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The Creature of the Pines

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
A New York Times bestseller!

Unicorns are real.
(At least we think they are.)
 
Are you ready to protect the creatures of myth and legend? Then you belong in The Unicorn Rescue Society. HURRY–THE CREATURES NEED YOU!
 
Elliot Eisner isn't exactly thrilled with the first day at his new school. His class is going on a field trip to a creepy forest called the Pine Barrens. The trip is being led by Professor Fauna, the weirdest teacher
Elliot has ever met. And the only kid who will talk to Elliot, Uchenna Devereaux, isn’t afraid of danger. She likes danger.
 
Elliot and Uchenna are about to become part of a secret group of adventurers, The Unicorn Rescue Society, whose goal is to protect and defend the world’s mythical creatures. Together with Professor Fauna, Elliot and Uchenna must help rescue a Jersey Devil from a duo of conniving, greedy billionaires, the Schmoke Brothers.
 
Join Elliot and Uchenna on their very first quest as members of the Unicorn Rescue Society in this fantasy-adventure series from Adam Gidwitz, the beloved bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitors Tale and A Tale Dark & Grimm.
Illustrated throughout, this is the perfect fit for newly independent readers looking for a story full of adventure, fun, and friendship.
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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 26, 2018
      Kicking off the Unicorn Rescue Society series is a middle grade story filled with twists and turns and narrated in a fresh, fun style. Gidwitz (The Inquisitor’s Tale) introduces animal enthusiast and basically “normal kid,” Elliot Eisner, whose first day at his new school is anything but ordinary. His class takes a field trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a forested area on the coast. On the bus ride, he befriends Uchenna Devereaux, who also started school late the previous year. While in the Pine Barrens with Miss Vole (their teacher), classmates, and a visiting instructor, the secretive and strange Professor Fauna, they hear of superstitions and tales that turn out to be real after Elliot and Uchenna come across a mysterious creature. The encounter ultimately leads them to the Unicorn Rescue Society, a group of adventurers committed to protecting mythological animals from the likes of the Schmoke brothers, two dastardly businessmen. Gidwitz delivers a quick-witted fantasy focused on supposedly imaginary creatures and finding like-minded friends, told from Elliot’s fresh, young perspective. Though Elliot and Uchenna’s burgeoning friendship and cooperation are emphasized, a more subtle lesson about fallibility and recovering from mistakes demonstrates slightly more complex, and necessary, life skills. Ages 8–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Co.

    • Kirkus

      March 15, 2018
      Elliot's first day of school turns out to be more than he bargained for.Elliot Eisner--skinny and pale with curly brown hair--is a bit nervous about being the new kid. Thankfully, he hits it off with fellow new student, "punk rock"-looking Uchenna Devereaux, a black girl with twists (though they actually look like dreads in Aly's illustrations). On a first-day field trip to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, the pair investigates a noise in the trees. The cause? A Jersey Devil: a blue-furred, red-bellied and -winged mythical creature that looks like "a tiny dragon" with cloven hooves, like a deer's, on its hind feet. Unwittingly, the duo bonds with the creature by feeding it, and it later follows them back to the bus. Unsurprisingly, they lose the creature (which they alternately nickname Jersey and Bonechewer), which forces them to go to their intimidating, decidedly odd teacher, Peruvian Professor Fauna, for help in recovering it. The book closes with Professor Fauna revealing the truth--he heads a secret organization committed to protecting mythical creatures--and inviting the children to join, a neat setup for what is obviously intended to be a series. The predictable plot is geared to newly independent readers who are not yet ready for the usual heft of contemporary fantasies. A brief history lesson given by a mixed-race associate of Fauna's in which she compares herself to the American "melting pot" manages to come across as simultaneously corrective and appropriative.Fantasy training wheels for chapter-book readers. (Fantasy. 7-10)

      COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      March 1, 2018
      Grades 2-5 The Newbery Honor Book team behind The Inquisitor's Tale (2016) reunites to bring young readers the breezy Unicorn Rescue Society series. In this inaugural adventure, Elliott's new-school nerves are calmed slightly when he is befriended by Uchenna, a half Nigerian girl with a punk-rock vibe, on his first day. They stick together on a field trip to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, led by the terrifying social studies teacher Professor Fauna, and stumble upon a bizarre blue creature tangled in some ribbon. After freeing the animal (no easy feat!), it proceeds to follow them home and wreak havoc in the city. In an unlikely partnership, the new friends team up with Professor Fauna to try to catch the rogue animal. Gidwitz has written a rollicking tale with engaging characters and an irresistible premise involving a secret society dedicated to protecting mythical creatures. Aly's artwork, though unseen, will appear liberally throughout the text, further extending its appeal. Consider having Maggie Stiefvater's Pip Bartlett series on hand to tide readers over until the next installment arrives. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: There are big plans for this little book, including a national author tour and deluxe floor display.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2019
      Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. This collaboratively created series--told through the two newest members of a worldwide society of misfits dedicated to saving mythical creatures--is witty, fast-paced, hilarious, and great fun. Starring upper-elementary-age New Jersey kids Elliot and Uchenna, each book focuses on a different creature in need of protection. Abundant black-and-white drawings spotlight the zany characters and add to the laughs.

      (Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.2
  • Lexile® Measure:540
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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