Friday, April 15, 2016

Review: Pip Bartlett's Guide To Magical Creatures

Title: Pip Bartlett's Guide To Magical Creatures
Authors: Jackson Pearce, Maggie Stiefvater
Number of Pages: 192 (HB)
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Synopsis

Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures. Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok—and they often go amok—Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston’s Guide to Magical Creatures, a reference work that Pip finds herself constantly amending. Because dealing with magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, and fuzzles doesn’t just require book knowledge—it requires hands-on experience and thinking on your feet. For example, when fuzzles (which have an awful habit of bursting into flame when they’re agitated) invade your town, it’s not enough to know what the fuzzles are—Pip and Tomas also must trace the fuzzles’ agitation to its source, and in doing so, save the whole town.
NOTE: I'd like to thank Pinoy Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

Review

First and foremost, I would like to say that reading Pip Bartlett was a really adorable experience. It didn't blow me away, but I'm sure that children would really love this story.

Let's start off with Pip. Here's her entrance, making this major fuss with a unicorn during their school's bring-your-parent day. She ends up finding out that she can actually talk to these magical creatures! Of course, no one believes her. So her mother sends Pip to spend some weeks at her aunt's place, who just so happens to be a vet for magical creatures. And this is where she meets Tomas, who's allergic to magical animals.

To be honest, I really like Pip as a character because of her fierceness even at a young age. She know what's logical (most of the time), and how to phrase comebacks (especially for adults). She's really responsible, and I enjoyed reading about her initiatives in the book. As for Tomas, I also liked his quirkiness, and how he's the know-it-all in the pairing. Pip and Tomas's tandem was really engaging for me. They solved the town's issue with Fuzzles, and my gosh. The character development of the both of them really got to me. For me, it's a nice way to give this sort of moral in a Middle Grade book. 

And for the plot, it was an adorable read. Although, I'll have to agree with some reviews about the book that the storyline has Middle-Grade cliches. But I guess that's okay, since the audience for the story is quite out-ranged for me (um, it's Middle Grade LOL). 

The illustrations in the book were also fun, more so if I were a kid. And, they complemented the story pretty well. So, kudos!  I also have to give credit to Pip and Tomas's valiance in this story. Seriously, they were so brave, in my opinion! 

If I were to be brave, I would have to say that Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures is a watered-down tribute for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. It was really cute. And upon writing this review, I came up with my decision to change my rating for the book on Goodreads. From 3 stars, I've decided to award Pip Bartlett with.......... *drumroll*

About the Authors




Jackson Pearce currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy and currently works for a software company even though she auditioned for the circus (she juggled and twirled fire batons, but they still didn’t want her). Other jobs she’s had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist.






All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.




That's it for this review! Stay tuned for more book reviews! And remember,


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