Unicorn Island: Beyond the Portal (Book 3)
Donna Galanti, Author
Bethany Stancliffe, Illustrator
Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fiction, 2023
Suitable for ages 7-10
Themes: Unicorns, Animal Protectors, Magical Creatures, Fantasy, Mystery
Publisher’s Synopsis:
The secrets of Unicorn Island are all revealed in the final book in Epic’s middle-grade fantasy series! When Sam and Tuck discover a way to unlock the answers they’ve been seeking, they must set out to discover the truth…
For Sam, knowing a little about her mother’s disappearance through the portal is almost worse than knowing nothing at all. Determined to distract herself, she tries to learn everything possible about caring for the herd on Unicorn Island. But when she and her friend Tuck stumble on a coded verse in The Unicorn Protector Creed, they are faced with an even greater task.
With no way of knowing what’s beyond it, Sam, Tuck, and Barloc the unicorn step through the portal and find that not only is Sam’s mother no longer a unicorn protector, she also lives in a world plagued by its own problems—and convinced that the only solution to them rests in the horn on Barloc’s head.
With the portal closing at sundown on the third day, Sam and Tuck are in a race to rescue their friend, reunite their families, and save another world from a terrible fate of its own making!
Why I like Unicorn Island: Beyond the Portal:
My review for Book 3 of the Unicorn Chronicles is long overdue — especially since I sent them as Christmas gifts to a niece and nephew. I am lured into the magical world Donna Galanti has created. And I love how she brings closure to her captivating contemporary fantasy series. So will readers.
Galanti’s plot is imaginative and exciting as readers follow Samantha,Tuck and Barloc (unicorn) through the portal to search for her mother. There are many surprises awaiting and significant problems to solve. They have three days to accomplish a lot before the portal closes. Will they be trapped?
The characters are diverse and believable. Samantha is curious and resilient. Her mission it to protect the univorns. Her friend, Tuck, the veterinarian’s son, is resourceful, a good problem-solver and determined to help Samantha. Finding her mother offers many challenges for both. More than they realize when they enter the portal into another world that is suffering.
Unicorn Island is the perfect for students (7-10 who aren’t ready for lengthy MG fantasy novels. And novel is filled with Bethany Stancliffe’s colorful and lively full-page illustrations which will help readers imagine Sam’s journey into the unknown. The book has a larger type face, which will appeal to younger readers.
Make sure you check out the great backmatter at the end of the book about the history of the healing properties of unicorn horns, coding and much more.
Donna Galanti wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote a screenplay at seven years old and acted it out with the neighborhood kids. She attended an English school, housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). She now lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse and is the author of the middle-grade fantasy adventures Joshua and The Lightning Road and Joshua and the Arrow Realm.
Greg Pattridge hosts Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the link to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.
*Reviewed from a library copy.