The Supernatural Pet Sitter

The Magic Thief

By: Diane Moat

Narrated by: Barbara Goldie

Every animal can talk to you. You just have to know how to listen. Pepper Neely is better at this than most, especially because she is in charge of pet sitting all the Familiars in her neighborhood. A Familiar is a pet magically linked to a witch or warlock. As a gnome, Pepper is no stranger to spells and sorcery. She also knows that, despite their special name, Familiars aren't all that different from regular animals. They get anxious when separated from their people, so Pepper uses her special gnome powers to calm them down. She watches Cranky, the high-strung ferret, Frank, the laid-back parrot, King Arthur, the elderly tortoise, and many others. Then, something terrible begins happening to the Familiars. Someone is stealing their magic! It not only prevents Pepper from communicating with them, but breaks their magical connection with their people. When King Arthur's magic is stolen, his owner's powers stop working, too. In order to protect the animal's magic, Pepper decides to track down the culprit. With the help of her best friend, Luna, and her brother, Jax, Pepper fights to protect all of the special pets.

©2017 Diane Moat (P)2017 Diane Moat

Familiars

Very cut tween story about a 12 year old gnome girl who baby sits supernatural familiar pets. Funny things are happening and this young girl is pulled into the mystery. I received a complimentary audio and this review is voluntary.

No one ever thinks of gnomes!

Pepper is a brave gnome, finding her place in an ever-changing world. As she learns more about herself, her family, and the mysteries surrounding her people, she faces an evil that threatens her family, friends, and her life. Together with her brother, Jax, and her best friend, Luna, they take brave an adversary and mysteries they never thought possible.

To be completely honest, gnomes freak me out. When I see them, I just don't like them, and usually cringe. The synopsis for this book sounded pretty good though, so I thought I'd give it a try. A story about gnomes can't be that creepy, right?

Luckily, this one was pretty cool. I enjoyed the depth the author went into about the life of gnomes and their culture, exploring them as if they were real in our modern world. Mixed with other cultures of folklore and legends, their existence with humans was entertaining.

My only complaint for this book, is the fact it seems written for a lower reading level than the story is set for. The plot fits middle school children, while the writing and narration seem fitting for a younger audience than that. Some children may lose interest because of it, however it wasn't too distracting overall.

This is a book I would recommend to just about anyone who enjoys books of this level and nature. The plot was interesting, it was quick, and left me curious as to what Pepper would do next. Definitely entertaining.

*I received a complimentary audiobook copy of this book, from the author via Audiobookworm Promotions, to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

~Rose
@Desert Rose Reviews

Pretty fun little book for a road trip!

So another random book I listened to, I couldn't resist, The Supernatural Pet Sitter? I mean c'mon, doesn't that title seem like a really fun idea for a kids book? Well guess what people, it is a fun book. I'd recommend it for a road trip cause it is the perfect length for that.

Narration was pretty solid, characters sound distinct and like age appropriate. Like Pepper and Luna both sounded like actual kids. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that there were times when characters were like really upset and I feel like the narrator could have made them sound more passionate or angrier. Honestly there's only one instance where I thought this, Pepper's Mom was really angry about something but she just didn't sound angry. Aside from that quibble I thought this was a pretty solid narration!

Story is pretty fun, it's got some nice world building about society of magic existing under our noses, witches and magical familiars, gnomes and a handful of other fantastic creatures. I very much enjoyed how none of the magical characters were really overpowered, which I feel like is common in kids books. Like the witches can use magic, but their magic isn't all powerful and in fact seemed to have lots of restrictions. I think Brandon Sanderson would be proud of this magic system.

If you've got extra credits piling up like I do, give this a shot! It's pretty fun!

Similar to The Golden Compass

I liked the gnomes and witches. The world building is immaculate. It was a definite solid 4 stars until ...
... My young son (almost 20) surprised me with a visit. He silently crept into my home while I was in my home office, listening to this, working on my laptop. He startled me by either A) suddenly speaking or B) saying, "That sounds like The Golden Compass, except it's about familiars and not daemons, and it sounds less religious."

And so I realized: A) YIPPEE! I have a visitor and B) OMGoddess! He's right!

Sooo. I DO like it. A lot. I do recommend it as an easy to follow cast in a fantasy setting. As long as you somewhat liked the concept of The Golden Compass.
Not everyone has a familiar; the main character has a tight and connected family.
It is different from the aforementioned series and very subtly sweet.
The narrator is perfectly perfect for this book.
The animals are wondrous. I have a fondness for turtles anyway :)

Great Entry into Fantasy for Kids

The Magic Thief is a light fantasy tale that gives broad brush strokes of hope, loss, community and magic in a compact manner that's great for younger readers/listeners. The story is told form the youngest gnome daughter that bridges cultures and powers and will certainly challenge the status quo as the series progresses.

It took me a bit to adjust to the narrator's POV but the excellent narration bridged that gap for me. The causal style felt right when I realized the age of the protagonist and experienced her growth. The narrator captures Pepper's curiosity very well and brings the listener along the journey in such an easy way that you lose yourself in the story.

Do yourself a favor and jump into this world of magic in the open and of culture clashes as seen through a young and powerful gnome.