Ellabeth's Test

Unicorn Riders #4

by Aleesah Darlison, Jill Brailsford (Illustrator)

Quinn, Willow, Krystal and Ellabeth are Unicorn Riders – empowered to protect the land of Avamay. When Willow is injured, Ellabeth must step into the role of Head Rider and lead the Unicorn Riders on their next adventure. The girls must race to the home of the mysterious Dakkar Serpent in order to collect some of its diamond scales. But the mission proves to be more perilous than they thought it would be. Will Ellabeth be able to put her pride aside in order to complete the mission?

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the magical kingdom of Avamay, there are four girls who make up the Unicorn Riders. Ellabeth is one of them. She is a strong, confident girl. When Willow, the Head Rider, is injured, Ellabeth must step in as Head Rider for their next mission: collecting the diamond scales from the Dakkar Serpent. Along the way, she must overcome her fears and self-doubt. Will Ellabeth, Krystal, and Quinn succeed the mission? Or will they be lost forever in the black mist and forest of Shanan? This quest book is also a series, with three more books in it.
My favorite character was Ula, Quinn’s unicorn. She has a ruby horn and the gift of speaking to Quinn through mind messages. She can also sense danger. Ula saved the day when she told the others to watch out for the golden path, but I won’t spoil what happened!
My favorite part was when the girls first got their mission from Queen Heart in a letter. They were all shocked of how much the outcome of the mission depended on them and how dangerous the mission was going to be!
I thought that for such a short book, the author moved the story along quickly, told a good story, used good word choice, and still developed a story-line! For me, it was an easy read, but I know if I was an 8-year-old, I would love to read it again! The only part I didn’t really like was that the ending felt rushed and most of it took place in two sentences.
This is a fictional, fantasy, adventure book. At 109 pages, this book is an easy read for most 8 and 9-year- olds, but a little challenging for younger readers. I gave it 4 stars because I really liked the story, but did not want it to feel so rushed at the ending. I recommend this book for 8 to 10-year-old girls who like adventure, fantasy, and unicorns! Happy Reading!
Review by Brooke Z., age 10, Delaware Valley Mensa

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth entry in the series, and another story that adds more colour to the world created and talks about leadership, what to means tl lead, and ask for assistance when needed, and the concept of being a part of a team, and yet someone having to actually make the decisions that lead a group. Interesting ideas for a short book in a series for younger people, of course they are not fully fleshed out but they are written at an age appropriate level, and give the reader food for thought.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)]

Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.

[Kel Sta · Rating 4 out of 5]

EB loves unicorns!

[Riverina Regional Library]

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