Review: Unicorn Princesses Sunbeam's Shine by Emily Bliss

UNICORN PRINCESSES 1

SUNBEAM'S SHINE

by Emily Bliss

Illustrated by Sydney Hanson

Bloomsbury Childrens

Chapter Book

ages 7 and up

128 pages

COMING. . .

AUGUST 8th, 2017!!!

Welcome to an enchanted land ruled by unicorn princesses! Cressida Jenkins, a unicorn-obsessed girl who is sure that unicorns are real, is invited to visit, and readers will be thrilled to journey to the Rainbow Realm along with her! In each story, Cressida is called to help a unicorn princess and her sisters in a magical adventure.

In the first story, a blundering wizard-lizard casts a spell that accidentally robs Princess Sunbeam of her magic yellow sapphire. Without it, she loses her powers--the ability to create light and heat. The only way to reverse the spell is for a human girl who believes in unicorns to find the yellow sapphire and reunite Sunbeam with her gemstone. Sunbeam ventures into the human world and enlists Cressida's help, who is thrilled to visit the Rainbow Realm. But finding Sunbeam's sapphire isn't quite as easy as she thought it would be . . .

MY TIDBITS

Taking off on a magical adventure packed full of sparkling fantasy, this is sure to be a favorite with young unicorn fans.

The wizard-lizard is determined to make a spell that works, but, as usual, it goes array. He accidentally zaps the magic yellow sapphire our of Princess Sunbeam's possession and make her magicless. The only way to solve the problem is to find a girl in the human world who believes in unicorns, and have her find the gem and give it back to the princess. Then, all will return to normal. Too bad that many human girls no longer believe in magic, let alone unicorns.

This story has everything a magical tale for young girls should have. There are princess unicorns, magic, sparkling gems, adventure and tons of feel-good fantasy. It's a playful tale and keeps the whimsical adventure light and fun even when the going gets rough. The human girl, Cressida, is a lovely girl with a huge imagination and ready to take on whatever comes at her. It's wonderful to watch her ignore others as they try to tell her unicorns don't exist, and stick to what she believes without a single negative thought. But she's not completely naive either, and does think things through before diving in. When things get tough, she doesn't give up but shows that determination and persistence do pay off.

The writing is well done for the intended audience, never talking down to the readers but never jumping too high over their level either. This makes for an easy, fun read even if the 120 pages might sound like a lot to more reluctant, younger readers. The illustrations peppered through the pages add a nice change of pace and help bring the story to life.

Summed up, this is the type of unicorn read girls ages 7 to 10 will be more than happy to dive into. It holds all the princess fanciness and unicorn magic a young heart desires, and maintains a wholesome, whimsical adventure the entire way through. It's a wonderful start to a magical series.