Guardians of the Wild Unicorns by Lindsay Littleson - ADVISABLE

Guardians of the Wild Unicorns by Lindsay Littleson, 208 pages. Kelpies (Floris Books), 2019         $10                 

Language: G( 0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (threats, animal shot)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS  - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Lewis is forced to go to summer camp in the Scottish Highlands with his best friend Rhona.  He would rather spend his summer indoors playing video games. While she excels at repelling or abseiling, he is terrified, and throws up on the popular girl.  Lewis runs away from the situation and into an amazing sight, a unicorn. Could it be real?  No, he is just seeing things.  Scotland is known for it's love of the mythical beasts, but can they still be alive somewhere deep in the Scottish woods?  When Rhona finally sees one, can she convince Lewis they are real and save them from a greedy gamekeeper who wants to destroy the herd altogether?           

Guardians is written by a Scottish author who understands how kids think and weaves an entertaining story with realistic dialog and interactions.  Lewis and Rhona are independent and Lewis changes immensely over the week of summer camp.  By the end, he steps outside himself to become a strong, capable camper.  I loved the witty banter between the tweens and the vocabulary.  Some words might be new to American readers, but that makes it all the more fun and I love unicorns!       

Michele Edgley, Library Technology Teacher in Salt Lake City School District