Neon's Secret Universe

It seems to be a popular idea to reinvent unicorns. A.F Steadman in Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has them as fierce carnivores, but in this book Sibeal Pounder has them looking just like you and me, and the cute horses with horns are a distraction invented by a man called Greg. Neon Gallup, who is almost 10, moves into a new house and finds an old green lipstick that just happens to be a portal into the UNIverse. She is drawn into this parallel world by Moya, who becomes a friend, (though her favourite group is the Mice Gurls) and, in order to return to her parents, she has to undergo tests and become a unicorn herself in the three remaining days before her tenth birthday. There are many different kinds of magic goo that she can use in the test, but some have unexpected results. There are some great characters: Alaric the giant ghost rat, and the villain, Scarlett Night, as well as her other friends, Geldie and Filly Spangle. The ever- inventive Greg does make an appearance, and causes more mayhem. Neon is a resourceful girl, and this story is original and hilarious.

This reviewer enjoyed Tinsel by Sibeal Pounder- she has a talent for taking another point of view about a topic we think we know. As this story ends, Neon is trusted to return to her own world, but finds that she has moved to a town where there is a group of Unicorn Hunters, conveniently wearing ‘UH’ T-shirts, and they include the girl next door, Priscilla, who turns up to invite her to a sleepover at exactly the wrong moment. It becomes clear that there will be further adventures to come, and that is something to look forward to.