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Magical Rescue Vets #1
Magical Rescue Vets: Oona the Unicorn
Most people think that dragons and unicorns don't exist outside of story books - but Kat and Rosie know better!
The best friends have been helping out at Calico Comfrey's Veterinary Surgery ever since they stumbled across its secret door one summer holiday. Join them as they rescue and care for the incredible, enchanted creatures of Starfall Forest. Along the way, they might learn some valuable lessons about bravery, friendship, and loyalty!
When Kat and Rosie join Doctor Clarice on a rescue mission to a mysterious part of Starfall Forest, they catch a glimpse of a unicorn - and set off after it! However, they soon become lost in the mystical Mazewood. Can they win the trust of the unicorn, who has injured her leg? How will they ever find their way back to Calico Comfrey's Veterinary Surgery?
The first in the brand-new "Magical Rescue Vets" series, Oona the Unicorn features beautiful illustrations by Morgan Huff and is ideal for readers aged 7+.
The best friends have been helping out at Calico Comfrey's Veterinary Surgery ever since they stumbled across its secret door one summer holiday. Join them as they rescue and care for the incredible, enchanted creatures of Starfall Forest. Along the way, they might learn some valuable lessons about bravery, friendship, and loyalty!
When Kat and Rosie join Doctor Clarice on a rescue mission to a mysterious part of Starfall Forest, they catch a glimpse of a unicorn - and set off after it! However, they soon become lost in the mystical Mazewood. Can they win the trust of the unicorn, who has injured her leg? How will they ever find their way back to Calico Comfrey's Veterinary Surgery?
The first in the brand-new "Magical Rescue Vets" series, Oona the Unicorn features beautiful illustrations by Morgan Huff and is ideal for readers aged 7+.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
9 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 24, 2021
This is a Fantasy Middle Grade, and this is the first book in the Magical Rescue Vets series. This book is great for a child that is just learning to read chapter books. The chapters as pictures and they are short. This whole book is less then 100 pages. I feel that this book will be great for kids in 2nd though 4th grade depending on the kids reading level. I found this to be a cute and fun book to read, and it also as cute messages put into them. I loved the characters in this book, and the magical animals are so much fun. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Arcturus Publishing) or author (Melody Lockhart) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
June 13, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Oona the Unicorn is the first book in a new children's fantasy series called Magical Rescue Vets.
This series is about a young girl called Rosie who moves from the city to a very small village and quirky cottage. She isn't pleased with this move but slowly begins to adapt especially when she discovers magic and a new friend (Kat)!
The Friends team up to look for an injured unicorn called Oona and meet a whole host of magical animals and creatures surrounding their homes.
This book is beautifully written with just the right amount of mystery to keep a young reader interested.
I can't wait to start book two and find out what the girls encounter next.
Oona the Unicorn is the first book in a new children's fantasy series called Magical Rescue Vets.
This series is about a young girl called Rosie who moves from the city to a very small village and quirky cottage. She isn't pleased with this move but slowly begins to adapt especially when she discovers magic and a new friend (Kat)!
The Friends team up to look for an injured unicorn called Oona and meet a whole host of magical animals and creatures surrounding their homes.
This book is beautifully written with just the right amount of mystery to keep a young reader interested.
I can't wait to start book two and find out what the girls encounter next.
June 8, 2022
Will little girls (and boys possibly) love this story about a new girl to town who makes a friend and then finds out the woods behind her a magical and full of mystical animals? Probably.
Did I personally enjoy it? Not really.
There is no reason why introductory readers like this, a simple book good for readers at a level 3 or 4, shouldn't also be well-written books. That said I know two little girls who read this series around the age of 6 and 7 years old and they thought it was amazing. So what do I know right? For this sole reason I am giving this book a four star review (instead of 3) because I can't argue with the target market's love of it.
But on the note of what is a bit meh about Oona the Unicorn. It starts with a poorly set-up premise. I'd like to know a bit more about why our lead gal has been moved and a bit more about how she feels about it. She seemed to be taking the move to a new area where she had no friends very well. It seems a bit optimistic by us adults to think that a child would be so easily adaptive to a new home. That said it's not the deal breaker that causes me to drop the rating to four stars.
What I cannot tolerate is silly lines referring to an (albeit mystical) animal that has "an allergy to gravity". Say what?
Why on earth would anyone think it's cute or smart to make up a fake allergy? Children have enough misinformation thrown at them on a daily basis; let's not make it worse by trying to be cute with a new species and making it allergic to something that: it has to encounter on Earth everyday no matter what, is completely false and can't cause an allergy in any living thing I know of on Earth. This is just silly for no real reason. There must be another reason why this animal lays it's nests upside down! I think Melody Lockhart needed to be a little more creative here and a little less ridiculous.
Between magical unicorns and boobears that are super cute (yes I'll admit it their spots are adorable) to magical flying carpets and doctors (vets) for magical animals you as the parent/adult/guardian may not love this book. But I know a lot of little girls (and some boys) will! Just throw in some less silly content while you're supplying your children with reading content please. I'm always a fan of Babysitters Club (no idea if new ones are good; but the old ones are!) to keep most of their thoughts on practical, reasonable things. Fantasy and imagination are some of my favourite things in the world; but I do recognize they can be taken too far at times. Just imagine a child telling their teacher they are "allergic to gravity" and need to go home; feels like that would be one of those embarrassing moments we all want to avoid!
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Did I personally enjoy it? Not really.
There is no reason why introductory readers like this, a simple book good for readers at a level 3 or 4, shouldn't also be well-written books. That said I know two little girls who read this series around the age of 6 and 7 years old and they thought it was amazing. So what do I know right? For this sole reason I am giving this book a four star review (instead of 3) because I can't argue with the target market's love of it.
But on the note of what is a bit meh about Oona the Unicorn. It starts with a poorly set-up premise. I'd like to know a bit more about why our lead gal has been moved and a bit more about how she feels about it. She seemed to be taking the move to a new area where she had no friends very well. It seems a bit optimistic by us adults to think that a child would be so easily adaptive to a new home. That said it's not the deal breaker that causes me to drop the rating to four stars.
What I cannot tolerate is silly lines referring to an (albeit mystical) animal that has "an allergy to gravity". Say what?
Why on earth would anyone think it's cute or smart to make up a fake allergy? Children have enough misinformation thrown at them on a daily basis; let's not make it worse by trying to be cute with a new species and making it allergic to something that: it has to encounter on Earth everyday no matter what, is completely false and can't cause an allergy in any living thing I know of on Earth. This is just silly for no real reason. There must be another reason why this animal lays it's nests upside down! I think Melody Lockhart needed to be a little more creative here and a little less ridiculous.
Between magical unicorns and boobears that are super cute (yes I'll admit it their spots are adorable) to magical flying carpets and doctors (vets) for magical animals you as the parent/adult/guardian may not love this book. But I know a lot of little girls (and some boys) will! Just throw in some less silly content while you're supplying your children with reading content please. I'm always a fan of Babysitters Club (no idea if new ones are good; but the old ones are!) to keep most of their thoughts on practical, reasonable things. Fantasy and imagination are some of my favourite things in the world; but I do recognize they can be taken too far at times. Just imagine a child telling their teacher they are "allergic to gravity" and need to go home; feels like that would be one of those embarrassing moments we all want to avoid!
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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May 23, 2021What a magical story! When Rosie moves from the city to the forest, it's a tough transition and making new friends in a new place is even tougher. But when Rosie discovers the magic of Starfall Forest, everything changes! Rosie's new friend Kat is skeptical when Rosie shares her discovery. Rosie feels a bit let down by Kats disbelief, her feelings are hurt but together the girls discover the magic of Starfall Forest together and both come to believe in the magic of the forest and it's magical creatures! I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and I specifically requested it because I thought it would be fun to read to my granddaughter. After having read it myself, I can hardly wait to read it to her! I became enchanted with all of the whimsical magical creatures and plants in Starfall forest! Author Melody Lockhart and illustrator Morgan Huff have amazing imaginations and really brought to life these sweet whimsical creatures with their descriptions and drawings! I enjoyed this story so much that I'm really looking forward to the second book in the series, Jade the Gem Dragon. Wonderful storytelling for early chapter readers or for reading to pre-early chapter readers 💕
May 1, 2021
Another really fun read! I love how these stories are part of a series but it's more about the theme and feeling they leave you with. My young reader loved this story. Unicorns are always a fan favourite, especially since they are something that many people believe actually exist. As my young readers likes to point out the world has narwhals so why not?
Rosie struggles with the move her family has taken, she thinks her life is ruined but soon begins to see that not everything is quite so terrible. As Rosie starts to explore she sees many fantastical things. The pictures help us to visualize what's happening (My favourite was the at the beginning seeing her with her toad wallpaper. When she meets Oona the Unicorn it's confirmation that this whole other world really does exist. My young reader loved this story and the adventure Rosie takes. They could even relate to having parents that are sometimes too busy to notice what's around them, or pay attention to what they're being told.
Thank you NetGalley Melody Lockhart and, Arcturus Publishing Limited for providing me with a free copy of this book. I am providing my voluntary honest review.
Rosie struggles with the move her family has taken, she thinks her life is ruined but soon begins to see that not everything is quite so terrible. As Rosie starts to explore she sees many fantastical things. The pictures help us to visualize what's happening (My favourite was the at the beginning seeing her with her toad wallpaper. When she meets Oona the Unicorn it's confirmation that this whole other world really does exist. My young reader loved this story and the adventure Rosie takes. They could even relate to having parents that are sometimes too busy to notice what's around them, or pay attention to what they're being told.
Thank you NetGalley Melody Lockhart and, Arcturus Publishing Limited for providing me with a free copy of this book. I am providing my voluntary honest review.
April 16, 2021
Thank you so much to Arcturus and Netgalley for the earc to read and review.
Rosie has just moved to the forest used to the bustling life in the city, then she sees a unicorn that is limping and has to find someone that believes her. She makes a friend in Kat a local girl and together they find a hidden magical forest.
This was so sweet, I loved that they were both so brave adventuring into the unknown parts of the forest to save the little unicorn. They met so many adorable and magical beings within the forest and meet the vets who look after all the magical beings.
I really loved this story, Rosie had a lot of adjusting to overcome but with the help of the magic forest it made her changes easier. I loved the illustrations that came with the story showing you the adorable magical beings, I loved getting to explore this new world with the girls, It’s such a precious book and I really loved it.
Rosie has just moved to the forest used to the bustling life in the city, then she sees a unicorn that is limping and has to find someone that believes her. She makes a friend in Kat a local girl and together they find a hidden magical forest.
This was so sweet, I loved that they were both so brave adventuring into the unknown parts of the forest to save the little unicorn. They met so many adorable and magical beings within the forest and meet the vets who look after all the magical beings.
I really loved this story, Rosie had a lot of adjusting to overcome but with the help of the magic forest it made her changes easier. I loved the illustrations that came with the story showing you the adorable magical beings, I loved getting to explore this new world with the girls, It’s such a precious book and I really loved it.
August 6, 2025
Really enjoyed this! Emily read #2 in the series without reading this one and she said it was pretty confusing - oops! This one does a great job with the world building and character intro, so I'll need to make sure Emily reads this one :)
The idea is really neat and somewhat similar to Zoey and Sassafras - magical vets that take care of magical animals - except that this is two friends who stumble upon the "surgery" and meet the three adult vets there. As always, I hate the secrets from parents, but I don't think this goes past the innocent "what if I was magical and my parents didn't know" secret that a kid would like to imagine. I wish that the conflict between the girls had been explored more, and I wish that the parents had more personality, but not deal breakers!
The idea is really neat and somewhat similar to Zoey and Sassafras - magical vets that take care of magical animals - except that this is two friends who stumble upon the "surgery" and meet the three adult vets there. As always, I hate the secrets from parents, but I don't think this goes past the innocent "what if I was magical and my parents didn't know" secret that a kid would like to imagine. I wish that the conflict between the girls had been explored more, and I wish that the parents had more personality, but not deal breakers!
September 9, 2022
Okay - this was adorable.
A cute, wholesome story about a little girl who moves from the big city to a small town and discovers that the forest behind her new house is enchanted and full of magical creatures like unicorns and gnomes. A great introduction to the low fantasy genre for young readers. I read it with my six year old daughter and she just fell in love with it. The story, setting and characters were all she talked about for days! Needless to say, we are buying the next book in the series ASAP.
A cute, wholesome story about a little girl who moves from the big city to a small town and discovers that the forest behind her new house is enchanted and full of magical creatures like unicorns and gnomes. A great introduction to the low fantasy genre for young readers. I read it with my six year old daughter and she just fell in love with it. The story, setting and characters were all she talked about for days! Needless to say, we are buying the next book in the series ASAP.
December 1, 2025
This was a cute story that was easy to get into and would be great for children.
I was obviously not the target audience, but this was short, and there are not many days left in the year to reach my goal, so I gave it a whirl, and it was like a magic carpet ride.
I can't see any younger readers not enjoying this a lot.
I was obviously not the target audience, but this was short, and there are not many days left in the year to reach my goal, so I gave it a whirl, and it was like a magic carpet ride.
I can't see any younger readers not enjoying this a lot.
May 10, 2021
I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley
This was a wonderful children's book filled with memorable characters and lasting friendship. The only thing that I would fix about this book is colored illustrations.
This was a wonderful children's book filled with memorable characters and lasting friendship. The only thing that I would fix about this book is colored illustrations.
February 10, 2025
Rosie found a magical unicorn with a hurt leg. Then she found lots of friends. They went into a forest together. They learned not to wander off because they would get lost. My favorite part of this book was the flutterpuffs. They were cute! They had little wings and they could fly.
July 4, 2022
Read to jasmine, we really enjoyed it.
June 12, 2024
Cute start for those who love mythical animals and veterinary medicine. Bonus engineering and innovation aspects. Brought some aahs and chuckles to the family storytime.
December 18, 2025
Very cute and imaginative.
January 12, 2023
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
After the delight that was Jade the Gem Dragon I was even more eager to start this one, especially since I found out that this one is the first book in the series. Yep. Haha. So I was eager to get a lot of answers to the questions that I had after reading the first book.
In this one Rosie takes the spotlight and we learn that she has just moved to this small town. We see her quickly discover something magical in the garden and I just LOVED her enthusiasm about everything. While I wouldn’t have run to my parents to tell them as I know that adults just don’t believe kids. Then again, if I had a kid I would definitely believe. Thank you to books. Bring me magical worlds! We see how she is adjusting to her new house, her new town, and makes a new friend, Kat.
I loved it when the magical adventures started and when Rosie discovered all sorts of fun things and then took Kat along! We meet unicorns, dandylions, fluffy bears, cute bunnies, and also some mischievous animals. I had so much fun seeing the girls help out the vets and also go along a trip to find Oona the unicorn and help her out. There is just so much happening and I flew through the book. I just couldn’t stop!
Funnily, I had expected Kat and Rosie to be friends for WAY longer. Given how their relationship/friendship is in the book with Kat in the spotlight. But apparently they are just friends. That is so amazing and it made me smile. In this book they struggle a bit, aren’t sure what to think of each other, argue a bit, but I was happy knowing that they would make up and become the bestest of friends. I just wanted to hop in the book and tell them that they would be friends!
And yes, I got so many answers from this book. How the girls discovered the forest and the magic that lies hidden. What kind of creatures live in the forest (we do get some in the next book, but we get A TON more in this one). How the girls got to be helpers. And many others. It was a delight. I just wish that I had known this was the first book. I have fixed it on GR now, so no one else has to be confused.
Once again the illustrations were the cutest. I just wanted to reach out of the book and pet some of those cuties that the girls discover on their trip to the forest.
I do hope that there are more books in the Magical Rescue Vets series because I would like to see more creatures and more of this world. We only see a bit of it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
After the delight that was Jade the Gem Dragon I was even more eager to start this one, especially since I found out that this one is the first book in the series. Yep. Haha. So I was eager to get a lot of answers to the questions that I had after reading the first book.
In this one Rosie takes the spotlight and we learn that she has just moved to this small town. We see her quickly discover something magical in the garden and I just LOVED her enthusiasm about everything. While I wouldn’t have run to my parents to tell them as I know that adults just don’t believe kids. Then again, if I had a kid I would definitely believe. Thank you to books. Bring me magical worlds! We see how she is adjusting to her new house, her new town, and makes a new friend, Kat.
I loved it when the magical adventures started and when Rosie discovered all sorts of fun things and then took Kat along! We meet unicorns, dandylions, fluffy bears, cute bunnies, and also some mischievous animals. I had so much fun seeing the girls help out the vets and also go along a trip to find Oona the unicorn and help her out. There is just so much happening and I flew through the book. I just couldn’t stop!
Funnily, I had expected Kat and Rosie to be friends for WAY longer. Given how their relationship/friendship is in the book with Kat in the spotlight. But apparently they are just friends. That is so amazing and it made me smile. In this book they struggle a bit, aren’t sure what to think of each other, argue a bit, but I was happy knowing that they would make up and become the bestest of friends. I just wanted to hop in the book and tell them that they would be friends!
And yes, I got so many answers from this book. How the girls discovered the forest and the magic that lies hidden. What kind of creatures live in the forest (we do get some in the next book, but we get A TON more in this one). How the girls got to be helpers. And many others. It was a delight. I just wish that I had known this was the first book. I have fixed it on GR now, so no one else has to be confused.
Once again the illustrations were the cutest. I just wanted to reach out of the book and pet some of those cuties that the girls discover on their trip to the forest.
I do hope that there are more books in the Magical Rescue Vets series because I would like to see more creatures and more of this world. We only see a bit of it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
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