The Secret of the Lost Gold: A Branches Book (Unicorn Diaries #11)

When a really bad storm comes through, it destroys the homes of many creatures. In order to rebuild them, they're going to need gold, but there's a legend behind the Lost Gold. A king hid it away in a cave for safe-keeping and it's heavily guarded by a griffin. They're fierce protectors and really rare. This one hides by Black Diamond Lake, which is one of the scariest parts of the Dark Woods. But Bo won't let that deter them. Together, they can tackle the creepiness of the Dark Woods and its inhabitants and get the chance to meet Edgar the Griffin. Bo and the unicorns learn just how special griffins really are.

THE SECRET OF THE LOST GOLD is an early chapter book full of magic, adventure, friendship, and mythical creatures. Just like the other books in the series, it's written in diary format. My daughter and I always love the UNIFACTS, along with the lore and world-building this author has developed over the span of this series. I also love how Bo and the unicorns run into their friend Barry, who appears to be a scary wolf, but he's actually really nice. It goes against the typical stereotypes which adds more character to the story. The illustrations are as cute as ever and I love the portrayal of Edgar the Griffin. In the back of the book there are some suggestions to get a discussion going and some questions to enhance a child's retention of the story.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to children aged six and older who love magical creatures, unicorns, friendship, and adventure. This is one of my daughter's favorite series and as a parent, I'm never disappointed. The author teaches great morals with these stories and the diary format is much more intriguing to younger readers which encourages them to read more (at least that's how it is with my daughter).