The Creature of the Pines: The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 1

This book, and the whole series, have become family favorites. My kids listen to the audiobooks regularly. My only complaint is every book starts with some discussion of farting and picking your nose... I could do without that. Otherwise it has parallels and discussions of real world events tied into the stories, and important conversations can be drawn from them.

This book series is our family's favorite ever. The stories are funny without being cheesy, a smart kind of humor, while being gripping and suspenseful in the very best way. I've been reading them to my six year old, which requires frequent explanation/definition, but he is beside himself whenever it's time to stop and begs me to pick it up again as soon as possible. His vocabulary is exploding, as is his learning about the world. He laughs, he holds onto my arm, he asks questions. Our whole family is enjoying them, from my three year old to us parents. I particularly appreciate the subtle but evident attention to including diverse characters and effortlessly drawing attention to stories about peoples, places, and histories engaged in struggles past and/or present for self determination (native American, basque, the US-Mexico border).