The Shelterlings

Holly, a grey squirrel, and her animal friends have accepted that they will never be wizards’ familiars. Though they are each magical, their powers are so offbeat—Holly herself can conjure pastries (and only pastries)—that no professional magic-worker would choose any of them as a companion for noble quests. So instead of going on adventures, they languish at the Shelter for Rejected Familiars, where they are known as “shelterlings.”

When an old friend appears with a plan for curing the shelterlings’ defective magic, everyone is on board to help him locate and retrieve the ingredients for a powerful spell. But when they learn that his offer is not what it seems, Holly and the shelterlings must fight to defend their magic, discovering in the process that their unorthodox skills may just be what is needed to save the day.

What happens when the powers everyone dismissed as useless become the only thing that can save the day?

• Misfit Heroes: Meet Holly, a squirrel who can only conjure pastries, and her friends—an owl who turns to stone, a super-fast turtle who can’t steer, and a cow whose prophecies are always wrong.
• Found Family: At the Shelter for Rejected Familiars, a charming group of magical outcasts learns that home isn’t a place, but the friends who accept you, weird powers and all.
• Self-Acceptance: A powerful lesson about embracing who you are, discovering that the quirks that make you different also make you strong.
• A Heartwarming Adventure: When a friend’s promise to “cure” their magic turns out to be a trap, the shelterlings must unite to protect the very powers they once wished away.