The Basque Dragon

May 15, 2018
Elliot and Uchenna, now full-fledged members of the Unicorn Rescue Society, are back for a second adventure following series opener The Creature of the Pines (2018).Opening the day after the previous book ends, Elliot finds a mysterious package awaiting him on his front step. He is afraid that the package, containing a book called The Country of Basque, portends another strange day--and he's right. He and his friend Uchenna are whisked away by Professor Fauna in his unreliable single-propeller plane to the Basque Country. Even if readers can suspend disbelief long enough to believe that a single-prop plane with three passengers (and a small Jersey Devil) could safely cross the Atlantic, they may still wonder, as Elliot does, about the wisdom of flying off with a weird teacher, especially without informing anyone of their whereabouts. In the Basque Country, they meet fellow Society member Mixtel Mendizabal. Mixtel explains how he took up the mantle of caring for a dragon that has been kidnapped by--no surprise--the rich, greedy Schmoke brothers, villains of the first book. Gidwitz and Casey sprinkle in some substance by examining the difference between isolation and independence and, refreshingly, questioning and rejecting gender norms through Uchenna's character. However, the lack of character development and the combination of unrealistic and predictable elements of this second offering may leave readers cold. Elliot is white, Uchenna is black, and Professor Fauna is Peruvian.Not fantastic. (Fantasy. 7-10)

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June 1, 2018
Grades 2-5 There's no rest for the members of the Unicorn Rescue Society, a secret organization devoted to protecting mythical creatures. Indeed, the day after Elliot and Uchenna help Professor Fauna save a Jersey Devil (The Creature of the Pines, 2018), they are called upon to find a missing herensuge (dragon) in the Basque Country of Spain. Professor Fauna whisks them off in his battered plane, conveniently parked in the faculty lot, with anxious Elliot's worries during the flight standing in entertaining contrast to Uchenna's enthusiasm. Miraculously, they arrive in one piece and meet with Mitxel Mendizabal, fellow society member and guardian of the errant dragon. Soon they realize the horrible billionaire Schmoke brothers are once more involved and guilty of dragon-napping. Filmmaker Casey joins Gidwitz in writing this breathless series installment, which will sweep up readers within its opening pages. Facts about the Basque Country and herensuge mythology are peppered through the short chapters, along with phonetic pronunciation prompts when necessary. Though unseen for review, Aly's artwork will be liberally featured in this spirited, addictive read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)