art by Aurora Paulina Kay

Available as paperback, ebook and audiobook!

♥ ages 6-10 and for everyone young at heart ♥

“Team! I am your leader on this Quest! Follow me!”

From the outset of their adventure, Master Mouse is hampered by his hilarious and calamitous teammates who don’t even recognize him as their leader. A mouse, a giraffe, a slug and … a pig ?!?

All perfectly imperfect, how can they possible compete against the mighty lions? Will they even finish the final challenge of Quest School?

Find out what really matters in the end …

Scroll down for a preview of the FIRST CHAPTER!

Listen to me read Heroes of the Quest on youtube!

The Audiobook - read by Declan Nicholls

Listen to an audiobook sample here:

There it is!

Heroes of the Quest - An Impossible Team (book 1)

14,500 words, 12 chapters, 11 gorgeous illustrations, suitable for ages 6-10 and everyone young at heart ♥

This story found me and I love every bit of it. Read more about how I came to writing this book by checking out my blog!

What kind of book is this?

“Heroes of the Quest - An Impossible Team” teaches about resilience, diversity, accepting our imperfections and how we are stronger when we work together to lift each other up. The book comes with great humor and gorgeous illustrations by incredibly amazing artist Aurora Paulina Kay.

What’s the story about?

Master Mouse, Gemma Giraffe, Sally Slug, and Robert Pig are thrown together in an uneven team with the goal of completing a quest as prerequisite for their successful graduation from Quest School.

While moving through the story to identify someone to rescue, each of the characters’ unique flaws surface: Sally is slow, Robert single-mindedly focused on food, Gemma illiterate, and Master Mouse over-confident and bossy…

During the course of the Quest, Master Mouse manages to lose each of his team members. Eager to prove his capabilities and overcome his low self-esteem, he is excited to go off on his own but …. then something unexpected happens. The team need to combine their unique skills to be able to succeed. Will they manage?

What’s the core message?

When this story found me, I enjoyed the quirkiness of the characters and marveled at the development of the plot. Master Mouse, for instance, has trouble with identifying other animals because he never paid any attention in his zoology lessons at school. However, as the story developed, the core message struck me:

We are all perfectly imperfect…

“Heroes of the Quest - An Impossible Team” deviates from the classic narrative of “good” versus “bad”. Instead, it takes the “battlefield” into each single character, who are all struggling with their own unique perceived “weaknesses”.

This draws a deep parallel to us as human beings - because, after all, aren’t we all perfectly imperfect?

Despite the perceived weaknesses, the team manage to accomplish their mission in the end - maybe not as they first intended, but as a success nonetheless. Key is the reciprocal acknowledgement of each other, including each ones strengths and weaknesses, and how working together and helping each other makes them stronger.

How does the story begin?

Chapter 1: An Impossible Team

“Phew, we made it!” Master Mouse sighed with relief. They had reached a plateau nestled in the mountains which separated the Land of the Rivers and the Land of the Woods. Master Mouse took a deep breath and looked at his companions.

Gemma the Giraffe gazed toward the horizon.

Robert Pig snuffled around in search of food.

No surprises there. Master Mouse frowned. A teammate was missing. He was sure of it. He counted, “One. Two. Three.” He was number one, of course. Gemma Giraffe was two. Robert Pig was three. Number four? Missing. They’d started out as a team of four, like everyone.

Master Mouse sighed again. How could he tell the others they were missing a team member so soon after being sent on their first Quest? On the other hand, would Giraffe and Pig even notice? They each seemed lost in their own worlds.

It took a moment for Master Mouse to decide on more important business than locating a lost teammate. After all, he was here for successful questing. He rubbed his front paws together. He’d been anticipating this moment. Nothing would spoil it now. Nothing would keep him from becoming what he was meant to be: Master Mouse, Official Hero and Quester. Leader of the team. A LEGEND.

Master Mouse cleared his throat and squeaked, “Team! I’m here to guide you on this Quest! Listen! Here’s the plan!” Nobody took any notice. This was no good. Master Mouse plucked his dagger from his belt and whirled it in the air, “Team! I am your leader on this Quest! Follow me!”

Gemma, whose dreamy black eyes admired the distant, glistening stream at the foot of the mountain, turned her head and stared.

Maybe it was a coincidence, and she was looking for some water to drink. Master Mouse preferred to think she granted him the attention he deserved. He thought of himself as the “Quest Master” which tied in nicely with his chosen name, Master Mouse. The moment he arrived at Quest School, he dropped his silly first name and he wasn’t about to tell anyone what it was.

Gemma’s head swooped next to Master Mouse’s ears.

He twitched his whiskers and squealed, “All right, team, let’s get started!”

Gemma froze. She blinked and eyed Master Mouse as though seeing him for the first time in her life. “Oh, hello there,” she sang in her most beautiful voice. “I don’t believe we have met, have we?”

Master Mouse regretted letting Gemma on his Quest team. She seemed to have the memory skills of a peanut. He grumbled, “Yes, we have. You agreed to join me on my Quest.”

“Oh!” Gemma’s dark eyes sparkled. “Quest! Yes! This is it, right! Who needs to be rescued?” She tossed and turned her long neck, almost shoving Master Mouse from the rocky platform.

“Careful, you!” bellowed Master Mouse.

Gemma seemed to hear him, as she stopped and bent down once more. “I’m terribly sorry,” she mumbled, and her black eyes blinked.

Master Mouse sighed. This was no good. How could he complete a Quest with a peanut-brain like this? He could only hope the other team members proved more helpful. This reminded him to take roll call: The Master, the long-necked Peanut, and Pig. Three. One was still missing. Well, they would have to do without him. They had to move on…