The Supernatural Pet Sitter - A Blast of Middle Grade Fun!

TITLE: The Supernatural Pet Sitter (The Magic Thief #1)
AUTHOR: Diane Moat
PUBLISHED:  March 5, 2017

FROM GOODREADS:  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 a 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 then 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.  Pepper can sense that the tortoise is very scared.

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.

MY THOUGHTS:  I adored this book and found it so much fun to read.  Pepper is a gnome living in a town in New York populated by supernatural beings.  Even though gnomes and witches aren't supposed to get close, her best friend, Luna, is a witch in training and a perfect companion for Pepper.  To earn extra money, Pepper uses her special connection to animals to pet sit the familiars of many neighborhood family.  However, one day, someone starts stealing the familiars' powers thus breaking their magical link with their owners. Pepper, who truly loves the animals in her care, wants nothing more than to help, but it might cause her her life in the process.

This is a perfect middle grade read and I wish books like this were around when I was in that target age range.  Pepper and her friend Luna are great friends and the relationship Pepper has with her family is like many "normal" families which is saying a lot because they are gnomes.  Moat does a great job of weaving the town's supernatural beings together and I'm only hoping this is a the beginning of a wonderful series full of action, animals and fun.

I really enjoy a good middle grade read from time to time and since Moat wrote one of my favorite novels of last year, "Dog Gone," I knew I would have to pick up this one as well.  If you love animals, supernatural beings, friend and family bonds and lots of action, then you and/or your children should consider reading "The Supernatural Pet Sitter."

RATING: 5 PAWS