The Order of the Unicorn

The Order of the Unicorn
by Suzanne Selfors
Recommended Ages: 10+

In this fourth installment of "The Imaginary Veterinary," Buttonville's girl troublemaker Pearl Petal and her summer-visitor bestie, Ben Silverman, get a second chance, as mere apprentices to magical creatures vet Dr. Woo, to travel to the Imaginary World. This time, it's to rescue a missing unicorn colt, who has somehow strayed into the forbidden Dark Forest, which in the first place, is dark (like, duh), and in the second place, is populated by predatory plants. So, it's a bad place. And only Pearl can go in there, because unicorns trust little girls if they're pure in heart. She just has to work on the pure in heart part, what with her nemesis – Little Miss Perfect, Victoria Mullbery – being awarded a membership in the town's prestigious Red Wagon Club. Oooh, does that burn!

I almost forgot the mention "in the third place," which is that the enemy of all imaginary creatures, a certain Maximus Steele, is trying to catch a unicorn for his own nefarious purposes. We learn a bit more about him in this book, and actually see him about his nasty work. Even in a town as sleepy as Buttonville, there's more to being an apprentice with an imaginary veterinary than trimming Sasquatch nose hairs and playing fetch with a juvenile dragon.

While I wouldn't exactly call this a gripping thriller, it is a fun story with gentle characters upholding gentle values – like Dr. Woo's pronouncement that all creatures deserve medical care, even monsters that eat children. Who's to judge? (I forgot to mention the children-eating monster. But I wouldn't want to spoil every surprise, would I?) Ben and Pearl's friendship, the funny quirks of their personalities, the little bit of sadness about them that goes to your heart – like the fact that, apparently, Ben is staying with his grandpa because his parents are getting a divorce – make them real in your heart; real enough to believe in the fantastic things they experience.

There are more fantastic experiences to follow, with six books in this series including (next in line) The Griffin's Riddle, and many other books by Suzanne Selfors, such as Next Top Villain, Science and Sorcery, Coffeehouse Angel and Mad Love.