Mermaids vs. Unicorns (Pacey Packer: Unicorn Tracker #3)

Pacey and her family appear White; Beth, Briony, and some other human and humanoid figures in the cleanly drawn purple duotone art read as racially diverse. A splashy, snarky, subterranean sojourn. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10).

Copyright 2022 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 2-5--The magical land of Rundalyn calls Pacey, little sister Mina, and their unicorn friend Slasher (Mina's stuffed toy, who in the first book revealed he was in fact a resident of Rundalyn) back into action just in time for Pacey to escape friendship woes on Earth. The mogs, friendly troll-like creatures who are unable to swim, ask the trio to retrieve the severed horn of the evil unicorn, Arkane, from the mermaids' domain. The story branches from Pacey's group rafting through subterranean waters, to Arkane's search for his horn, to the mogs attempting to assist from afar. Slasher's sarcasm provides plenty of humor, while his bias against mermaids foreshadows dangers to come. Pacey's hurt feelings over being unpopular are projected onto the mermaids, who have justified grievances with unicorns. Exposition delivered while traveling shows off Rundalyn, as well as Phillipps's purple-tinted art. Pacey and Mina are light-skinned and dark-haired. VERDICT The lore and cast of Phillipps's escapist fantasy continue to expand while delivering more laughs and adventure that fans of the previous two books will love.