Animals Galore!

I'm sure that many of you either have a pet of have had one in the past. I, myself, have never known life without a dog. Currently, my family owns three, whose names are Rosamund, Lillian, and Cordelia. When it comes to reading about animals, I'm sure that all of you have a favorite pet or animal from a particular book or series. I've always leaned towards canines in real life, but if I were to pick a pet or animal friend I would be much more fantastical. That being said, you're about to read my top 10 choices for pets or animal friends from books.

10: Hedwig the Snowy Barn Owl from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

Ah, Hedwig. The owl we all know and love. Harry Potter's owl, gifted to him by Rubeus Hagrid, was a faithful pet to Harry until the end. She would be a great pet for several reasons: she's resourceful (sending letters and defending Harry), she's very pretty and probably nice to pet (those beautiful wings), and she has an I-can't-deal-with-this loving attitude.

9: Fang the Boar-hound from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling strikes again! Number 9 on this list is Fang, Hagrid's giant grey slobbery goofball of a dog. I would love to have Fang as a pet because 1. he's a cute, hungry little thing, and 2. he's a dog! I have always loved owning dogs, so Fang would be no exception. I have a feeling he would be great to cuddle by the fire while I read—although I don't think I'll be asking for any snacks from Hagrid!

8: Blackjack the Pegasus from "Percy Jackson" by Rick Riordan

Ol' Uncle Rick joins the rankings! Although there is a multitude of mythological creatures in the Percy Jackson series, Blackjack is a Pegasus that I would love to be friends with. First of all, he can communicate with you, as long as you are able to speak horse like Percy can. Second, he can fly! Being a Pegasus, Blackjack has feathered wings attached to his horse body that can support his weight and the weight of a passenger as well.

7: Crookshanks the Kneazle/Cat from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

As a half-Kneazle and half-cat, Crookshanks is an odd creature. Hermione Granger's feline friend was more of a spur-of-the-moment purchase. The shopkeeper at the store Hermione bought Crookshanks from told Hermione that the cat had been overlooked for quite some time. Luckily, Hermione decided to give him a home, because Crookshanks became quite a good friend for Hermione—and he was very useful, too, with his ability to see through untrustworthy people. He's almost like a Sneakoskope!

6: Sickleworth the Niffler from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

Although this particular Niffler is technically from the Jam City game, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Sickleworth is part of the Harry Potter universe and so I decided to count him. Professor Patricia Rakepick's Niffler is typical for his platypus-like species—he likes to find shiny objects and keep them in the magically-enlarged pouch he has on his stomach. Sickleworth is very astute, however, and is a curse-breaking companion to Rakepick in the game.

5: Chairman Meow the Cat from "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare

Magnus Bane's mixed breed cat came as a surprise to him. Chairman Meow had been abandoned in an alley near Magnus' apartment building with three other kittens. He took in the wee little things and found good homes for the other three, but Chairman Meow had grown very fond of Magnus, and so the warlock was obliged to keep him. And boy, am I glad he did, or else we would have never learned about Magnus' birthday parties for his cat!

4: Church the Blue Persian Cat from "The Infernal Devices" by Cassandra Clare

This longhair cat is a favorite of mine because of his origin story. Originally found by Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale, Church was the subject of necromantic experiments which rendered him immortal. He lived in London with Jem for a time before moving to Manhattan with the aforementioned Magnus Bane. He is a very typical cat, however, as he only has an affinity for a select few people, but he enjoys his newly-found life as a Shadowhunter pet.

3: Pickett the Bowtruckle from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling

Pickett is a twig-like, hand-sized, insect-eating, tree-dwelling magical beast from the magical world. His sharp, green little fingers can serve as weapons against his enemies. Bowtruckles do not often form connections with humans, but Pickett found that the wizard Newt Scamander was just to his liking—and so he decided that he never wanted to part with the magizoologist. Although he is very tiny—no more than 8 inches—Pickett proved his usefulness to Newt through his lockpicking skills. But more importantly, his loyalty to the wizard proved that Pickett would be an amazing magical creature to befriend.

2: Saphira the Dragon from "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini

Oh, where do I start with Saphira? This sparkly, blue-scaled creature is the dragon to her rider, Eragon. The pair share a telepathic connection, which is just the first of many things that are cool about Saphira and other dragons like her. There is no limit to a dragon's size, as they grow continuously. Although they can hatch whenever their eggs are laid, they prefer to wait until they have found their rider to emerge from their shell. Finally, the bond between a dragon and their rider is a mental, physical, and emotional thing, which is amazing to see through Saphira and Eragon's interactions and conversations. I think that being paired with a dragon would be super cool!

1: Clover Marrian Ernest the Sycophant from "Leven Thumps" by Obert Skye

With blue eyes, silver fur, and the ability to turn invisible, Clover Ernest takes the top spot on my Top 10 List of Pets or Animal Friends from books. Clover is a cat-like creature that is very cautious but always up for an adventure. He has an unlimited size compartment to store things in, but it mostly holds his collections of candy and rocks. Clover shares what is called a "burn" with Leven Thumps, which links the two together. Although many might not consider him to be the best Sycophant, Clover is a very good friend and would make, in my opinion, the best creature companion to have as a friend.

And thus concludes my Top 10: Book Animals list! Leave a comment below stating which of these 10 creatures are your favorite, and which book beast you would most like to have as a pet or friend!