I am a brother to dragons, a companion to owls. - Job 30:29
 
Sarah speaks only in quotes.  Though she cannot read, she has an incredible memory to recall anything that others have taught her.  Sarah has another amazing ability: she communicates with inanimate objects. Betwixt and Between, a small, plastic, two-headed dragon, serves as Sarah’s friend and confidant.
 
When Sarah is suddenly released from “the Home” (an institute of mental rehabilitation) due to budget cuts, she wanders the streets until she is befriended by Abalone, a tattooed young woman with flaming orange hair and blue lipstick.  Abalone, a computer hacker, is a member of the Pack, a group of underground ruffians that live in an abandoned factory called “The Jungle.”
 
Sarah is accepted into the Pack, with Abalone teaching her the way. They discover that people from the Home and a powerful backing corporation are searching the city for Sarah because of her gifts. (Apparently, her release was a terrible mistake.) The pace of the story increases dramatically as Abalone and Sarah learn more about Sarah’s background, family, and abilities.
 
Author Jane Lindskold must have enjoyed the challenge of writing for a character who speaks only in quotes.  I could feel Sarah’s frustration – how she struggled for words to get her point across and how the others treated her as if she were helpless.  This, along with Sarah’s remarkable abilities, makes her a memorable character.
 
Sarah is surrounded by colorful personalities including Professor Isabella (a former teacher who also lives on the streets), Lone Wolf, (the Pack leader), “The Four”, (Lone Wolf’s enforcers), and others in the pack.
 
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls reads quickly and easily, unraveling the plot more rapidly as the book moves along – ending almost too quickly with an action-packed last chapter.
 
“Family” is a strong theme in the novel, both in terms of blood relations and chosen companions.  Sarah is haunted by distant memories of her brother and a sister that she does not know.  Her companions in the Pack, Sarah’s new family, help her solve the mystery of what happened to her siblings and why the powerful corporation is after Sarah.
 
Sarah couldn’t have said it better (in words from Ring Lardner) “The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.”