When I saw the description of this book I wanted to pick it up because mythical creatures are instantly a want-to-read for me. This book is definitely middle grade, but I would say on the younger end of middle grade. We follow Sam, who feels like she doesn't have a place because she and her mom move around so much and just when she feels like they might be staying in one place - she finds out otherwise and has to go stay with her Uncle for the summer. What she expects to be a boring and unhappy summer quickly becomes something altogether different.

I really enjoyed this adventure and the illustrations throughout were beautiful and perfectly suited the events happening in the book. It's a great set up for a series and it definitely put in place a number of things that could happen in the future. I also really enjoyed the fact that there's a section at the end with information about some of the things mentioned in the book, so that young readers could further learn about them if they wanted to.

If my daughter loves it and is willing to read it or have it read to her, than I love. it. My daughter loved it. If you can capture the attention of a reluctant reader who struggles to try new books because she finds comfort in the success of being able to read the familiar, than you've done your job as a children's book author. I found the plot predictable, but honestly, aren't most children's books a bit predictable. We can't through them a total twist at the end and give them an unexpected ending. I loved the characters and the story and most importantly, so did my daughter.

Unicorn Island is the first book in a new series by Donna Galanti. The story is fairly straight forward, a girl discovers a mysterious island filled with unicorns that has been shrouded behind a mist of fog. The mystery of the story is how Sam's uncle became the fog keeper, responsible for tending to and protecting the unicorns. There's also a little tension when one of of the newborn's falls ill and Sam's uncle doesn't know how to heal him. The full color illustrations by Bethany Stancliffe, are bright and provide just the right atmospheric qualities to the story, capturing the misty fog, stormy waters, and quiet beach town. The ending alludes to new dangers awaiting Sam and Tuck in the next book and overall this is a nice transitional book for a reader wanting to move up to more advanced books. It kind of reminded me of The Creature of the Pines from Adam Gidwitz's The Unicorn Rescue Society. Included at the end of the book are details about the history of unicorns, pirates in the Carolina's, even details about island's that house wild horses. With plenty of kid appeal, I'd happily gift this to a younger reader.

Unicorn Island is a light novel with a self-explanatory plot best suitable for young readers or even for night-time read-aloud-sessions.
It's short, it has a nice bunch of characters and have several misteries, although pretty much all of the knots of the plot are left kind of untied -maybe in the next books.
The chapters are short and they have cute pictures, which help with a fast reading, but the end is too loose for me. Younger readers may find this frustrating if they don't have the next installment.

More like 4,5 stars.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley and the publisher :D

I only read the first book but there aren't any editions like that so I'll go with this.

Sam moves to his uncle for the summer. On her second day, she meets Tuck and they discover a secret room in his uncle's house with horns and a "fog clock".

The story went so fast. There was something strange in every chapter. Uncle Micheal emotions for Sam was pretty strange (I think I know why...) and it also changed a lot.

(Like he is really angry at her and then when she finds him on the island in the middle of the evening he is happy and not at all angry?)

The writing style is perfect for children and was okay for me too. English is not my mother tongue and I understood everything, so maybe I should read more Middle-Grade books? :DD

Despite the mistakes I found in the book, I think children can still enjoy this novel. I'm really curious about what will happen in the next part of the book!

Nicely illustrated children's chapter book with compelling, full color illustrations. Clearly part of a series, Unicorn Island does what it says on the tin -- a young girl, visiting her uncle in South Carolina, discovers a previously hidden island of unicorns (and one wyvern and one apparent earth monster). Heavy foreshadowing suggests that in future volumes Sam, the protagonist, will discover both her hidden parentage and her destiny to spend her life protecting the unicorns. There are a few laugh out loud moments, but mostly the story focuses on traditional fantasy elements.

This book is a delight to read and I can definitely see young readers loving this! The illustrations were beautiful.

This book was such a delight to read. Amazing illustrations, a solid story, great adventures. I could not put it down. My inner child was happy!

Ahoy there. I thought this would float me boat but I found the writing style not to me taste. I hope this finds the right audience. I am not it. Arrrr!

When Sam arrives in Foggy Harbor, population 3,230, all she can see is a small, boring town that’s way too far from home. And knowing that she’s stuck there all summer with her grumpy Uncle Mitch only makes things worse.

But when Sam discovers a hidden trapdoor leading to a room full of strange artifacts, she realizes Foggy Harbor isn’t as sleepy as it seems. With the help of a new friend, Sam discovers an extraordinary secret beyond the fog: an island of unicorns whose fates are intertwined with hers.

Overall, Unicorn Island was an adorable young readers book. The plot was predictable though the general idea is imaginative and I hope the next book in the series delves more deeply into the relationships and animals the fog keepers help. I loved the illustrations, which really allowed the reader to immerse themselves in the story. I would pick up the second book and see what our characters get into next.

This is apparently the first in a series about a girl who discvoers, well, a unicorn island. That is given away in the title of the book, so that is no surprise.

There are hints about further revelations, but the book just ends with none of those threads being wrapped up. It feels a bit abrupt, but since this is the first book, perhaps things will get cleared up in later books.

Quick, short read, with nice enough chracters, and mysterious uncle. At the end of the book, some facts are brought out such as the wild horses that exist on a North Carolina island, and also what Veterinarians do, because there is a Vet in the story.

Until I see the next books, it is hard to say if the “mysteries” have not been overly telegraphed, but right now, it feels that way.

Cute pictures, and easy to read chapters. But, I did not like how the book left so much hanging at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Sam is buoyant about her and her mother's life together in New York, until mum decides to decamp to tour Europe for months with an orchestra. And so Foggy Harbor, South Carolina beckons for Sam, and an extended break with a crotchety boat builder of an uncle she's not met since she could talk about it. Except on arrival she finds her presence there had been a bit of a secret. But then, Uncle Mitch might just be full of startling secrets, and one of them might be that he's not just a boat builder…

I really liked this, even if it was slightly flawed. This book is the full copy of the five episodes as seen on the Epic website for readers of such digital resources. Having this adventure in two covers, with promises of more to come, should be a delight for the young reader. I say should, because this is noticeably more descriptive than other books from this publisher – a gentler style taking us into the high drama to come. Now the fact this is evidently different to what might be expected may throw a few readers off, who now prefer the more immediate high-octane action. And the more shallow angle of the ramping everything up here does prove this is the opening book in a series – a lot of this is world- and character-building, and thus we don't have the time to get a full adventure subsequent books will give us.

But for all its slightness, its lacking a real surprise or originality, it's still more than welcome in my mind. The artwork, all CG-looking, works, but doesn't really fit what I saw in the text, which was much more old-fashioned and literate. I can't say how those old-school vibes will present in future volumes, for I suspect something highly fantastical and dramatic is planned for the rest of the series, but I would certainly want to be there to see what does get revealed. Four and a half stars.