Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Readers who enjoy stories with an animal protagonist and readers who enjoy a magical tale will enjoy this title which at its core is a story of friendship and family.

I’ve never read anything like Shelley Moore Thomas’ The Last Rabbit. Thomas’s lyrical prose is thoughtful and engaging. And her story of a young rabbit who doesn’t want to become a girl is compelling.

Albie is smart and stubborn and struggling with the cards she’s been dealt. As the story progresses, her true motives become clear, and she becomes all the more dear.

The Last Rabbit is a mostly quiet read sprinkled with bits of adventure throughout. Though intended for middle readers, it will appeal to older readers — YA and adult — as well. Its universal themes of love, loss, and forgiveness make it a book I highly recommend.

In this magical adventure, inspired by old tales about a phantom island in the Atlantic, almost no one is who or what they first appear to be.

Albie, a headstrong rabbit girl, is the last of four sisters living on Hybrasil. It's her turn to leave the island, but something is keeping her from jumping in the Boy's boat and sailing away. Is it her distrust of the Boy, her fondness for the Magician who cared for her and her sisters, or her own guilt? Uncovering the mystery is part of the fun.

Albie and the others often face danger, but the story is never too scary for the youngest readers. I would have loved to learn more about Isolde, the only sister who chose to sail to a place from her imagination.

After long-held secrets are revealed, the story wraps up with a lovely "happy enough" ending (rather than an outdated "happily ever after" one). The characters still face challenges ahead, but we know they'll be able to rely on each other's strengths to get through them.

I am including the link to my review below on the appropriate line Thanks for reading.
This is a very creative tale for middle grade readers. I liked the subtle reference to the old tale Peter Rabbit as the little rabbit was not to cross the bridge just as Peter was told never to go into the cabbage patch.
Young readers will find this a page-turner to discover whether Albie chooses to get into the boat with the boy to join her sisters or remain on the sinking island.

When is a rabbit not a rabbit? When she's one of four sisters turned into rabbits when the youngest tries to bring their deceased mother back to life. "The Last Rabbit," by Shelley Moore Thomas, is set on the mythical island of Hybrasil during World War II. Albie and her sisters were sent there after the deaths of their RAF pilot father and their mother. The four rabbits are cared for by The Magician, but one-by-one, the girls leave the island in the company of the mysterious Boy, until only Albie is left. She will need to leave soon, because the island is sinking, but can she trust the Boy?

Albie explores the island, including going over a forbidden bridge where she finds something she thought lost forever. She also hears The Howler, and worries that it somehow is causing the island to sink. Somehow, she must find the courage to reunite her family and save the island.

The story is lyrical and the illustrations by Julie Mellan are wonderful. The personality of the characters shines through in both word and picture. Albie is an engaging heroine, and has a strong and authentic voice. Middle-schoolers will enjoy Albie's wit and strength and admire her determination to make her own future.

Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Random House Children's in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Rabbit is a heartwarming and magical middle grade novel steeped in Celtic folklore about the importance of family, sisterhood, and forgiveness. After their parents died, Albie and her sisters ended up on the lost, magical island of Hybrasil as rabbits in the care of an old magician. But the island is sinking and Albie's sisters have all sailed away one by one of the Boy's boat and left Albie on the island to find their destinies. The Boy is back and offers to help Albie find her destiny and become a human girl again, but Albie just wants to stay on the island with her vegetables and the magician. In order to save the island Albie must leave and search out her sisters, but this may take more courage than she thinks.

I loved this book so much. It was a perfect mix of heartwarming lessons and humor in a magical, atmospheric setting. The illustrations are mimalistic, so beautiful, and I think they capture the spirit of the story so well! For me The Last Rabbit transcends age and has something for everyone at every age, and the "lessons" are without judgement, handled softly, and honestly really applicable to everyone, not just middle graders. I will definitely be buying this book to have on my shelf and for my sister. 5 stars, highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Random House and Wendy Lamb Books for a free review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and ratings are my own.

The Last Rabbit by Shelly Moore Thomas 4 stars

The Last Rabbit is the title and literally the title character of this book. The Last Rabbit on the island of Hybrasil (a secret island near Ireland) is the narrator of the this book. Four girls are sent to this island after being orphaned by the war (World War II). None of them are happy at being sent to the middle of nowhere and cared for by a man they have never met. Something happens and the four girls are transformed into rabbits by a magic spell. In order to circumvent the spell, the Boy must ferry one rabbit at a time, to a place of their choosing. Upon arrival, the rabbit will be transformed back into a girl. Albie, the last rabbit and the youngest needs to leave because the island of Hybrasil is sinking into the sea.

This is a wonderful book, filled with adventure and scary events. The illustrations by Julie Mellan are whimsical and engaging - every rabbit has an expression. Albie is a stubborn, brave and persistent little rabbit. This is a story of mistakes made, redemption found and getting on with the journey that is life. I look forward to seeing what this author will do next.

What happens when you try to bring your mother back to life, and instead turn your sisters and you into rabbits.

That is the story of the last rabbit, on a magical island that rises and falls with the centuries. It sometimes appears on maps, and sometimes it doesn't, and that is where the magician lives with his rabbits, until there is only one left.

This is the story of family, and how to stay together withs family, if you can. In between there is a circus and air pirates, and the sun of the ferry man to death. All good clean fun.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My daughter loved this book. She's in sixth grade, so I wasn't too sure if it'd be okay for her age / grade level or not.
But overall, great, whimsical read.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

A girl who turned herself and her sisters into rabbits and lives on a sinking island must go on an adventure to not only save her island but to find her destiny. The story follows Albie, and she is the last of her sisters who is on the magivcal island of Hybrasil. The island is sinking and the Magician who lives there can’t save it. Albie must leave the island and find her destiny, and hopefully reunite with her sisters and find forgiveness. It’s a truly magical and sweet story. I had a lot of fun reading it and there were even illustrations along the chapters!

*Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
A tale that transports readers to a mystical island off of Ireland's coast. As any good legend should, the book opens with a poem sharing the seeds of mystery and magic. A young rabbit tells about her life and how she came to be on Hybrasil Island. She and her sisters arrived during the war to be protected and cared for by the sole resident - the Magician. Each of the sisters leaves the island to seek her destiny and return to being a human girl. Albie is the last one and resists leaving. Readers see this world through her eyes and come to understand the magic and adventure involved as she reveals more about herself and how the four came to be rabbits and how magic has intertwined with their lives.
A fantasy with enough adventure and sadness to appeal to a broad spectrum of middle grade readers. They will join the voyage and see themselves somewhere in one of the characters.

Charming from the first word to the last, The Last Rabbit is delightful middle grade fantasy. Albie, the protagonist, is fabulously voiced with a whole lot of stubbornness and spunk. (Her semi-ode to the glories of vegetables was particularly adorable.) Written in a timeless style that begs to be read aloud, the reader is never quite sure where the story is going—there is always another revelation around the corner. The result is particularly captivating. This is just a first-rate adventure with circuses, pirates, mythical creatures, magicians, and much more. The themes are never too preachy, but they are ones that all would do well to reflect on, particularly self-forgiveness. This is a book that will appeal to fantasy lovers and animal lovers, old and young, boy and girl. Highly recommended!