What a lovely story! The plot is intriguing, the illustrations are beautiful, and the animals are magical. The story teaches some good lessons about pet ownership, luck, and hard work. But kids will be so enchanted with the fairy horses and fire-breathing dragon they won't even realize they're learning any life lessons!

I definitely want to read more books in this series.

Note: I received an ARC from the publisher. ( )

So adorable, and such a positive message about perspective -- and the power of choosing to look at things as either a positive or a negative. I so much wish these books had been around when I was a child. Between the garden gnome, the clever protagonist, and all of the magical beasts, I would have been all over this series! ( )

Sweet little book. Cute story of a little girl left in charge of the Magical Animal Adoption Agency. How she finds the right homes for magical animals and gains confidence in her abilities. ( )

This is a delightful fantasy book about a girl named Clover. Clover thinks she is incredibly unlucky, until one day she stumbles upon the Magical Animal Adoption Agency where “no animal is too unusual to adopt.” After meeting the owner, Mr. Jams, she get a summer job at the agency. The agency is a magical place with animals like fairy horses, fire salamanders, unicorns and even a dragon named Snort. The MAAA’s job is to match magical adoptions with the best fit parents. Not just any prince or princess will do! Mr. Jams soon goes away on a mission, leaving Clover responsible for the animals and agency. Clover learn to believe in herself and realizes her luck isn’t so bad after all. This enchanting imaginative tale will captive readers. There are darling illustrations throughout the book. ( )

I fell in love with Kallie George's charming easy readers and I'm pleased to see she now has a chapter book with all that charm and magic included.

Clover is sure she has bad luck, especially where pets are concerned. When her latest pet flies off into the mysterious woods, she decides to follow it even though there are lots of rumors about strange creatures in the woods. She discovers there are indeed strange creatures in the wood - but they're more magical and delightful than she expected. Soon, she's volunteering at the Magical Animal Adoption Agency. But will her bad luck spoil everything?

I'm not crazy about Boiger's cover, as Clover's head is oddly enlarged, but I do love her interior illustrations. The soft sketches capture the sweet magic of Clover's experiences and the scary adventures as well.

I would have loved this book as a child and I think kids will definitely click with it. It's at that sweet spot after early chapters and before middle grade chapters and it's a magical book to read with a sense of wonder and excitement.

Verdict: This book is the perfect balance of magic and adventure. Hand it to fans of magic and animals who aren't ready for massive tomes yet but can handle an intermediate chapter book.

ISBN: 9781423183822; Published 2015 by Disney/Hyperion; Borrowed from another library in my consortium