“Unicorn Island” by Donna Galanti

• 03/15/2021
• 1 comment

Unicorn Island

Donna Galanti
Andrews McMeel Publishing (2021)
ISBN 9781524864705
Reviewed by Grady, age 7, for Reader Views Kids (03/2021)

“Unicorn Island” was a book I loved, because I felt it was very intriguing, and that the storyline was well-written. The book is about 12-year-old Samantha Sea Wells, who finds out her mom’s going on a tour around Europe, and that she’s going to be sent away to live with her Uncle Mitch, who she barely even knows. At first she doesn’t think much of Foggy Harbor, but, with the help of a new friend called Tuck, and a bit of magic, she realizes that this town holds many wonders hidden on the magical island (Unicorn Island) behind the fog called Lost Luck! The coolest wonder is the unicorns communicating telepathically with Sam, and it also brings up the question: “Why only Sam?”

This book takes place in a surprising setting for such amazing things to happen.  It is pretty unremarkable at first sight; it’s practically a ghost town! Who would expect such fascinating things to occur? Not me, not you, certainly not Sam!                         

I think the author is really good at holding my interest! Things were so exciting I couldn’t wait to keep reading to find out what would happen next! The events that happen are so out of the ordinary; it’s not every day you read about unicorns on a hidden island. Even when they haven’t discovered Unicorn Island yet, this book still kept my attention! Here are two examples: #1: When Sam met Tuck, I wanted to keep reading to find out what they do together. #2: When they found the cellar, those strange artifacts really kept me engrossed in the story. Another thing that helped keep my interest was that I could relate to some scenes, an example being the scene where they are rowing out to Unicorn Island, which reminded me of the time I went out in my Papa’s (grandfather’s) boat.

In this book, Sam learns that you should avoid judging things as soon as you see them, rather than giving them a chance. She didn’t really like Foggy Harbor at first, yet it turned out to hold wondrous secrets. 

One thing I very much liked was the material of the pages, which unlike most books, didn’t make me shiver. The illustrations in this book were very detailed, in my opinion, and I liked them quite a bit. Another unique feature of this book is that the author included fact pages at the end, including information about horses and the history of Wyverns and Unicorns. This, to me, normally being a non-fiction reader, was very fascinating!

I would recommend “Unicorn Island” to 5-8 year-olds who love fantasies and adventure! 

In conclusion, “Unicorn Island” is well-phrased, its point very clear, and, again, it’s very intriguing! Although I am mostly a non-fiction reader, this book was a nice break. I LOVED this book! For readers looking for books to read, be sure to check this one out! 🙂