Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures (Pip Bartlett #1)

Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the novels SHIVER, LINGER, FOREVER, and SINNER. Her novel THE SCORPIO RACES was awarded a Printz Honor, and the first two novels in The Raven Cycle, THE RAVEN BOYS and THE DREAM THIEVES, each received five starred reviews and were named to numberous best-of-the-year lists. She is also the author of LAMENT: THE FAERIE QUEEN'S DECEPTION and BALLAD: A GATHERING OF FAERIE. Maggie lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit her online at www.maggiestiefvater.com.

Jackson Pearce lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once, but didn't make it; other jobs she's had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist.

Jackson is the author of a series of retold fairytales, including SISTERS RED, SWEETLY, FATHOMLESS, and COLD SPELL, as well as two standalones, AS YOU WISH and PURITY. As J. Nelle Patrick, she is the author of TSARINA.

Gr 3–6—Nine-year-old Pip loves magical creatures, and she possesses a unique talent for communicating with them. Although she seems to be the only human alive who understands animal speech, she has difficulty talking to other living, breathing humans. After her exuberant unicorn ride wreaks havoc at her Atlanta school's career day festivities, Pip is shipped off for the summer to help Aunt Emma at her vet clinic for magical animals. At the clinic, Pip sees hobgrackles, griffins, phoenixes, and bitterflunks, but it isn't until the fuzzles appear that things get out of hand. It's up to Pip and her new friend, Tomas, to figure out why the fiery creatures are flocking to their small town and how to protect the furry animals from being exterminated by animal control. Narrator Cassandra Morris brings this fast-paced story to life, using distinctive voices for plucky Pip, the fearful unicorn, the bossy animal control officer, and others. Peter McGowan voices entries from Pip's favorite book, "Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures," providing listeners with vital information about each magical animal Pip encounters. VERDICT This imaginative and well-written first title in a trilogy will have fantasy fans and animal lovers eagerly awaiting the next installment.—Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA