Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Unicorn’s Tale
Written by R. L. LaFevers
Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Nathaniel misses his parents so much that he can’t think about anything else; even the fact that he is getting to travel around the world helping his Aunt Phil, a beastologist, takes a backseat to his fears. Nathaniel is even willing to give up the ancient Book of the Beasts if it will help his cause.
Aunt Phil pilots an old plane around the world to tend to the beasts, accompanied by her friend Cornelius, who is a dodo bird, and now Nate and his pet gremlin, Greasle. Greasle and Cornelius don’t get along at all, and that creates several complications as they travel together.
Aunt Phil has heard that a unicorn is acting strangely, and may be ill, and this is a very serious issue that must be taken care of immediately, as there are very few unicorns left after the terrible destruction in Europe from the Great War. Nate must solve a mystery, and save them all from a kidnapper, who will do anything to get his hands on the Book of the Beasts. Can Nate set aside his fears about his parents disappearance long enough to help Aunt Phil? What takes priority for right now? Will they be able to outsmart Obediah?
This is book four in the Beastologist series, and each book takes Nate and Aunt Phil a little closer to discovering what might have happened to Nate’s parents. While this book can be read as a stand-alone book, to fully comprehend all that is happening you really need to read the first three.
This is a fun chapter book for third graders that introduces many myths mixed with adventure. Do unicorns really exist? Where might have the story of unicorns originated? Readers from the third grade thru fifth will totally enjoy this book, brought to life by the many pen and ink illustrations.
The Unicorn’s Tale received an A+ rating from the Junior Library Guild and an award by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles for the cover art.
The author’s website (www.rllafevers.com/) to see drawings of Nate and the beasts sent in from their readers, and promises to post them in their reader’s gallery, they can be sent to art@nathanielfludd.com.
- Title: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Unicorn’s Tale
- Author: R. L. LaFevers
- Illustrated by: Kelly Murphy
- Publisher: Sandpiper, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin
- Reviewer: Carole Robishaw
- Paperback; 160 pages
- ISBN-13: 978-0547850795
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure