Welcome to Sparklegrove: A Branches Book

Unicorn Diaries #8

by Rebecca Elliott

Bo Tinseltail and friends welcome a new jackalope family to Sparklegrove Forest in the latest installment of this USA Today bestselling early chapter book 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! In the eighth book in the USA Today bestselling Unicorn Diaries series, a jackalope family arrives in Sparklegrove Forest! Unicorn Bo Tinseltail and friends are excited to welcome the new family. But they soon learn that the jackalope family is being chased by centaurs, which puts the whole forest at risk. Will the family be allowed to stay in Sparklegrove after all? With full-color artwork throughout and Rebecca Elliott's trademark humor, young readers won't be able to put this book down!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Graphic Novels

80 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2023

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 the Jackalope family was so cute and the unicorns threw the Jackalopes a welcome party and that was so fun and that was fun and my mom thought there was a new Jackalope family built their homes in the new book but there wasn’t so bye bye!
Me: and how many stars?
Fae: 5!

[Isla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new family of jackalopes have come to Sparklegrove, but they are hiding in the castle and might not stay. The unicorns really want to welcome the jackalopes to Sparklegrove, but is there a reason they might not be able to stay?

A tenderhearted version of a refugee story in Sparklegrove. The jackalopes have some mean centaurs chasing them and there are worries they will continue to follow them. The unicorns have to balance fear of the centaurs and the desire to be a welcoming community. I love how brave they are, and how they place the needs of the jackalopes over their own. It's a sweet story, and thanks to magic has a guaranteed safe ending.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Some centaurs with bows and arrows show up and threaten everyone, but just standing up to them and some nonviolent uses of magic results in a peaceful resolution.
Ethnic diversity: Characters are different mythical creatures, no ethnic rep
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: The young unicorns take the youngest jackalope on a trip into the forest without knowledge of the guards, they are not being purposefully rebellious as they don't realize it could be dangerous. The teacher talks to them, and commends their kind hearts but tells them to ask permission in the future.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new family of jackalopes have arrived at Sparklegrove to meet with Queen Juniper to ask if they can live there. The unicorns are so excited to meet the new family that they ready signs and activities to meet them. However, they learn that there is an important reason as to why the jackalopes might not be able to stay. As the unicorns meet Bounder, the kid jackalope, they are more convinced than ever that they really wish that the new family can stay. But there's a threat out there that may bring danger to all of Sparklegrove. Will Queen Juniper let the family stay despite the risk? Or will the jackalopes have to leave to protect Sparklegrove from danger?

I was surprised that there was an actual "battle" in the story. I thought there'd be a peaceful resolution, but Sparklegrove's members rally together with some pretty good military strategy meant to scare but not to hurt.

[Sonya Desilva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #8 but easy to follow so it didn't matter I hadn't read the first 7. Should probably be an EC instead of F. Large pictures on every page, not a lot of words but some of the words were pretty complex. Sentence structure felt stilted for a 'diary' style entry. But the storyline was good for kids- meeting and making a new family feel included and standing up to bullies.

[ZHU BIHAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

great unicorn books.

These series make my child very happy thank you for making all these my family loves the books especially my child once again thank you

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! The jackalopes were fun!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Rumptwinkle goes on a mysterious errand to the Queen's castle. The more I read of this series, the more I question it. Where is the princess's father? Friends don't take the place of family, etc.

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading these to my 5yo and 7yo sons at bedtime. I liked this one more than some of the others.