Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #28

by Marcia Thornton Jones, Marcia Thornton Jones, John Steven Gurney (Illustrations)

The 17th book from the hugely popular early chapter book series to re-emerge with a new look! Brand-new eye-catching cover art brings a modern feel to this classic monster series for young readers.

Liza is on her way to the local stables when she slips on the snow and hurts herself! Out of nowhere, a sleigh pulled by a white unicorn appears and takes her all the way to the stable. Her friends don't believe it was really a unicorn; Liza must have been seeing things! But Liza is determined to prove that she knows what she saw!

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Mystery, Christmas

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

Marcia Thornton Jones has published 131 books for children with sales totaling more than 43 million copies world-wide. Her works include CHAMP (mid-grade novel), RATFINK (mid-grade novel), GODZILLA ATE MY HOMEWORK (chapter book), THE TALE OF JACK FROST (picture book) and LEPRECHAUN ON THE LOOSE (picture book). She is the co-author of seven popular series including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, Keyholders, Ghostville Elementary, The Bailey School Kids Jr. Chapter Books, Triplet Trouble, Bailey City Monsters, and The Barkley School for Dogs.

Marcia has been listed as a top 100 author by the Educational Paperback Association and selected for the Children’s Top 100 Books list by the National Education Association, International Reading Associations Children’s Choice Award. Marcia's books have received many honors and have appeared on on the Publisher's Weekly Bestsellers lists,

Marcia, a full time writer living in Lexington, Kentucky enjoys presenting at schools and conferences. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, she easily relates the importance of writing to students of all ages.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides from The Bailey School kids series,because it seemed very Christmassy and it was.The story follows Liza who is limping to go work with her friends at a horse stall place,ran by a guy named Mr.Withers.Liza hurt her ankle while she was taking care of this horse named Penelope for this Sleigh ride that Mr.Withers has set up at the mall.She tells her friends something weird happend when she fell though.She landed on ice and snow was swirling and she couldn't see.She claims that she hears jingle bells and this Sleigh show up and carried her to the stall.She tells her friends with alot of hesitation that she thinks this is a unicorn.None of her friend belive her.They end up going to where she fell at and see these plants that grew beside the barn in the middle of the snow.Liza explains this is caused by magic.She says everywhere a unicorn goes,there is magic.And her being in danger only proves that this unicorn is real,because they help people and living things in need.The kids end up hearing more jingle bells and finding a cat and a dog both stranded.More and more things point out to unicorns being the culrpit.I really liked this one it had a really interesting creature that was written almost like an alien or bigfoot.There is a scene where the kids are riding in the Sleigh and is overheard talking about the unicorn and Mr.Withers gets very alarmed.There is also a funny scene where the kids volunteer to help out at the stable and get asked to shovel up "muck" which is really just horse manure.Eddie even points out he stepped in "magic".I really liked Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides.I give it a four out of five stars,the highest rating I've given a book in this series.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hands down the worst book in the series by far. First of all it wasn't creepy, these books need to be at least a little creepy to be good, shoveling horse crap in a stable isn't my idea of a fun or creepy story. There didn't seem to really be any plot either the kids just argue back and forth about whether Liza saw a unicorn or not, it's a short book and it still managed to be tedious and repetitive.

However what made it a genuinely bad story was the laughably ridiculous conclusion. The old man is having trouble earning enough money to keep his ranch open...so their solution is just give it to the government. What! Are you kidding me? Hey I'm having trouble paying my mortgage what should I do, should I change my business strategy, look for alternative streams of income, look for a different job, take out a loan...sell it and downsize to something more affordable?...nah just give it to the government...problem solved right.

Honestly if the book had been like yes it was a unicorn unicorns are real and they are actually magic...that would be 100 times more believable than the idea that a man would give away his land and business to the government and they would then turn it into an animal shelter because that's what the local school kids wanted. Absurd, the government steals enough land and money without people just "gifting" a ranch to the state. Absolutely ridiculous and the idea that this makes it Christmas themed...like giving stuff to the government is a good way to celebrate Christmas...I hate it so much.

[Laura Cobrinik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debbie Dadey's book "Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides," number 28 in the "Adventures of The Bailey School Kids" series is a fun loving book. As with all of Dadey's book and the books in this series, this book teacher kids (ages 8-10) how to get along in a neighborhood. This one about Unicorns who don't give sleigh rides has a bit of fantasy on nonsense in it. As with most books in this series each book usually revolves around either a holiday or a season of the year.
Of course this book would be a perfect book for a youngster to read during his/her Winter vacation. Besides the seasons there books also deal with various sports.
Having read many of the books in the "Adventures of The Baily School Kids" series you cannot go wrong with reading this one too.
Each kid that I've recommended this book to, has always loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in this series. A nice thing about this series is that the books really do not have to be read in a particular order.
Laura Cobrinik,
Boonton Township, NJ

[Hannah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely addition to the series! I read these books as a kid, and now I'm reading it to my kids. My daughter loves unicorns, so this was a no-brainer to pick up. This book does a great job balancing the question of whether there really is a unicorn (it's always fun when Dadey and Jones balance the book just right so the reader can decide if the myth is real). The kids feel older than third grade in this book, but their personalities are consistent and each kid's personality gets a chance to shine. I especially like Eddie and the kitten- I always had a soft spot for Eddie, since I was also the kid who was always in trouble at school. I appreciate it when they add some nuance to the kids.
Lovely fun!

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this one is another favourite out of the series. I think I have three now.

Plus, I have always had a thing for horses. Annnnnd unicorns. And I don't care what Liza's friends say, I believe her! I wish I was in that story so I could tell her I believe every single word she says.

I just love magic, and unicorns, and that was one mythical creature that came to Bailey city and didn't cause any trouble. It came there to help.

Plus, Howie and Liza got two new pets, and they contributed something amazing to the city to help the homeless animals.

I just wish they weren't so mean to Liza.

[Laken Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bailey School Kids: Unicorns Don’t Give Sleigh Rides by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones tells the story of four friends, Liza, Eddie, Melody, and Howie, who go on an adventure to solve the mystery of the magical Christmas unicorn horse. I loved this book as it contained pencil sketch illustrations every two to three pages to help readers comprehend what was occurring throughout the story. I recommend this book for second to fourth-graders as it contains multiple high-level vocabulary words and is typed in a large, easily recognizable font. I would use this book as an independent reading book in my classroom library.

[Emmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have loved this series since I was a kid, but this book really fell flat for me. Not only was there no "threat" of a monster, but there wasn't even really any tension to the story, just Liza saying that she definitely saw a unicorn again and again, which really isn't much of a conflict at all.

The ending, with the kitten and the puppy and turning a barn into an animal shelter felt weirdly shoe-horned in, and really saccharine. I think they were trying to get into the "Christmas spirit," but it didn't really work for me. It just felt corny and kind of forced.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 2 out of 5]

After their friend is apparently rescued by a majestic white horse and its sleigh, the Bailey School Kids decide to investigate and learn if this beauty is truly a unicorn! Dadey will excite young readers with this magical entry!

[Victoria Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awsome.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine.

[KK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second grade loved it

[Alejandro Talero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay...Me queria leer un liro corto y el elegido fue este, no me gusto, una historia MUY simple y aburrida, personajes inmaduros y tontos.
Rating:
ESTRELLAS:2/5-3/10-31/100

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering how much I love unicorns, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I loved this one.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in this series.

[Tiffany Smart · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kiddo and I weren’t huge fans. A lot of the storytelling was done through character dialogue which isn’t my favorite.

[Ashli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A

[Brenna Jarrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but I do wish there had been more about the unicorn

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

We didn't really get much from the alleged unicorn in this installment, but this was still a fun holiday story.

[Josh Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

Literally adorable. Loved this one so much! The banter between the kids was really fun and innocent. One of my favorites!

[Kate Lehenbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the better Bailey School Kids books in my opinion. It had an actual plot with an enjoyable message at the end.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. Find it at http://kidlit4adults.blogspot.com .)

A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year for the first time at writing children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process among other ways by first reading a stack of popular books that have been recommended to me. Today's titles are from yet another of these series of endless chapter-books designed for grade-schoolers, in this case all of them co-penned by a duo of friends who used to be grade-school teachers themselves; this is one of the types of employment I myself am hoping to find in the industry, to kick out such easy-reading 30,000-word titles once a month or so, which is why I'm reading so many of them these days. Now, admittedly, this particular series is based on a high-concept that I find tough to imagine lasting for as long as it has; basically, each title features yet another new adult in the lives of our middle-class child heroes who may or may not be a mythological creature, exhibiting strange traits throughout the story but never just coming out and saying whether they're a mummy or vampire or whatever. (And in fact there are almost 75 books in this series now, nearly all of them featuring a different mythological creature, which just on its own is pretty impressive.) These are very much for the younger end of the chapter-book crowd, in my opinion from ages 7 to about 9 or 10, featuring lots of illustrations and a ton of silly humor; and to their credit Dadey and Jones are much more interested in simply being entertaining than in trying to teach a moral lesson, usually a common trait among books for this age group. They're nothing special, but certainly readable and fun, and come recommended for younger readers looking for their first dose of genre excitement but wanting to avoid dark material altogether.

[BookeryBliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fitting for children that are just learning how to read. The chapters were short and easy to read. This book can be read aloud chapter by chapter to my class. I would have this book in my classroom library so my students can practice reading on books they would enjoy. I give this out of 5 stars because it was a cute book but the story line could have been extended.

[Molly]

A silly series that creates more questions than it answers. It's great for formulating theories as well as predictions. The class dynamics should be very familiar to those of the Magic School Bus generation.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son has recently discovered these books and has really been enjoying them. I picked this one up to see what he was reading. Harmless, and fun, but not interesting to me. I do enjoy some of the kids books and some I don't.

[Tori Leake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides was one of the only Bailey School Kids books I did not read as a child. I loved it just as much as I loved the others. I chose this book because I love this collection and it is always fun to see what new adventures the kids will go on.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally chose to read this book so I could reach my book challenge goal, but I really enjoyed it!
The Bailey School Kids series was my favorite when I was growing up, and this book is probably one of their best!
Magic!

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

i forgot all about these book from when i was little... it was so cool to see them on here and remember the stories.