Apprentice Needed (Wizard for Hire)

Product Description

In book one of the series, Ozzy saw the classified ad in his local paper for a Wizard for Hire and discovered there was a wizard right in Portland, Oregon. Ozzy was relieved when the wizard, Rin, agreed to help him find his kidnapped scientist parents, though the search was a wild series of close calls the closer they got to the truth. And although Rin had plenty of wise sayings, Ozzy doubted that Rin was an actual wizard.
Now, on one dark and windy night, Ozzy steps out of bed, jumps out his window, and walks straight into the ocean. It’s as if someone is controlling Ozzy’s mind. He’s saved by Sigi Rin’s daughter and Clark, a mechanical robot bird. More than ever, Ozzy could really use the services of Rin, the Wizard for Hire. When a mysterious package arrives in the mail containing a plane ticket and a thumb drive, Ozzy is certain it’s from Rin. But when Ozzy, Sigi, and Clark arrive in New York, Rin isn’t there. Instead they are met by the man who was the money behind the mind-controlling discipline serum created by Ozzy’s parents. Ozzy was the final test case and is now the key to discovering the serum’s secret. He is a very valuable boy. Once again, he’s on the run.   As fate would have it, Rin appears just in time. But Rin’s goal is more than a rescue mission. He needs an apprentice to cement his status and notoriety in the magical realm of Quarfelt assuming the place even exists. As Rin’s apprentice, Ozzy must complete five tasks to receive the Gift of Wonder. Ozzy is willing to help, but is now really the best time to enter a contest for wizards when something is controlling his mind? Especially when someone is out to destroy the people he loves?

Review

“There are two kinds of people in the moody, magical world of Apprentice Needed: those who are opposed to imagination, and those who understand what a powerful force it can be. The second novel in the Wizard for Hire series revisits the adventures of Ozzy, the wizard Rin, and a mechanical bird named Clark as they try to uncover the origins of a mysterious mind-control serum. Obert Skye has created a believable, lively world of magic and make-believe.

Whatever Rin’s shortcomings, he has one great strength: he believes in Ozzy and magic, and is willing to power through whatever wild goose chase lies ahead. Sigi, Rin’s daughter, is especially well-drawn, and her droll adolescent attitude is a nice foil for her dad’s aggressive optimism.

This main plot would be sufficient to support the entire novel, but a second story is Turduckened inside it: Rin wants Ozzy to become his apprentice so that he can move on to the next level of wizardry. Both of these plots are well-developed…Apprentice For Hire is an ambitious second book that is full of wonderful, transporting exposition and realistic characters who pursue better-than-realistic adventures.” –Foreword Reviews

“It’s the characters that…make the book work. Clark is an amusing diversion with his dry humor and obsession with mechanical objects. While Rin’s suspicious lack of magical ability throws his wizardry into question, Ozzy’s continuing wonder with the world is the real magic. A sequel that…continues to deliver mystery, humor, and real-life magic.” –Kirkus

“Rin, the madcap titular wizard for hire, is back again, and just in time! Skye does not disappoint with this silly sequel. It’s as fun and fantastical as the first and filled to the brim with good laughs. An adventure for any collection.” –Booklist

About the Author

Obert Skye has traveled to all fifty states, visiting with children and librarians in hundreds of schools and inspiring people to read. Besides traveling and writing, he enjoys solving mysteries and collecting old maps. He is the bestselling author of the Leven Thumps series. Skye believes imagination is one of the most powerful things in the world because it’s the vehicle that opens your mind to the impossible.