about the book
Every Erdas child who turns eleven participates in a special ceremony, taking one sip of a precious Nectar. For most, nothing happens. For four special children, a blinding flash of light reveals the Great Beast who is their animal spirit.
Even more amazing, these four Beasts are the ones that gave their lives hundreds of years ago in an epic battle against the Devourer, a creature that threatened the entire planet!
These children couldn’t be more different. No one expects Conor, a sheepherder, to summon a spirit animal, and certainly not the spirit of the Great Wolf Beast. Akebe is wild, brave, and a skilled huntress whose animal spirit is the Great Leopard Beast. Meilin, a rich and skillful fighter, is disappointed that her spirit animal is the seemingly gentle panda bear. The last of the four is Rollan, a ragged jailed orphan; his spirit animal is a mighty falcon.
Each child must learn to communicate with their animal spirit. Bonding proves to be a rare and difficult task. The bond grows stronger the longer they are together, and it also bestows powers on both creature and human. Learning what the powers are and how to control them are daunting lessons. Conor, Akebe, Meilin, and Rollan must also learn to work together.
Dangerous times are coming. As the dark force from the past rises from distant lands, war erupts. Though barely trained by the Greencloaks and with the Devourer’s minions hot on their trail, the task of saving Erdas falls squarely on the shoulders of the four eleven-year-olds and their slightly out-of-control animal spirits!
Intrigued? Read Wild Born and then go to SpiritAnimals.com. There you can pick your own animal-spirit and join the adventure!
about the author
Brandon Mull opened his fortune cookie and was amazed to read that he would become a New York bestselling author! Bandon always knew he wanted to be a writer, but he had never told anyone.
Raised in California and Connecticut, Brandon was a daydreamer. When he saw magical creatures in the woods near his house, he began to wonder why those creatures would exist today. He imagined that they lived in a secret wildlife park. Then all sorts of questions popped into his head—and the story just grew.
After spending two years on a mission for his church in Chili, Brandon attended Brigham University, working as a chicken stacker, patio installer, comedian, and marketing copy writer.
When his first novel was rejected over and over, one publisher asked to see what else he had written. Brandon sat down and wrote the first Fablehaven novel. The complete story had been in his head since childhood; the easy part was getting it onto paper! The Beyonder trilogy was inspired by childhood daydreams of heroes. Brandon is thrilled to write the first of the Spirit-Animals series. Each of the next six books in the series will be written by a different author.
Brandon lives with his wife and four children in Highland, Utah. He writes in his basement office surrounded by all sorts of strange things sent to him by his readers. He says he now works harder and longer hours than at any other job…but he loves it!
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Simon & Schuster
Author biography : Wikipedia
Also by Brandon Mull:
Rogue Knight (Five Kingdoms, Book 2). Aladdin. 2014.
Sky Raiders (Five Kingdoms, Book 1). Aladdin. 2014.
Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders, Book 3). Aladdin. 2013.
Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, Book 2). Aladdin. 2012.
A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, Book 1). Aladdin. 2011.
Arcade Catastrophe (Candy Shop War, Book 2). Shadow Mountain. 2012.
Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven, Book 5). Shadow Mountain. 2010.
Secrets of the Dragon’s Sanctuary (Fablehaven, Book 4). Shadow Mountain. 2009.
Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven, Book 3). Shadow Mountain. 2008.
The Candy Shop War (Candy Shop War, Book 1). Shadow Mountain. 2007.
Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven, Book 2). Shadow Mountain. 2007.
Fablehaven (Fablehaven, Book 1). Shadow Mountain. 2006.
read more!
Sky Raiders(Five Kingdoms, Book 1) by Brandon Mull
On Halloween, Cole watches as his friends are whisked through a portal to the Outskirts, an in-between world. Diving after them, he discovers that the balance of power in the five kingdoms of the Outskirts has been upset. Now Cole must set things right, rescue his friends, and find his way back home.
The Familiars (Book 1) by Adam Jay Epstein
When a scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, he finds he’s gotten himself into a great deal of trouble! Now he and his fellow “familiars,” a know-it-all blue jay and a bumbling tree frog, must save the kingdom after the evil Queen of Vastia kidnaps Jack and two other wizards.
To Be a Cat by Matt Haig
Surely being a cat would be better than being a twelve-year-old boy, right? Barney thinks so. Cats are always showered with affection and laze around the house all day. Cats also don’t ever have to worry about why their dad left one day and never came back. Barney makes a wish to be a cat, and it comes true! But is it what he really wants?