Pip Bartlett's Guide to Unicorn Training, by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater

I enjoyed this second installment of the Pip Bartlett books.  I enjoyed seeing old characters and new ones—of both the human and magical-animal varieties.  The style was still fun and breezy.  The guidebook entries were still delightful and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

I LOVED Regent Maximus' interaction with the baby unicorns.  I loved Tomas' new favorite animals. 

Here are more things I love in a middle grade novel (or any novel) and which this book delivers on.  The story has conflict and tension not dependent on serious violence.  Characters solve problems by thinking and working, not through violence.  And…[SEMI SPOILER] the bad guy isn't really such a bad guy.

Overall, a very fun book.

More accurate rating:  4.5.  It wasn't quite as charming as the first, but still highly enjoyable