Minor Mage by T Kingfisher

4/5. Simple and enjoyable young adult fantasy about a twelve year old minor mage with a sarcastic armadillo familiar, who gets sent on a quest by the adults of his village to fetch the rains from the Cloud Herders in the mountains. It'ss a fairly straightforward linear quest fantasy.

I liked that the protagonist is incredibly underprepared, rather than being the Talented Chosen One, and that he survives through luck, grit, and creatively using the basic skills at his disposal rather than trying to be flash. I also liked that a kid being chucked out by his community and expected to Be A Wizard is dealt with as a suitably traumatic and problematic event.

The peril in this is nicely creepy and also kind of realistic, with memorable scenes of running away and hiding in damp bushes with twigs poking his ear, the armadillo's communication limits when trying to negotiate with pigs, and being kidnapped by amusingly practical bandits. A Human Travel Companion shows up halfway through, which is an interesting pacing choice, and is more irritating than most.

This isn't terribly ambitious and is a bit formulaic in places. What I liked most about it is that it's funny. Genuinely witty books are rare and precious, and this one made me chuckle.