Nine-year-old Pip Bartlett is crazy about animals, particularly of the magical variety, and she can't wait to spend the summer with her aunt, a magical-animal vet. When Pip arrives at the clinic, however, life soon turns chaotic: the town is infested with combustible pests (fuzzles), and a ruthless government inspector keeps threatening her aunt. Pip teams up with the neighbor boy and an anxious unicorn named Regent Maximus to save the town from a fiery end and to save the fuzzles from an untimely death. Pearce and Stiefvater perk up the "real" world considerably with the addition of miniature silky griffins, Pegasi, and lilac-horned Pomeranians to an otherwise realistic setting. Illustrated pages from Pip's beloved Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures are included, offering magical animal stats with ample annotations made by Pip. Through conversations with Pip s, she can talk to the animals ese creatures prove themselves to be memorable characters in their own rights. Lighthearted and funny, this slim book will delight readers who prefer their stories with a fantastic flair.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Pearce, author of the popular Retold Fairytales series, joins acclaimed fantasy pro Stiefvater (Shiver Trilogy and Raven Cycle), to enchant a new, younger audience. Name recognition alone will drive demand.

Gr 3-5 In this promising series opener, nine-year-old Pip has the unique ability to communicate with magical creaturesbut no one believes her. After the "Unicorn Incident" ruins Career Day at her Atlanta elementary school, Pip is sent to small-town Cloverton to stay with her aunt. Aunt Emma is a veterinarian to magical creatures, and even though she doesn't believe in Pip's ability either, she is willing to let Pip help out around the clinicespecially when an invasion of fireball Fuzzles threatens the town. With the help of her cousin Callie (a fan of musicals) and her new friend Tomas (who is allergic to everything), Pip must use her knowledge and imagination to save the town from fire and the Fuzzles from extermination. VERDICT Fast-paced and sprinkled with diagrams of magical creatures and whimsical details (like Tomas's tendency to exhibit allergic reactions such as hiccuping colorful bubbles or floating), this younger middle-grade offering from Pearce and Stiefvater will please fantasy and animal story fans alike.— Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI