A promising introduction to a new series featuring a winsome group of dragon pals.
Welcome to Ember City on the day young dragons learn what their Spark is.
Several dragons are attending the Spark Day Ceremony to find out what their special talents are, among them best friends Li, a green dragon who “always carries glue in case of emergencies,” Runa, a blue dragon who “thinks googly eyes can solve any problem,” and Drake, a flame-colored dragon with big ideas, as well as Fizz, a winged yellow dragon who doesn’t “always see eye to eye” with Drake. After everyone discovers their new powers, Mayor Copper leaves them with some advice: “Remember: our Sparks shine their brightest when we use them to help one another....” These words of wisdom are soon forgotten when, at the celebration party, Drake and Fizz compete to see who has the best Spark and, in the process, shatter the legendary disco ball made “with the Sparks from all the dragons on the very first Spark Day.” When their individual efforts to repair the disco ball fail, sometimes with hilarious consequences, and alternative solutions prove impractical, the young dragons finally remember the mayor’s words and work together to restore the disco ball. This first book in a new graphic series for young readers consists of six short chapters illustrated with eye-catching, action-packed illustrations and plenty of onomatopoeia to make reading fun.
A promising introduction to a new series featuring a winsome group of dragon pals. (Graphic novel. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7524-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Likely to be an instant hobbyhorse for young lovers of equestrian magic.
Sisters venture into the secret Enchanted Realm to help a unicorn foal.
The Enchanted Realm is kept secret to protect unicorns from humans; only the Unicorn Guardians (always two little girls) have keys to the Magic Gate. The current guardians are sisters Iris and Ruby, who have newly inherited the keys from their mother and aunt. The sisters are excited for the first birth of a unicorn foal since they took over. But when the foal’s mother, Heartsong, doesn’t return from the Fairy Forest (where unicorns birth), the two must venture in to find out what’s wrong. Heartsong is trapped by maze weed, a magic plant that quickly becomes a leafy labyrinth around them. Luckily (if inexplicably), Heartsong’s foal is on the outside of the maze and helps them find their way (extremely easily) by creating magical stars, and thus is dubbed Starsong. Though Heartsong doesn’t want to leave the forest, she obeys the girls. The next day, Heartsong’s agitation to get back to the forest prompts the realization that she likely had twins, so the girls return to rescue the missing twin from mild but inventive peril. The magic is as kid friendly as the large type and short sentences. Picturesque settings and attractive equines populate the black-and-white illustrations, which depict the girls as white. The book’s strongest element is characterization: Younger Ruby’s bolder while responsible Iris must actively decide to face her fears and plan how to succeed. The next three series titles (Unicorn Uncovered, Stolen Magic, and The Red Key) publish simultaneously.
Likely to be an instant hobbyhorse for young lovers of equestrian magic. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63163-391-1
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A quirky new series that’s strong out of the gate.
A unicorn gains wish-granting powers—that malfunction.
Sparkleton, a young rule-hating unicorn, wants a shortcut to gaining the ability to grant wishes. His sister has that ability, though, and despite her “Goody Two-horseshoes” aversion to rule-breaking, Sparkleton successfully nags her into granting his wish for wish-granting powers of his own for a day. Delighted, he rushes off to show off his new powers to his fellow young unicorn friends. Unsurprisingly, wish after wish goes wrong in comical ways. Once Sparkleton realizes that the opposite of each wish is happening, he has his friends wish for the opposite of their wish-created problems in order to repair the damage he’s done. He finds, though, that it’s not so easy to restore the status quo. Finally, Sparkleton realizes that the wish problem is caused by his self-centered focus instead of a desire to make his wishers happy, and now he can fix the problems he’s caused. Sparkleton’s flaws make him an accessible character and offer a good source of low-stakes tension. The other unicorns are colorful and easy to differentiate in the illustrations through varied shapes and silhouettes, and his best friends in particular have strong personalities. Careful design elements, such as end-of-chapter progress markers, encourage new readers along. Book 2, The Glitter Parade, publishes simultaneously.
A quirky new series that’s strong out of the gate. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: June 9, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294792-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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