Amazon.com Review
Prolific children's book author Bruce Coville has delivered a down-to-earth unicorn tale, if such a thing is possible.
Song of the Wanderer, the second book in The Unicorn Chronicles, delivers a neat follow-up to
Into the Land of the Unicorns, unraveling mysteries and handily reweaving new ones just as fast. The world of the unicorns, Luster, is carefully and cohesively imagined, with myths and rules and prejudices that seem logical and organic. Readers will thrill to the story of Cara, an earth girl who becomes both ward and savior of the unicorns. She must travel through Luster--a world replete with all manner of secret caves and rainbow prisons and talking seashells--back to earth to try to find her grandmother, the Wanderer. The episodic structure of the book is satisfying; Coville delivers all the de rigueur scenes, including a makeover, wherein a Geomancer provides Cara with clothing appropriate to her journey: "To finish the outfit, she strapped a short sword to Cara's side. 'May you never have to use it,' whispered the Geomancer." (The rest of us hope otherwise.) Coville hurries his heroine past some flat characterizations through clever, well-thought-out plot points. And he leaves his ending compellingly open, as befits a series: Luster resounds with rumors of "the possibility of a fierce, final battle that would decide the ancient struggle between the unicorns and the Hunters once and for all." Stay tuned, unicorn lovers.
--Claire Dederer
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-The second book of The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville (Scholastic, 1999) finds Cara on an exciting quest. She must make her way through the magical world of Luster to the unicorn queen, who asks Cara to bring back her grandmother Ivy so that old wounds can be healed. Believing that her grandmother, known to the unicorns as "The Wanderer," is on Earth, Cara must find a way home with the help of her growing list of companions. Filled with peril, humor, and many surprising revelations, Cara's quest takes her back to Earth, only to find her grandmother trapped in a mysterious dimension by the evil Beloved, whose greatest desire is to destroy all unicorns. Although Cara's father is a Hunter, one of Beloved's loyal warriors, a touching reconciliation between father and daughter is affected when he realizes that all he previously believed is untrue. Coville leaves the ending open, but does give some closure by revealing the mystery of Ivy's past and her relationship to the unicorns. Those unfamiliar with the first book in the series, Into the Land of the Unicorns (Scholastic, 1994), will likely be confused by a number of plot points and the sparse characterization in Song of the Wanderer, and will have to rely on the voice characterizations of this talented cast in order to better identify the characters. As the 12-year-old Cara, Carmen Viviano-Crafts compellingly conveys the confusion and deep longings of this young heroine seeking to understand her purpose in life. Jackie Grace as M'Gama lends the role of the Geomancer the full gravitas and majesty required. A real highlight is the several versions of the poignant titular "Song of the Wanderer," beautifully rendered by the cast. Briskly paced, emotionally moving, and featuring compelling female characters, this traditional fantasy will leave listeners longing for the next book in the series.
B. Allison Gray, South Country Library, Bellport, NYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
