SECRET BENEATH THE SAND

Investigating the source of a mysterious drain on her immortal charges’ magic leads apprentice unicorn protector Samantha straight to startling revelations about her family.

Seeing the horns of the secret herd on fog-shrouded Unicorn Island rapidly shrinking spurs Sam to ignore the keep-clear orders of her secretive Uncle Mitch and not just break into his hidden library in search of a cure, but to go to town vet Mel, mother of her best friend, Tuck, for help. Adventures and mildly dangerous mishaps ensue on the way to a rather convoluted resolution involving Smeesie, a scary but nonhostile, Bigfoot-like grendell, who stumbled onto the island years before through a magical portal and only wants to go home. Reopening the portal will take the last of the unicorns’ magic. Fortunately, there’s a curative salve for that. Chapter-book readers will be drawn in by the spacious page design and Stancliffe’s lightly romanticized views of girl and unicorns sporting equally long, luxuriant locks. To set up future episodes, Galanti rounds off this series entry with stunning news about Sam’s parents, then closes with informational notes and photos about hooves, salves, and other STEM-centric facts. Sam reads as White and Tuck as Black in the artwork.

A sweet but not overly sugary treat for unicorn devotees.