The Creature of the Pines (The Unicorn Rescue Society)

Surprisingly delightful short chapter book -- pretty lighthearted and dramatic, but really good messages woven in throughout.

This series is better with the first book as context. It's still pretty overdramatically silly, but also more charming. This one set in the Pine Barrens and starring the Jersey Devil, but with a nice tangent into the melting pot of ancestry, and the acknowledgement of disenfranchised people hiding in history. Good shout out to the Lenni-Lenape tribe, and solid decision to invite Joseph Bruchac as a reader-consultant. Nicely crafted bedrock on which to launch a series.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-5

Plot Summary: Elliot is upset he has to start at a new school three weeks into the school year when everyone has already made friends. But he doesn't have a choice and boards the bus on the first fateful day. He sits next to Uchenna and makes a new friend quickly. They are in the same class and Elliot learns his first day will be on a field trip to Pine Barrens, a forest in which Prof Fauna is very dangerous, and they could die if they don't stay on the path and stay together. Of course, Uchenna steps off the path to search for a sound. Elliot can't decide what to do, but decides to follow her. There they find a small blue animal with wings, like a dragon, tangled badly by a balloon ribbon. While their class show more gets father away, Uchenna and Elliot debate on what to do. Should they save the animal? What is this animal? Will they find their class again?

Setting: New Jersey

Characters:
Elliot Eisner - funny, loves animals
Uchenna Devereaux - adventurous, outgoing
Professor Fauna - AKA Doctor Fauna, AKA Mito Fauna, scary, rumored to have a torture chamber beneath the school in his office, teaches social studies
Miss Vole - used to be in the military, has a very high-pitched voice especially when she's angry or upset, doesn't seem to have much control over Professor Fauna
Dr. Thomas - lives in a small, falling apart, dirty cottage in the middle of the woods, invites the class in, gives Prof Fauna an awkward hug

Recurring Themes: none

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: Not realistic at all with the creepy professor who somehow can go on another teacher's field trip, the field trip with no obvious objective, the teacher who used to be in the military yet seems to have very little control over Prof Fauna or the field trip with her students, the inch of dust on the floor of Dr. Thomas's cabin. Yet I loved it. It was engaging from the very start. It had the right amount of character development and action. I would be curious to find out what happens in book 2!

Genre: fantasy

Pacing: fast, large font, lots of action
Characters: very few characters, good character development
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: show less

It's Elliot Eisner's first day of school - three weeks into the school year - and the class is going on a field trip. Elliot makes friends with a punk-rock-appearing, danger-loving girl called Uchenna, and when they hear a sound in the Pine Barrens, he follows her off the path, and they discover...a Jersey devil. This leads to them being inducted into the Unicorn Rescue Society by Professor Fauna, a social studies teacher rumored to be crazy. More adventures coming soon...

Quotes

"Children!" Miss Vole said, and somewhere a dog woke up. (15)

"People are different, all over the world. Also, they are the same. This is what makes the world such a wondrous and wonderful place. Wondrous, for the differences. Wonderful, for the sameness." show more (Professor Fauna, 60)

"Children, your teacher is one of those ignorant people who believe that just because something is a myth, it cannot also be true. I have decided that you should not listen to your teacher." (Fauna, 74) show less

I listened to this audiobook and found it to be adorable. I really loved the adventure aspects and just how fun and fast pace this story was. I loved it so much. I read it so fast and just loved the characters a lot. I think younger kids will adore this book, because the kids really were the heroes in this story. I enjoyed how this book did tackle some history elements in the story telling. I def will be getting the sequel to read. This is great starter series for younger readers or even a great read aloud book as well.

I listened to this audiobook and found it to be adorable. I really loved the adventure aspects and just how fun and fast pace this story was. I loved it so much. I read it so fast and just loved the characters a lot. I think younger kids will adore this book, because the kids really were the heroes in this story. I enjoyed how this book did tackle some history elements in the story telling. I def will be getting the sequel to read. This is great starter series for younger readers or even a great read aloud book as well.