Fourteen-year-old Ozzy lives near Portland, Oregon, and is desperate for help. His scientist parents have been kidnapped after discovering a formula that enables mind control. Their work was so top secret Ozzy is afraid to go to the police, but without help, he fears he'll never find his parents. Then he stumbles across a classified ad in the local newspaper that says "Wizard for Hire. Call 555-SPEL." Ozzy has read about wizards in books like Harry Potter, but wizards couldn't actually exist today, could they? After Ozzy meets the wizard Labyrinth--aka Rin--he's even more skeptical. Sure, Rin dresses like a wizard, but the short robe and high-top tennis shoes seem unorthodox, as does Rin's habit of writing notes on his shoes and eating breakfast for every meal. Plus, Rin doesn't even cast any magic spells, which means that the unexplained coincidences that start happening around Ozzy are just that--coincidences. With the help of a robotic-talking raven invented by Ozzy's father, a kind and curious girl at school who decides to help Ozzy, and, of course, a self-proclaimed wizard who may or may not have a magical wand, Ozzy begins an unforgettable quest that will lead him closer to the answers he desperately seeks about his missing parents.
Obert Skye has traveled to all fifty states, visiting with children and librarians in hundreds of schools and inspiring people to read. Besides traveling and writing, he enjoys solving mysteries and collecting old maps. His bestselling Leven Thumps series has sold hundreds of thousands of copies nationwide, and he is also the author of The Creature in My Closet series, the Witherwood Reform School series, and the Pillagy trilogy. "Imagination is one of the most powerful things in the world," he declares. "It's the vehicle that opens your mind to the impossible."
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Ozzy's attention was stolen by a tiny classified ad on the bottom of the page.Wizard for hire Are you in a bind? Are your enemies at the gate? Is it time for some magic? Or perhaps you just need a good potion for sleeping. Call 555-spel Ozzy shivered. "Look at this!" He set the magazine down on the porch and Ozzy's mechanical raven hopped onto the page and read the small words. "'Babysitter needed. Must have strong nerves'? I don't know how good a babysitter you'd be." "No, not that one. The ad below it." Clark read the right one. "Wait, so wizards are real?" "I told you." Ozzy was excited. "And you can just call up a wizard and they do things for you?" "Well, we can't call because we don't have phone. But I could call from town." "Why do you want a wizard?" "To find my parents." Clark stared at Ozzy. "That is…the best idea I've heard in a long time." "Right?" Ozzy said. "Definitely right. This magazine has everything. Look, here's an ad for carpet cleaning." "We don't have carpets." "Sure, but if we ever did." "Let's just focus on the wizard. If anyone knows where my parents went, it's him." "Or her," Clark corrected. "Then it would be a witch." "Maybe he's married to one," Clark said. "Don't all wizards have to marry witches?" "I don't think so." "That's going to be my first question for him." "I don't know if you should come when I meet him." "Why, because a talking bird will confuse him? He's a wizard who may or may not have a witch wife." "Okay, how about I just call him first." "Good, but, it's getting dark and I haven't charged my batteries like I should. So, either light a candle or let me go settle into my nest." "Just rest, we can't do anything until tomorrow." "Goodnight, Oz." "Goodnight, C."
