Auggie lives on an island with an amazing set of stables, which he is in charge of. The stables are full of magical creatures like a Gargantula. Auggie’s companions include Fen, a “stick-in-the-mud” that change into whatever Auggie needs him to be. A woman named Miss Bundt also lives there, near the Plotting Shed, where she builds things that the island’s owner, Professor Cake, requests. Auggie is happy minding the stables but wishes for a friend. One day, the stables shudder as a new stall is added. Inside the stall is a swamp, where Auggie meets Willa, a wispy critter who thrives in the moonlight. However, Auggie doesn’t know that others are hunting Willa as well. Who are they, and how can they outsmart them?

Auxier said his goal was to write a read aloud that the whole family would enjoy, and I think he did an excellent job. There is enough meat here to give people of all ages something to think about. Illustrations were not final in the ARC, but I liked what I saw. Demidova does a great job of catching the magical creatures, and they remind me a bit of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Expect to learn about lots of cool magical creatures and look for more books in the series to continue learning about who else wants these magical creatures.

I would hand this to those that also enjoyed books like Unicorn Rescue Society, Princess in Black, Owl Diaries, or Zoey and Sassafrass. If you are a fan of the author’s Peter Nimble series, familiar characters and places will be referenced along the way.

Thank you Netgally for the review copy