Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures

Nine-year-old Pip Bartlett kicks off this series opener from Pearce (Cold Spell) and Stiefvater (The Raven Boys) by inadvertently instigating a unicorn stampede—sometimes being able to talk to magical creatures isn’t as wonderful as one might think. When Pip is sent to spend the summer in Georgia with her Aunt Emma, a dedicated vet for magical creatures, Pip gets plenty more practice in communicating with amazing beasts. Excerpts from her favorite book, Jeffrey Higgleston’s Guide to Magical Creatures, appear throughout, illustrated by Stiefvater and heavily annotated by Pip (“bad listeners,” she scrawls on the unicorn page, following the incident in the book’s prologue). When the town is overrun by Fuzzles—small, fuzzy creatures that catch fire at the slightest provocation—Pip has a chance to redeem herself. Fantasy fans will delight in Pip’s humorous adventures in a world whose mix of the magical and the modern feels like a gentler cousin to the ones featured in the authors’ respective YA books. Ages 8–12. Agent: (for Pearce) Josh Adams, Adams Literary; (for Stiefvater) Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)