Apprentice Needed

February 1, 2019
Fifteen-year-old Ozzy Toffy is still settling into his new life beyond the solitary house in the woods when a series of events puts everything and everyone he loves in jeopardy in this sequel to Wizard for Hire (2018).Life is never dull for Ozzy, his friend Sigi, and his mechanical bird, Clark. Wizard Rin phones, saying simply that "things are happening." Indeed: Ozzy sleepwalks into the ocean, guided by his buzzing finger, and a mysterious man delivers a zip drive containing a plane ticket for travel to New York City. Believing Rin is behind the subterfuge, Sigi, Ozzy, and Clark board a plane only to find themselves confronted by Ray Dench, an evil and powerful man, who is determined to use and then dispose of Ozzy. Even though they manage to escape Ray's henchmen, Ozzy is still troubled by his buzzing finger, and Sigi continues to struggle to trust Rin, who is also her estranged father. It's the characters that (mostly) 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. The book adheres to the white default, brown-skinned Sigi a notable exception. Ozzy's fascination with her skin and her devotion to Ozzy make her characterization troubling.A sequel that (mostly) continues to deliver mystery, humor, and real-life magic. (Fantasy. 12-14)

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March 1, 2019
Grades 4-7 Rin, the madcap titular wizard for hire, is back again, and just in time! Ozzy, who hired him the first time (Wizard for Hire, 2018) to find his kidnapped parents, is in deep trouble. He's discovered that his parents experimented on him with a mind-control drug and he can be forced to do anything?even jump out of windows and walk into the ocean. But Rin needs a favor in return. To be truly respected among other wizards, he needs an apprentice, and he thinks Ozzy will be perfect. Ozzy, though, has his doubts. Joined by Ozzy's friend Sigi and his mechanical bird, Clark, the two go to New York and beyond, hoping to free Ozzy from the strange and powerful drug. Soon, the weird magical quartet runs afoul of the evil, angry millionaire Ray Dench, who wants to control the world with the hypnotizing serum. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)