feel for the book so I can booktalk it to patrons" and found myself drawn into the adventures of this alley cat and the other familiars from his new family. The adventure is fast with many seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I liked that it was not as dark as some fantasy and there was the occasional bit of humor too. It is scheduled to be made into a movie as well.