Author Description

"A young wizard's apprentice gets into trouble in this sweet, rather old-fashioned, short fantasy novel. A foundling raised by his wizard master, young Tristan has led an isolated life, and is frustrated because he has no friends and can't do anything right, even small tasks like frying fish, drying clothes, or cleaning the hearth going dreadfully wrong. Then a talking cat with a practical attitude comes into his life and helps him when things go wrong once his master goes away for a few days and problems snowball, until Tristan has to set out into the forest on a quest--to find a hive of bees. The most magical moments come when he encounters a unicorn trapped in the swamp, but the story's real charm is in the down-to-earth details of dealing with things like chickens and foxes, which ought to appeal to fantasy fans both young and old."--Carolyn Cushman, Locus