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Dreamland Adventures #2
The Broken Unicorn
In their imaginary Dreamland Eric and Enya meet a new creature, who is very sad and very broken.
At school a new girl comes to class. When they find her crying in the woods Eric and Enya get suspicious.
Then there is the mysterious and vicious black dog. Does that have a connection in the real world too?"
The children learn that every action has a consequence, but things can be reversed in Dreamland.
The Broken Unicorn is a metaphysical fantasy story for kids with illustrations.
At school a new girl comes to class. When they find her crying in the woods Eric and Enya get suspicious.
Then there is the mysterious and vicious black dog. Does that have a connection in the real world too?"
The children learn that every action has a consequence, but things can be reversed in Dreamland.
The Broken Unicorn is a metaphysical fantasy story for kids with illustrations.
152 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
3 people want to read
About the author
Jim Murdoch
13 books60 followersFrom Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jim Murdoch faced a paradigm shift which gave him a new world view. He views everything and everyone being connected. A path of self development studies followed where he delved into many subjects including metaphysics and, yes, dragons. With his wife, Katharina, he co-authored their self-help story Wings of Change. This got him thinking about writing fiction instead of boring self-help books. Taking inspiration from The Alchemist and The Celestine Prophecies he waited for the inspiration. 'Pursuit' was the result.
With Dragon Boy Jim published his first children's metaphysical fantasy and founded Dream Meadow Press.
Jim lives with his wife in Northern Ireland.
With Dragon Boy Jim published his first children's metaphysical fantasy and founded Dream Meadow Press.
Jim lives with his wife in Northern Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 15, 2020
There is something off with this book.
If he had cut out all the "real world" stuff it would have been a lovely & adventurous picture book.
Conversely, he could have made it longer allowing the details to develop more organically.
Since the book is in between those two ideas it feels rushed & unfinished, but somehow overthought?
Cool idea, just not well implemented.
Thanks to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for my DRC.
If he had cut out all the "real world" stuff it would have been a lovely & adventurous picture book.
Conversely, he could have made it longer allowing the details to develop more organically.
Since the book is in between those two ideas it feels rushed & unfinished, but somehow overthought?
Cool idea, just not well implemented.
Thanks to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for my DRC.
July 23, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
The Broken Unicorn is a children's fantasy story about two children Eric and Enya, who travel to a magical place called Dreamland in the form of magical creatures.
One day they hear a wailing sound and stumble upon a unicorn with a broken horn. Eric and Enya befriend the unicorn in the Dreamland world and in the real world when they discover who she really is.
This book covers some sensitive and difficult topics for children however it did feel very wooden for the majority of the story. It didn't flow with as much imaginative ease as it could have.
The girl the children befriend is upset because her parents are separating and is hurt, angry and devastated because her mum doesn't want her anymore. This subject was tackled well but could have flowed better as a story.
The Broken Unicorn is a children's fantasy story about two children Eric and Enya, who travel to a magical place called Dreamland in the form of magical creatures.
One day they hear a wailing sound and stumble upon a unicorn with a broken horn. Eric and Enya befriend the unicorn in the Dreamland world and in the real world when they discover who she really is.
This book covers some sensitive and difficult topics for children however it did feel very wooden for the majority of the story. It didn't flow with as much imaginative ease as it could have.
The girl the children befriend is upset because her parents are separating and is hurt, angry and devastated because her mum doesn't want her anymore. This subject was tackled well but could have flowed better as a story.
November 13, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC.
Much as I like fantasy stories and particularly love stories with dragons in them, I found it hard to get engaged in this story. I did not find the characters compelling, and I found the writing flat. This led me to not be able to feel the magic of the amazing, fantastic creatures in this story, and did not find the relationships between the kids compelling as they dealt with situations in both Dreamland and in real life.
Much as I like fantasy stories and particularly love stories with dragons in them, I found it hard to get engaged in this story. I did not find the characters compelling, and I found the writing flat. This led me to not be able to feel the magic of the amazing, fantastic creatures in this story, and did not find the relationships between the kids compelling as they dealt with situations in both Dreamland and in real life.
March 2, 2023
This book was clearly aimed for small children. I read a lot of YA novels and "kid's books" that are still enjoyable by adults but this one is definitely aimed for a younger crowd. However, I still did not enjoy the plot much.
Eric and his friend Enya travel to Dreamworld as dragons and other creatures. One day they stumble upon a unicorn with a broken horn and broken wings (wouldn't that be a Pegasus?) who is wailing in the meadow. They later learn that in their world, this belongs to a new girl at their school whose parents have split up and her mother does not want her anymore. Eric and Enya befriend the girl in both Dreamworld and real world and try to help resolve her sorrows.
I appreciated the difficult subjects tackled in this book in a delicate way. I also appreciated that most of the kids were generally good kids who wanted to help instead of bullying this new girl, although I got tired of Eric calling her a crybaby. I thought the narrative of the book seemed off, almost robotic. However, I think younger kiddos might enjoy this, especially those whose parents are separating. The author is British so some of the language is a bit different from U.S. authors.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy. My opinions are my own.
Eric and his friend Enya travel to Dreamworld as dragons and other creatures. One day they stumble upon a unicorn with a broken horn and broken wings (wouldn't that be a Pegasus?) who is wailing in the meadow. They later learn that in their world, this belongs to a new girl at their school whose parents have split up and her mother does not want her anymore. Eric and Enya befriend the girl in both Dreamworld and real world and try to help resolve her sorrows.
I appreciated the difficult subjects tackled in this book in a delicate way. I also appreciated that most of the kids were generally good kids who wanted to help instead of bullying this new girl, although I got tired of Eric calling her a crybaby. I thought the narrative of the book seemed off, almost robotic. However, I think younger kiddos might enjoy this, especially those whose parents are separating. The author is British so some of the language is a bit different from U.S. authors.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy. My opinions are my own.
March 19, 2021
A dragon and a rabbit are playing in Dreamland when they come across a unicorn with a broken horn crying. She is crying so hard and so much that her tears have created a river. Two children are able to go to Dreamland to escape from the world we live in. They are able to run and play in whatever form they want. Eric usually chooses a dragon and Enya chooses a rabbit.
They soon discover the unicorn with the broken horn is a new girl in school named Cecelia. This is where their lives begin to take a big turn. They soon discover they are not the only ones who can travel to Dreamland, and not everyone/everything is as it seems.
I enjoyed this short story and think my students will like it and learn from it that people aren't always who they appear to be. There may be a reason someone behaves the way they do. The sad girl may be shy or sad. The mean girl may be lonely, scared, or bullied somewhere else.
I give The Broken Unicorn 5 stars.
I was given the opportunity from NetGalley to read The Broken Unicorn in exchange for an honest review.
They soon discover the unicorn with the broken horn is a new girl in school named Cecelia. This is where their lives begin to take a big turn. They soon discover they are not the only ones who can travel to Dreamland, and not everyone/everything is as it seems.
I enjoyed this short story and think my students will like it and learn from it that people aren't always who they appear to be. There may be a reason someone behaves the way they do. The sad girl may be shy or sad. The mean girl may be lonely, scared, or bullied somewhere else.
I give The Broken Unicorn 5 stars.
I was given the opportunity from NetGalley to read The Broken Unicorn in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2020
This is a lovely introduction to fantasy for children, allowing them to explore their imagination through a "dreamworld" depicted. The author uses this metaphysical reality to set morals about friendship and helping each other, while making the story interesting and dramatic for the young reader.
I enjoyed reading this with my son. I feel perhaps that there was too many themes brought into the one story, and perhaps they all resolved themselves a little quickly - such as in Ceclia's family, or in Maisie's complete change of character. While it would be wonderful for these things to truly resolve so quickly, it perhaps sets unrealistic expectations for children facing these issues.
I enjoyed reading this with my son. I feel perhaps that there was too many themes brought into the one story, and perhaps they all resolved themselves a little quickly - such as in Ceclia's family, or in Maisie's complete change of character. While it would be wonderful for these things to truly resolve so quickly, it perhaps sets unrealistic expectations for children facing these issues.
November 10, 2020
I received an electronic ARC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley.
The premise of exploring a fantasy world in dreams is not new. The Dreamland Murdoch creates is a delightful place that appears to come from children's imaginations. The characters were one-dimensional. The stereotyping was a bit much as each child was introduced and interacted with the others. Some of the language used, ex. broken home, perpetuates stereotypes that harm many. The ending was expected as everyone suddenly got along and all situations were resolved or on their way to resolved.
The premise of exploring a fantasy world in dreams is not new. The Dreamland Murdoch creates is a delightful place that appears to come from children's imaginations. The characters were one-dimensional. The stereotyping was a bit much as each child was introduced and interacted with the others. Some of the language used, ex. broken home, perpetuates stereotypes that harm many. The ending was expected as everyone suddenly got along and all situations were resolved or on their way to resolved.
October 13, 2020
How sweet! This is a charming middle-grade story that kids are sure to enjoy. Perfect for a read-aloud bedtime story, or for independent reading. Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the advance copy.
January 3, 2021
This story surprised me a lot! I was looking for some fantastical tale for the little ones and stumbled upon this heart breaking still wholesome story.
We follow the lives of two little kids (a boy and a girl) that have discovered they can visit the realm of dreams and become whatever creature they want, who would not enjoy that!
Still such adventure turns grimm when they meet two unlikely characters, a unicorn with a broken horn (well more than that actually) and a black wolf-like panther that wants to devour them. Alternating between reality and fantasy, the kids will have to discover the reasons behind each of this creatures behavior in their hopes to help them, even to the extent of risking their own lives.
A story that, from the children's perspective, delves on subjects like the lose of family members, mourning, bullying, child abuse, divorce and depression, trying to provide positive lessons on how to deal and solve many of them.
A sweet story that can provide good tools for kids.
An e-ARC of this book was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
We follow the lives of two little kids (a boy and a girl) that have discovered they can visit the realm of dreams and become whatever creature they want, who would not enjoy that!
Still such adventure turns grimm when they meet two unlikely characters, a unicorn with a broken horn (well more than that actually) and a black wolf-like panther that wants to devour them. Alternating between reality and fantasy, the kids will have to discover the reasons behind each of this creatures behavior in their hopes to help them, even to the extent of risking their own lives.
A story that, from the children's perspective, delves on subjects like the lose of family members, mourning, bullying, child abuse, divorce and depression, trying to provide positive lessons on how to deal and solve many of them.
A sweet story that can provide good tools for kids.
An e-ARC of this book was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews