Wild Born

Starred review from January 27, 2014
Set in the world of Erdas, this first book in Mull’s new series follows four young children who drink magical Nectar and discover that they have spirit animals—a wolf, a leopard, a panda, and a falcon. As Greencloaks (those in possession of spirit animals), the four children must band together to stop a dark force known as the Devourer that threatens Erdas once again. Expertly narrated by Barber, this audio edition transports listeners to a magical and dangerous world. Barber’s reading is surprisingly understated, but entirely effective. Her subtle characterizations are accurate, believable, and unique. Fun for both young and old, listening becomes a compulsion with Barber at the helm of this wild ride. Ages 8–12. A Scholastic hardcover.

Nicola Barber provides an engaging narration of the first book in the Spirit Animals series. This book focuses on the children--Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan--who summon the Four Fallen as their spirit animals. The children come from very different parts of Erdas, and Barber provides each one with a distinct accent and cadence. Meilin and Abeke have more confidence, while the boys Conor and Rollan are portrayed with more hesitancy as they struggle to connect with their spirit animals. Barber portrays the Green Cloaks with more authority and sets up the next book in this series with a fine action scene. E.N. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-Four very different 11 year olds in a fantasy world named Erdas are called to take the Elixir, a potion administered by the Greencloaks to determine whether the children have special powers and can summon an animal spirit. The ritual is something every child goes through between ages 11 and 12, but very few are successful. When Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan all summon rare and powerful animals, it is a sign that dark forces are about to threaten the stability of Erdas and that they will become part of the forces needed to respond. While the story starts a bit slowly and spends a fair amount of time introducing the protagonists, it picks up when Meilin's city is attacked and she is spirited away. From that point on, the fast-paced action will hold the attention of listeners. Nicola Barber does a stellar job of narrating Mull's tale (Scholastic, 2013). Her slight changes in inflection for each character contribute to the quality of the audiobook. This will be extremely popular in school and public library settings and especially useful for reluctant readers.-John R. Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

xxpish - Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have lived pretty normal lives. They are from the four different regions of Erdas, but nothing strange and amazing has ever happened to them. Until now. All four of them summon spirit animals-lifelong animal partners that make you stronger, and is extremely rare. not only that; their spirit animals are all Great Beasts—the most powerful kind of spirit animals that exist. They are the Four Fallen-the ones that died in the great battle against the Devourer. They have risen-but so has the Devourer. The four young kids are recruited by the Greencloaks to help fight evil, and defend the four corners of Erdas. They must come together and try to somehow stop the battles going on and the Devourer-before it is too late. In an enjoyable first book, The Spirit Animals series starts of with a mission to get the talismans before the enemy does. What I thought about this book: I thought this book was an exciting start to the series. It was enjoyable, and the world, characters, and plot that are created make for a great story. Brandon Mull’s writing was great, and the concept of this book was very unique and cool. I want a spirit animal! This book was slow at times, but the ending made up for all of it. The ending was breathtaking and sad, but it was the perfect ending. After I read it, I definitely wanted to continue the series. I can’t wait to read more Brandon Mull and Spirit Animals!