Unicorn Island by Donna Galanti, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe

 Sam loves the vibrant New York neighborhood where she and her mom live, not least because for the first time in her twelve years they've stayed put for a whole year! She's making plans and celebrating when her mother destroys all her dreams - she's got a job in Europe and Sam is spending the next two months with her Uncle Mitch, who she's never met, in South Caroline where she's never been.

Sam is devastated, even more so when her mom drops her off with her uncle and he not only isn't expecting her, he doesn't seem to like her at all. She does her best to be a good guest and even makes a friend in Tuck, a boy her age in town, but she wonders more and more what her uncle is hiding and why he seems to dislike her so much.

When she discovers his dead wife looks just like her, brown skin and long black curls, she's determined to learn more about the family she's never known, even if her uncle is angry and hates her. With Tuck she explores the mysterious fog and discovers a magic isle where one of her uncle's secrets is hiding. Can Sam help save the magical creatures there and will she truly find a home and family after moving around for so long?

Sam's mother is white with blonde hair, while Sam resembles her uncle, appearing to be Hispanic with brown skin and curly dark hair. Tuck and his mom, the local veterinarian, are Black. The spot art is warm and colorful, moving from a bustling Brooklyn neighborhood to the slower pace and more rural green space of Sam's new South Carolina home. The story starts out as a family drama, with Sam at odds with her mother and longing for a stable life but then shifts into fantasy, with the introduction of unicorns, and a spice of family mystery, left unsolved, so there's plenty of story for future books.

At a little over 200 pages this is a very manageable length and the colored illustrations are a bonus for reluctant or struggling readers or even just to catch the average reader's attention. There are bits of local history included along the way as well. This is exactly the type of book I need more of - a simple but riveting story line with humor, drama, mystery, and magic, and the inclusion of diverse characters as the main protagonists.

Verdict: This isn't award-winning prose, but it's just what I need to hand out to both voracious and struggling readers, something that will grab their attention, offer some moments of thought, and seamlessly blend characters from a variety of cultural backgrounds and races into the story. I'm looking forward to recommending this to readers and I'm sure they will be eager for the next installments in the series. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781524864705; Published February 2021 by Andrews McMeel; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library