We're excited to feature Unicorn Island by Donna Galanti this week. Read our review here, and take a look at some of the exciting news about this new middle grade book.
 |
Book Excerpt
In New York City, lights twinkled across Sam’s ceiling all night long. She had never felt lonely there, knowing the city was awake with her. She could already tell Foggy Harbor was different. It looked like the loneliest place ever. Why would anyone live here on purpose? she wondered.
The driver pulled into the bus station. A neon sign that should have flashed Foggy Harbor Parking was missing most of its letters. BOR . . . ING. Some sign, she thought. I’m already bored here.
“You got someone picking you up, Miss?” the driver asked as he pulled her suitcase from the luggage compartment.
Her t-shirt clung to her in the heavy, muggy air. Sam checked her phone for the address Mom had given her: 1 Foggy Way.
“My uncle lives a block from here,” she said, pointing at the street sign.
The driver nodded and pulled out of the station, leaving her under the broken sign. Sam texted Mom one word out of duty: ARRIVED. With no choice but to find her new home, she adjusted her backpack and popped up her suitcase handle, dragging it along. It clickety-clacked all the way down the quiet street.
Uncle Mitch’s stone house sat at the end, alone and secluded, hugging the ocean. Its sloped roof pierced the murky sky. One light glowed in a back window. Crickets trilled around the house, creating an eerie buzz as waves lapped the shore.
Sam crunched over the walking path made of shells, then thumped up the front porch steps and rang the doorbell, eager to escape the empty night.
After a few minutes, the door was yanked open. A tall man with curly black hair and a bushy mustache loomed over Sam, the porch light deepening his frown. “Yes?”
Sam swallowed hard. “Uncle Mitch?”
His eyes grew wide and he pulled her inside, slamming the door. “Samantha? What are you doing here?”
Cool air washed over her from a ceiling fan that whirred above, and she shivered, shrinking under his glare. Then she remembered what Mom had said: He’s the only family we’ve got.
Beyond the mist lies a magical secret waiting to be discovered. Unicorn Island is a middle-grade illustrated novel series about a young girl who discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers! 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.
“An accessible and fast-paced magical adventure.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“An all-too-human, enchanting middle grade fantasy novel.”
– Forward Reviews
“What begins as realistic fiction turns to a fantastical tale of magical rescue. Fans of unicorns and magic in the real world will enjoy this adventure.”
– School Library Journal
Book information
Grade Level: 4 – 6
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1524864706
ISBN-13: 978-1524864705
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (February 9, 2021)
Reading level: 8 - 12 years
About the Author
Donna Galanti is the author of the middle grade adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road, which the Midwest Book Review called, “A heart-pounding thrill ride full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish”. She’s also the author of the follow up, Joshua and the Arrow Realm, and writes the popular Unicorn Island series for Epic, the leading digital platform for kids 12 and under. Donna is a writing contest judge at nycmidnight.com, a member of From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors blog, and regularly presents as a guest author at schools. She also loves teaching at writing conferences on marketing and craft and through her Udemy online courses. Donna has lived in England as a child, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Visit her at donnagalanti.com.
Thanks so much for featuring Unicorn Island this week! I had so much fun writing this book because I love to write magical stories in real world settings (probably because I want to believe magic is all around us, no matter our age!). Watch for the next book in the series, Secret Beneath the Sand. :)
ReplyDeleteDonna- We were so happy to have you on our blog again and were thrilled to help spread the word about this magical story. We are looking forward to the rest of the series. :) ~Stephanie and Jess
DeleteCongrats to Donna on her new release! I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Natalie!
DeleteThat's a creative giveaway.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to put together! I should have gotten a unicorn light for myself, too. :)
DeleteInteresting excerpt from the book here; makes one want to read more! Best of luck to Donna on the book's release!
ReplyDeletebetty
Thanks so much, Betty! It was a fun book to write. I love writing magical elements in the real world.
DeleteHuge congratulations to Donna. Thank you (and drat you) for an excerpt which has tempted my weak-willed self. Again.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! Ha ha! Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I had fun writing it.
DeleteTruly sounds excellent! I will be getting it for the two young girls I know and for me too! LOL! Congrats Donna! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I hope your two young readers there love Unicorn Island. :)
DeleteSuch a great excerpt!! Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Meradeth! This was one of my favorite scenes where we see Sam heading to stay with an Uncle she's never met--and boy what a grump he turns out to be ... but not all is as it seems :)
DeleteOoh, sounds exciting.
ReplyDeleteHave a great one.
Thanks so much Sandra! I hope you like it if you read it. It was a fun book to write about unicorns in the real world. :)
DeleteThat sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary! I hope you enjoy reading it! It's perfect for young middle grade and read-alouds with younger kids, too.
DeleteSounds really fun ! Congrats Donna !!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Gloria!
DeleteSuch a great excerpt. I liked it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I aimed for writing the setting with an atmospheric mood and I think the illustrator, Bethany Stancliffe, did a wonderful job capturing that. :)
DeleteI have been reading so much more middle grade these days, so I am going to have to check this one out! I also love that it is illustrated. Looks beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Olivia! I hope you enjoy reading it. The atmospheric illustrations really do bring the setting to life!
DeleteSounds so good.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
All the best Jan
Jan- It really is lots of fun! :)
Delete