Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye

Ozzy's parents moved him from the big city to wilds of Oregon forests to hide from those who wanted what they knew.  It was great for a while and then those who were looking for them found them.  Ozzy's left alone at the age of seven.  He has food supplies, water and a roof over his head but he wants his parents...

Shadow Mountain and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 6th.

This is an entertaining read.  Ozzy manages with what he has but he really wants to find his parents.  He tries talking to the police and going to school but that doesn't work well.  It's a good thing he learned how to read and they have so many reference books.  He's getting an education even if it isn't well rounded.  He finally gets desperate enough to try hiring a wizard. The wizard doesn't really look like a wizard and doesn't seem to do any magic, but he is willing to help him find his parents.

It's fun to watch the wizard and the boy get themselves in and out of messes.  They make a good team.   There are parts that will make you laugh and parts that will make you sad.  Not everything goes the way Ozzy wants.

My favorite part is when they are escaping from the cops and the wizard barely avoids a crash by running up an embankment and ends up on a flat car with the train.  Everybody does that, right?

The other touch I really enjoyed was the mechanical talking raven.  He was special.

Young readers will really enjoy this one!