Christmas Stocking Must for Young MG Readers by Shannon O'Donnell

 
The Unicorns Secret Series

by Kathleen Duey

Blurb:

Heart Trilby has no family. She lives a hard and lonely life in the dusty village of Ash Grove -- until she finds a scarred, skinny mare in the forest. Against the wishes of her guardian, mean-spirited Simon Pratt, Heart adopts the mare and names her Avamir. Heart is thrilled when she realizes Avamir is in foal. But when the colt is born weak and disfigured, Simon decides to sell Heart's beloved horses to be slaughtered by the town's soapmaker. Can Heart find a way to protect them -- and the only love she has ever known?

I have shared this series with each of my three children, and each of them loved it. Even though it is probably more girl than boy book, there is a strong boy character that my sons loved. The first time I read these books was when my almost-18-year-old was only six. We bought the first three at a school book fair and read them aloud together. 

While it is marketed as a "Ready-for-Chapters" title, the vocabulary is often more challenging than that, and I recommend it as a wonderful series through at least 7th grade, especially for horse or unicorn loving readers.

There are eight titles in this series, and each of them is a true delight to read. They have even been given updated, redesigned covers, which are beautiful and more appealing to today's kids. If you have any young MG readers to buy for, I HIGHLY recommend this title!