SOLVED. YA fantasy series about a girl who can speak to animals with a classic good vs. evil set up. [s]

[Clara]

I read the books around 10 years ago in 2009-2010 as a library find. I think it may have been published in the 1990s based on its style. There were 4 books in the series and each had a solid colour cover red, golden, green and blue kind of in a similar style to Garth Nix books like Mister Monday.

There were 4 types of animals in the story - pets (small animals), prey, predators and fantasy animals I think. Unusually she can talk to all four types. Most people speak to one type, some people speak to two and she can speak to all four. Each of these types of people had a particular name.

When the story begins the girl is in a primary school talking to the class hamster but is moving away soon. She moves close to the beach and is contacted by a mentor who helps to train her powers. There is some kind of evil dragon who wants her to be his companion and all 4 books focus on her defeating this evil. She explores a cave during the story where at one point she hides, becoming especially cold and weak. At one point she gets taken over by the evil and has a battle of the mind to defeat it. Sorry about the vagueness everyone but any help would be appreciated.

[Megan]

Could it be The Companions Quartet?

[Clara]

Megan wrote: "Could it be The Companions Quartet?"

That is it! Thank you that is a weight off of my mind.

[Kris]

Glad you found your book series, Clara. Here's the link for the first book of Megan's find - Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding.