(+++) MORE MAGIC, MORE MYSTERY

Unicorn Island 2: Secret Beneath the Sand. By Donna Galanti. Illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. Andrews McMeel. $13.99.

     There is nothing particularly unexpected in the second book in the Unicorn Island series, and that will probably be just fine with its intended preteen audience: the book is easy to read, fast-paced and not the slightest bit intellectually challenging. Actually, to be precise, there are unexpected developments here, but they are the, so to speak, expected ones. The first book introduced Samantha Wells, who is used to living with her mom in Brooklyn and has no interest in going anywhere else – which of course means she has to go somewhere else, specifically to Foggy Harbor, South Carolina, to stay with her Uncle Mitch while her mom, an orchestral musician, is on tour in Europe. Foggy Harbor is isolated and very rural, there is little or no cellphone service, and there are dark doings about, at least according to Uncle Mitch, who does not intend to tell Sam what those are. This of course means Sam has to explore on her own (helped by new friend Tucker Thompson), leading to the discovery that Uncle Mitch is a “fog keeper,” which has to do with preserving the fog that conceals an island on which there are – what else could there be, given the series title? – unicorns. Eventually Uncle Mitch takes Sam under his wing and makes her his apprentice unicorn protector; and Sam realizes that what she wants is not to return to Brooklyn but to become a fog keeper herself.

     The consequences of Sam’s desires show up in Secret Beneath the Sand, where some of that previously mentioned darkness turns out to dwell. In this book, something is wrong with the unicorns, which seem to be losing their magic and turning into ordinary horses. Sam needs to figure out why this is happening and then reverse the process, which is supposed to be impossible to reverse – but with help from Tucker’s veterinarian mother, perhaps there is a way. Unfortunately, Uncle Mitch takes on the traditional preteen-fantasy role of the adult who just doesn’t understand anything and therefore makes it all worse – which means he does not allow Sam to help, thus forcing Sam and Tucker to snoop in Uncle Mitch’s private part of the house and discover things they were not meant to discover, which in turn makes it possible for them to rescue Uncle Mitch exactly when he needs to be rescued.

     And then there are the magical flying chipmunks. Since the island of the unicorns is, of course, filled with magic, it follows that the unicorns are not the only magical creatures there – and luckily, there turn out to be some adorable flying chipmunks as well, to which Sam can appeal for help just when help is needed, and just when the needed help is exactly the kind that chipmunks are capable of providing.

     As for the mysterious darkness, that turns out to be largely the fault of, yes, Uncle Mitch, and turns out to involve a magical creature that is as gigantic as the chipmunks are small – and it is no spoiler to relate that the creature has been kept beneath the sand, thus explaining the book’s title. It requires all of Sam’s devotion and ingenuity, and lots of help from Tucker and Tucker’s mom and (in particular) the entire herd of unicorns, to set things right after everyone learns that the huge and supposedly dangerous magical creature is really just misunderstood and really just needs everyone to help. And the unicorns must provide most of the needed assistance, even if doing so drains what remains of their magic.

     Well, because the unicorns are such wonderful beings, they quickly agree to do what is needed, no matter what it costs them. But fear not: after they almost turn into mere horses, there is a twist in the story that helps restore their magic. Like so much else in the Unicorn Island books, the twist is a small one and scarcely a surprise – the books are not called “Horse Island,” after all. In fact, the biggest twist in Secret Beneath the Sand turns out not to involve the unicorns but to relate to Sam and Uncle Mitch, whose familial bond proves to be something very different from what Sam thought it was. That twist opens up new vistas at the end of the book – actual new vistas, seen through the traditional fantasy element of a magical portal to another world. Actually, Sam seems remarkably accepting of the major revelation about her life, and far less taken aback than any real preteen would likely be under similar circumstances. And that, of course, is the point: Sam is not real and is no more realistic than are the unicorns – the point here is not character delineation or development but easy-to-read entertainment with enough sprinklings of magic to make the journey to Unicorn Island a pleasant one. “Pleasant” is a good overall description of this straightforwardly written, unassumingly illustrated series: it is not in any way complex or ambitious, but it provides enough fantasy adventure to engage young readers who do not need or expect too much depth or too many surprises in stories, plots or characters.