Aldwyn, a street-smart alley cat, pretended he had telekinetic powers so young wizard Jack would chose him as a familiar. Aldwyn then learned that he and two other familiars—Skylar the blue jay and Gilbert the tree frog—were destined to undertake a perilous quest to defeat Paksahara, an evil hare who’d been familiar to the queen.

In Circle of Heroes, the third book of The Familiars series for middle-grade readers, Paksahara and her undead animal army control the Shifting Fortress. Aldwyn and his friends have to recapture it to return magic to the queendom of Vastia.

Fans of The Guardians of Ga’hoole series and Erin Hunter’s Warriors books will love the mix of humor, magic, and animal adventure story in Circle of Heroes by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.

Can a clever cat, a brave bird, and a funny frog defeat an entire army of the dead?

• Epic Quest: To save Vastia, the familiars must find seven magical animal descendants, the only ones who can summon the legendary Shifting Fortress.
• Talking Animal Fantasy: Follow a street-smart cat, a book-smart blue jay, and a wisecracking tree frog as they become the queendom’s only hope.
• Undead Animal Army: Face a terrifying horde of zombies, from skeletal rams to zombie chimpanzees, commanded by the villainous hare, Paksahara.
• Found Family Adventure: Perfect for fans of Erin Hunter’s Warriors, this story celebrates a trio of unlikely friends who must rely on each other to save the day.