Earning My Spots by Mark Eastburn

My name is Sam, and my family has been kidnapped by harpies and other werecreatures. I'm a werehyena, and my new friend Manny, a werejaguar, says I'm the great hunter he's been searching for. Really? Hyena's aren't known for their hunting, and I get bullied by my own sister! We've made our way down to New Orleans where I've met the queen of the hyenas. She says I'm the warrior who must stop the brewing war between the werecreatures and the no-tails. She says there's a powerful condor down in South America who's amassing an army that will soon strike out against the no-tails. He has a mysterious magic that he's using to control the werecreatures, including my family. I'm starting to learn about my heritage and abilities, but I don't see how that will help me defeat an army of thousands.

I was a little skeptical at first; I mean, werewolves is one thing but a book full of werecreatures from all species of animals? However, I really enjoyed what this author was able to create. Sam was a character with doubts about his own abilities, but he was the key to saving the world. How many other books have that? (Lots) The idea of a hyena main character was very unique, and I learned a lot about the animals along the way. There was an underlying theme dealing with man's destruction of nature and the need to protect animal habitats. I didn't see that coming! The plot contains enough action and conflict to satisfy most readers, and I highly recommend you give this book a try. It's kind of like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates. Open a book and you never know what you're going to get. In this case, I got way more than I expected!