Unicorn Academy 11 – Violet and Twinkle

Julie Sykes' Violet and Twinkle is a frosty Unicorn Academy story for 7 year olds about a girl who finds it almost impossible to say no.

What happens

Violet hates hurting anyone's feelings. Her unicorn Twinkle is the complete opposite. He says exactly what he thinks, out loud, usually with everyone listening. Violet's forever blushing for him.

They're the last pair in Diamond dorm still waiting for Twinkle's magic to show up. Graduation is at the end of December. Violet REALLY doesn't want to be the one left behind for another year.

Twinkle's plan is starlight rides, just the two of them. Violet would much rather stay in the warm stable, cuddling him and plaiting ribbons into his mane. She says yes anyway (of course she does).

Her friends aren't much better. Rosa talks her into creeping round the teachers' cloakroom after dark, checking the soles of everyone's boots for a clue. Violet's heart is thumping the whole time, and she's doing it in her dressing gown and fluffy polar bear slippers.

There's a proper mystery bubbling away underneath. A painting of a stolen unicorn called Prancer hangs in a secret tower room. Somebody has been using that room. And why does sweet little Daffodil keep giving Violet such strange looks?

It's a really gentle way into a big feeling. You're with Violet as she swallows what she wants again and again to keep everyone happy. So when she finally puts her foot down, it's a cheer-out-loud moment.

Has your reader ever said yes when they really meant no? They'll understand Violet straight away. There are some sweet moments between her and Twinkle too, like the snowy ride home when he promises to look after her.

It's worth knowing the last few chapters get quite tense. There's a chase in the dark, some nasty magic, and Violet and Twinkle end up a very long way from school. A sensitive reader might like you close by for that part, while one who loves a proper baddie will be gripped.

This is book eleven, near the end of the school year, and it leans on the books before it. Other girls' unicorn magic and earlier run-ins with a cloaked woman come up as things that have already happened. Newcomers would do better starting with Rosa and Crystal and reading on from there.

What to read next

And if they'd like another girl whose unicorn isn't quite the one she pictured, try The Naughtiest Unicorn. Mira has filled a whole notebook with drawings of her dream unicorn, Princess Delilah Sparklehoof. The name that appears on her scroll is Dave.