Title Nobody Rides the Unicorn Series --- Author Adrian Mitchell Illustrator Stephen Lambert Publisher Arthur A. Levine Books - 2000 First Printing Arthur A. Levine Books - 2000 Category Children Warnings None Main Characters Zoe, Doctor Slythe Main Elements Unicorns

Zoe is a nobody -- a poor orphan with nothing of her own but a golden staging voice. When a greedy king exploits her voice to capture a unicorn, Zoe rebels and helps the unicorn escape. Then her faith and courage lead her to the land of the unicorns, a place of happiness where at last she is somebody indeed.

I was hoping I would find a copy of this book, it's one I've known about for years. I was always intrigued by the title, as it made me think of the movie Legend where it was forbidden for a mortal to touch a unicorn. In this case one will learn how a little girl can ride a unicorn when nobody can ride one.

I also thought the artwork would be wonderful. In the end I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but it was certainly unique and I've read a lot of unicorn books this year. The soft edges make the artwork magical which is perfect for a tale about unicorns.

The plot was fairly standard, an evil king and his evil doctor set out to capture a unicorn to use its horn to protect the king from poison by using an innocent orphan girl to lure the unicorn in. The girl is tricked and she feels so guilty about it, she tends to the unicorn's wounds and then sets it free. The king, being furious, exiles her from the kingdom, and now she must find a new place to live.