Wizard for Hire

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 that 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-a.k.a. 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.

On one dark and windy night, Ozzy steps out of bed, jumps out his window, and walks straight into the ocean. It's as if someone is controlling Ozzy's mind. He's saved by Sigi-Rin's daughter-and Clark, a mechanical robot bird. More than ever, Ozzy could really use the services of Rin, the Wizard for Hire. When a mysterious package arrives in the mail containing a plane ticket and a thumb drive, Ozzy is certain it's from Rin. But when Ozzy, Sigi, and Clark arrive in New York, Rin isn't there. Instead they are met by the man who was the money behind the mind-controlling "discipline serum" created by Ozzy's parents. Ozzy was the final test case and is now the key to discovering the serum's secret. He is a very valuable boy. Once again, he's on the run. As fate would have it, Rin appears just in time. But Rin's goal is more than a rescue mission. He needs an apprentice to cement his status and notoriety in the magical realm of Quarfelt-assuming the place even exists. As Rin's apprentice, Ozzy must complete five tasks to receive the Gift of Wonder. Ozzy is willing to help, but is now really the best time to enter a contest for wizards when something is controlling his mind? Especially when someone is out to destroy the people he loves?

When Ozzy's scientist parents are kidnapped, he responds to a classified ad in the local newspaper and hires a "wizard" named Rin who claims that his magic is real, but Ozzy isn't convinced. In the final book of the Wizard for Hire trilogy, Ozzy and his friend (and Rin's daughter), Sigi, are in danger. They are still being hunted by Ray, the power-mad villain who will stop at nothing to find the formula to the mind-controlling discipline serum-one that Ozzy's parents created and injected into him. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead, Rin introduces Ozzy to four more friends who also claim magical, wizard-like abilities. Again, Ozzy has no reason to believe that magic exists or that Rin's eccentric friends can help. With the injection of the mind-controlling serum, Ozzy is learning to control the minds of animals as well as people. His new powers make him wonder if magic is necessary. Rin says believing is key to seeing the magic all around us, but Ozzy isn't so sure anymore. Rin, Ozzy, and Sigi must act quickly, as the minds and free will of all mankind are in danger of being controlled by whoever controls the serum. The wild ride plays out in a nonstop, nail-biting battle at a popular fantasy convention. In this series finale, Ozzy will find out if his kidnapped parents are still alive, and he'll discover that real friends are like magic: they make the impossible, possible.