The Enchanted Forest Analysis

The idea for The Enchanted Forest: Tears of a Unicorn came to me when I was brainstorming story topics for a school writing assignment with a 12-year-old girl. When I said: “A unicorn's tears create a wish-granting lake”, her eyes widened in wonderment and I knew I had stumbled upon a great theme for middle grade audiences.
Oliver Elmswood, a ten-year-old boy who can’t read, vows to unravel the mystery of a lake that appeared over night. Dana Hemlock, an accident-prone girl by day and a star-gazer by night, only cares about the magnificent horse that wandered into her barn. After a swim in the freezing water, a broken ankle and a gift from Dana’s dad, Oliver and Dana realize that their obsessions are very much intertwined. Kyros, who isn’t a horse but a unicorn without a horn, created the lake, which grants wishes, when he failed to save his love who was

She and Oliver notice some peculiar rainbows, overhear a dark prophecy and visit BENJAMIN ASHTONE, a blissful old man, with whom they hear a scream from the forest, which they can’t explain.
The dark prophecy comes true – the Enchanted Forest starts to decay.
Oliver, Dana, Benjamin and a married couple, FREDRICK and WILLOW CEDAREY, who can’t have a baby, spot Kyros, who looks like a wild stallion without his horn. Oliver notices a lake that he knows appeared out of nowhere. Dana catches Kyros hiding in her barn and bonds with him.
To unravel the mystery, Oliver goes back to the lake and swims in it, after which he can read. He makes Dana and Benjamin take a dip as well, because he thinks it will cure Dana’s bones too. He tackles her to prove his point, but breaks her ankle instead. In the hospital, Dana gets what she always wanted – a star is named after her. She realizes that the lake grants wishes. Oliver and Benjamin hatch a plan to confirm Dana's theory. Oliver persuades Willow to swim in the lake and she is soon