Bo the Brave: A Branches Book

Unicorn Diaries #3

by Rebecca Elliott

Bo and the unicorns of Sparklegrove Forest find ways to be brave, in this magical series from the creator of the bestselling Owl Diaries series!
Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

Bo and the other unicorns of Sparklegrove Forest want to earn their Bravery Patch. Will they have to battle a scary monster in order to earn this patch? Bo is nervous! But in the end, the unicorns discover that there are different ways to be brave... Sometimes bravery means having the courage to stand up for others. Discover this GLITTERRIFIC, full-color series from Rebecca Elliott, creator of the USA Today bestselling Owl Diaries series!

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Chapter Books, Unicorns, Fiction, Juvenile, Middle Grade

80 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2020

About the author

Rebecca Elliott is the author and illustrator of the best-selling Owl Diaries series (Scholastic US) & over 20 picture books including Just Because, Sometimes, Naked Trevor and Zoo Girl, for which she was nominated for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal.
Her new series The Unicorn Diaries (Scholastic US) & her first YA novel 'Pretty Funny ' (Penguin Random House) are out now.

Reviews

[Jasmine Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me: “What did you like about the book?”
Fae: “I liked because there was cutie pixies! And I saw Mr. Rumptwinkle everywhere in the story!”
Me: “What would you give this book out of 5 stars, 5 being the best?”
Fae: “Thump Thump Eek!” - quote from the book

[Checkthebook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hello, Branches again. My secret code, now, for Scholastic's "Branches" books is "PKWE," which stands for Pretty Kosher/Weirdly Empty. The Unicorn Diaries (9 books and counting) series seems kosher to me, as does the Owl Diaries series (18 books). But the characters in the books are oddly self-absorbed, with an underlying conceitedness which masquerades as humility. Is there such a thing as narcissistic-yet-good-middos?? Am I being cynical? Call these: kid lit for the snowflake generation.

With this lukewarm review I have added about 25 books to my list. As an Orton-Gillingham reading specialist, I am impressed with the grade-level decodability of the books. I see good use of 3-letter blends, easy diphthongs, and r-controlled syllables. And I am thinking Scholastic has done a great job with the branding, since I keep running in to kids and parents who tell me, "WE read the Branches books!"

[Shankar B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to remember all the unicorn powers but I liked the book. Had to keep going back to their powers page

[Marta E C R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book out loud to my 3 3/4 year old granddaughter. Unicorns seem to be “in” these days! Like another reviewer, I had a lot of trouble keeping the different unicorns and their powers straight; it would have been helpful (for adults anyway) to have “Piper said” or something else which would have reminded us.

[Ella Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy quick read.

Bo had a party and had to be brave through the scary noises. It held my attention.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was this third book in this series that caught my eye at the library - a colorful unicorn on the cover wearing armor and carrying a shield, and hovering above him a similarly clad pixie riding a dragonfly. Naturally, I had to get the first two books to look at. These are reading level 2, for First and Second Graders. The author has a very similar series Owl Diaries which is also great. This series is just a little more magical with fairies and pixies and trolls. My favorite so far are the pixies! The artwork is colorful and engaging. Each unicorn has their own unique magical power. Bo can grant one wish every week. The stories are all about using their skills and teamwork to overcome obstacles, make friends, and help others. The fourth book comes out Dec 1, 2020.

Description: Bo and the other unicorns of Sparklegrove Forest want to earn their Bravery Patch. Will they have to battle a scary monster in order to earn this patch? Bo is nervous! But in the end, the unicorns discover that there are different ways to be brave... Sometimes bravery means having the courage to stand up for others.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo and their friends learn to face their fears as they work to earn their Bravery badge. We see discussions of bad behavior and confronting one's friends too, as well as learning to admit when one is wrong. Cute, though a little more serious that the previous 2.

For: unicorn fans; readers wanting a diary format and fun illustrations.

Possible red flags: misunderstandings; feeling scared; property damage; bullying; fighting with friends.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is just not as good as the owl diaries series by this author. The wording is sometimes awkward, and the plots just aren't as intriguing and deep. They're just okay. The unicorns try to earn their bravery patch. My gripe was this is NOT the definition of bullying. Doing one mean thing and unintentionally hurting someone is called being rude. Bullying is REPEATEDLY and INTENTIONALLY hurting someone. That's important!

[Kelly Pinkerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment in the Unicorn Diaries series and a great look at teamwork and mending friendships. As the unicorns attempt to earn their bravery patches, a misunderstanding splits the group in two. Though slightly over my four-year-old's head, my daughter still understood the need for the unicorns to reconcile and work together to make things right.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arrived in the mail today and already done!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bo and the other unicorns learn about bravery in the third book in this series. They discover that sometimes bravery is more than fighting enemies. Sometimes, it's making things right for others.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun early reader book about unicorns!

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first, the main character's name is Bo, but his real name is Rainbow Tinseltail! How cool is that? But don't worry, everyone just calls him Bo. He's a unicorn who loves glitter and all things magical.

Okay, so in this book, Bo wants to be super brave and earn a bravery badge. But being brave is not easy, you know? Bo has to do things that make him scared, like facing big challenges. But here's the cool part: Bo learns that it's okay to be scared and still be brave. Being brave means doing something even if you're feeling a little scared inside.

Bo's friends help him a lot. They all come together to help each other face their fears. And you know what they find out? That things aren't as scary as they seem at first. It's like when you're about to jump into a pool, and it looks deep and kind of scary, but then you jump and realize it's actually fun! That's what being brave is all about.

I totally get it, you know. Sometimes we think we're not the best or we're too scared to try new things. But guess what? We're braver than we think! And this book taught me that it's okay to be scared. Just like Bo and his friends, we can be brave and do things even when we're nervous.

The best part of the book is when they all help each other and find out that bravery is inside all of us. It's like a big warm hug of friendship and courage.

If you love unicorns, magic, and learning cool lessons about being brave, you should totally read "Unicorn Diaries: Bo the Brave." It's a glitterific adventure that will make your heart happy! I loved it so much, and I think you will too!

If you're a fan of this book, you won't want to miss my full review on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/Cqe8O8t6J5I?si=QXXgW...

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure young readers will enjoy these if they like unicorns. The story is told as a diary entry. It's quite painful for adults.

The artwork looks computer generated and the pages are lined like a diary and the art is around the words. I didn't think the unicorns were very cute. They were also so mundane.

Meh!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bo and his Unicorn friends are trying to earn their Bravery patch! They’re going to camp outside for three nights and face all the scary sounds!

A cute diary-themed adventure about camping, unicorns, pixies, and being good friends! My four year old loved this read-aloud!

[Nadina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how these books are written, they are formulaic making them an easy read for kids starting to read independently, while also being unique to the individual story. Cute illustrations and a good pace. A series I would absolutely recommend.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book in the series. In this book, we are introduced to the pixies. I like the voices my mom used when reading out loud to me. I also love saying the teacher’s name: Mr. RUMPtwinkle! So funny!

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my sons Cooper and Colson while on a camping trip. I didn't realize at first that the book I had packed to bring would focus on camping, too. This was one of my favorites in the series.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the patches that these cute little unicorns earn! So cute. :-)

[Kaylee Garlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

That this book was cool

[CHLOE PARK · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unicorns were so brave

[Kate S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo the Brave is a very fun book and I really, really, really like it. (E, age 9)

[J.]

AR 3.1

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute chapter book that is part of the Unicorn Diaries series. If you love unicorns this is the series for you. Clear and simple font for young readers and awesome illustrations.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure tobe read and enjoyed by kids whoenjoyed the Owl Diaries series. This one felt like acgreat summer story.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely like these more than the Owl Diaries books. Not sure why, I think the characters are more likable and the situations are more interesting and oddly enough believable.

[Audrey Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara loved learning about nights and knights in this book. She likes how creative the unicorns are when they encounter trouble.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appropriate for: all ages!

My 4 year old daughter loves Unicorn Diaries! I love that the pictures are in full color and the story has a good message.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girl loved it

[Maia]

I really liked it and i was thinking that Scarlett was like Sussana in owl diaries but she actually isn't she is nice.