Mundie Moms

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Familiars Review & Interview



Here's my review:
By Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
Published by Harper Collins
To Be Released on September 7th, 2010
Source: Publisher
5 stars- Highly Recommend

The fate of the kingdom is in the paws of an ordinary alley cat- and the result is pure magic.

Meet Aldwyn as the scrappy orphan cat runs right into the biggest adventure of his life. Chosen by Jack, a young wizard in training, to be his familiar, Aldwyn's biggest challenge seems to be convincing the two other familiars-the know it all blue jay Sklyar and the friendly tree frog Gregory-that he, too, has magical powers. Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and his fellow wizard apprentices are captured by the evil queen of Vastia- and the familiars must save them!

At once fresh and familiar, this brilliant fantasy adventure-an irresistible blend of real heart, edge of your seat action, and laugh out loud humor-shows that friendship and courage come in many forms.

The Familiars is such a great, action packed, full of humor, quick, fun and engaging read. I think this is one book that middle graders, and fans of good old magical adventures will enjoy reading. With a loyal trio of unlikely heros, Aldwyn, Gregory and Skylar had me laughing out loud, and wishing I had pet companions like them.

You can read the rest of my review on Mundie Kids here http://tinyurl.com/3an3gnc

Our Interview with Adam & Andrew:
What inspired you guys to write The Familiars?
Adam had always been fascinated by familiars growing up, loving wizards, witches, and magic. He even imagined having magical pets of his own. One day Adam asked Andrew, "Are you familiar with what a familiar is?" That simple question spurned an idea: what if the familiars -- the animal companions oft times relegated to the background -- went on an adventure of their own?

If you could be a familiar, what animal would you be and what power would you want to have?
We'll choose familiars from the book for this one. Adam would go with a puddle viewing tree frog, because he could see the future. That way, he could make a lot of money on the stock market and always avoid rush hour traffic. Andrew would be a teleporting wombat, because he hates to fly and this would allow him to visit all the faraway places he wants to see.

Character wise, which familiar did you most connect with? I loved that the characters had people like qualities to them.
Adam connected most with Aldwyn. He likes scrappy underdogs, and while he didn't grow up on the streets, he could relate to his wonder and amazement upon seeing new things and going on a wonderful adventure. Plus Adam's always had a habit of creating elaborate stories, just like Aldwyn. Andrew has a soft spot for Gilbert, who has a great sense of humor and is always there for his friends.

What are your must haves when you're writing?
We've covered good snacks and comfy chairs in previous interviews, so we'll add two more. Adam likes fresh air while he's writing. Andrew likes to have a pen cap on hand. See attached pic!


I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. How many books will make up the series?
Well, the first book is part of a trilogy. But we're hoping to write many, many more!

Is there anything else you'd like us to know about The Familiars or about you guys?
We love talking to teachers, students, librarians, and parents about our adventures writing The Familiars. And if we can't make it to your city, Skype chats work, too!

Thank you Adam and Andrew for the interview! If you'd like to learn more about The Familiars, please visit their site here http://www.thefamiliars.com/ and here http://thefamiliars.blogspot.com/. You can also follow them on Twitter here http://twitter.com/the_familiars and on Facebook here http://tinyurl.com/28h6tk8

1 comment:

  1. Awesome interview!!! I just pre-ordered it for my kids!!!

    ReplyDelete

Labels