Books For Kids--for Xmas!

                                               by Laura Crum

            Every year I have given my child books for Xmas (other things, sure, but always books). He really likes to read, and at 13 years old, currently devours at least a couple of books a week. I usually read the books he’s reading—for fun, because I like to read, and to see what it is he’s taking in. And so I have gotten the pleasure of re-discovering children’s books and YA books.

            Now I am going to admit something here. I am not an adult who would normally seek out YA books to read. I know many adults do, and many YA books are fantastic reads for any age. It just hasn’t been my habit. Most of my adult life I loved mysteries, and lately I’ve been obsessed with memoirs. But I read (and loved) the Harry Potter books when everyone raved about them, long before I read them to my child. And this, in particular, opened my eyes to how delightful “YA” books can be.

            I rediscovered some great favorites from my own childhood when my son read them (the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and Treasure Island, for instance), and I discovered some new delights (the Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart was one). And today I am here to share my own and my son’s impressions of a book written by one of our Equestrian Ink authors…Alison Hart.

            My son has read and reviewed a few of Alison’s books on this site previously; I am going to post his review of her latest book, “Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I.” This was a book that we both enjoyed very much. I particularly appreciated all the background information that Alison wove so skillfully into the story. I learned a lot that I hadn’t known before about WWI—I hadn’t even known that “mercy dogs” existed.

            “Darling” is written from the dog’s point of view, and like “Black Beauty” and “War Horse” this provides a very engaging approach to what, in many ways, is a pretty grim subject. And yet, it’s necessary, I think, for our children to grasp these dark truths, in order for our world to change for the better. There is much heroism in “Darling,” both human and canine, and it s a very inspiring book in many ways.

            And so, without further ado, here is my 13 year old son’s review of “Darling:”

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            Star rating: 4 and 1/2

            I recently finished Alison Hart’s book: “Darling, Mercy Dog of WWI.” It’s about a dog who enjoys life in England with Robert and Katie Rine, the kids of her family, and her friend Rags (another dog). But when she is called away to WWI everything changes. As a mercy dog, Darling must “find the wounded” but she also must face dangerous things such as gas bombs, barbed wire, and of course, enemies to her side.

            This book was good, really made me feel how it might have been during WWI and had a hopeful ending.

            I would recommend this book to kids my age (13) or younger. The book says that it’s part of a dog lovers series, but I think anyone would like this book.

Click on "Darling" to find the book on Amazon.

Good Horse Books for Kids!

by Laura Crum

Since my eleven year old son is a voracious reader, and he has a horse and loves him, horse books are very high on our priority list. We’ve read quite a few of them over the years, some of them written by authors from our very own blog. So today I want to talk about some of our favorites. And I’m going to start out with our “home” authors.

The first book we read that was written by one of our authors was Linda Benson’s “The Horse Jar”. My kid had seen this book on the sidebar of our blog, and thought it looked interesting. Linda very kindly sent him a signed copy (a big thrill). We read it together, and we both really enjoyed it. The characters were very believable and the story was one that a 9-10 year old could totally relate to. I loved the basic storyline, which shows a child making a very mature, loving, but difficult choice. My son is still very fond of this book.

Then, more recently, Alison came out with “Risky Chance” in the Horse Diaries series (this series is written by different authors, the common elements being the theme—books from a horse’s point of view set in different periods of history—and the excellent illustrations by Ruth Sanderson). My kid had wanted to try these books for a while (they were featured in the Chinaberry catalog—one of our favorite catalogs), so we ordered “Risky Chance.” This one my son read on his own, and reviewed here on the blog. I also read it, and really enjoyed it, particularly the setting (Southern California TB racing during the Depression). At this point my son became a Horse Diaries fan, and Alison very kindly sent us a signed copy of her other Horse Diaries title, “Bell’s Star.” The book is set in New England in the 1800’s and deals with a runaway slave and a Morgan horse-- we both liked that one a lot, too. Again, this was a book my kid read on his own and it kept his interest right until the end. Alison’s knowledge and love of horses really shines in both of these books. Now we’re busy acquiring the rest of the series.

Most recently, I ordered Alison’s book, “Gabriel’s Horses”, because after reading about it on her website, it seemed like it would make a perfect start to doing a “unit” on the Civil War. As a homeschooling mom, I am always looking for books that will provide a good prop for learning about something. And “Gabriel’s Horses” did not disappoint.

Set in Kentucky during the Civil War, the book is about a slave boy who wants to become a jockey. Gabriel is about my own son’s age, and the story painted a vivid portrait of what his life was like. We read the book chapter by chapter, with exercises (provided by me) of mapping the Confederate and Union States…etc. The book was GREAT—really kept both of us interested, gave you the feeling and many facts about the Civil War and slavery, without being too horrifying (which many books—even kid’s books—about this war are, because it was a truly horrifying event in terms of suffering). I recommended it to the teacher who leads our homeschool group, and she is going to read it to the whole group of kids next year. Again, the horse element was very well portrayed.

That covers the children’s books we’ve read so far by authors from the EI blog, though I’m sure we will be reading more. Certainly the second and third books in the Gabriel trilogy, and possibly Linda’s new book, if we ever start reading ebooks or it comes out in paper. So far we read only paper books, but who knows what the future will hold.

We have, of course, read many of the old classics—just finished “Black Beauty”, which is still a great read. Read “The Black Stallion,” which was well liked, and “The Island Stallion”, which I loved as a child, but my kid was not as enthralled by it as I was. We read my personal favorite, “Smoky the Cowhorse,” again, not as big a hit with my kid as it was with me. Maybe he needs to be older. Misty of Chincoteague was well received, also another childhood favorite of mine, Elizabeth Goudge’s “The Little White Horse.” I thought about reading “My Friend Flicka”, but when I reread it myself to preview it, I decided no, it’s just too dark. Maybe in awhile. Same verdict on Steinbeck’s “The Red Pony.”

So, there are a few good kid’s books about horses. Anyone want to chime in with your own favorites?

Book Review

by Laura Crum (and son)

My son just finished reading Alison’s book “Risky Chance”, and very much enjoyed it. I read the book, too, as I do most every book my son reads, and thought it was perfect as a read-alone book for a child my son’s age (11) or as a book to read aloud to a younger child. The book is told from the horse’s point of view (a la Black Beauty), and Alison’s knowledge and love of horses shines through very clearly. The story was realistic enough to be believable, but the sad/difficult parts were redeemed (for a child) by the happy ending. I especially enjoyed the details about the southern California racing scene during the Depression. The illustrations were also very good. So here is my boy’s review/book report, in his own words.

Title: The Horse Diaries: Risky Chance

Author: Alison Hart

Time: 1935-1940

Subject: Risky Chance is about a Thoroughbred horse who is a racehorse. He was born to run. He meets friends, Marie and Lanny. But also enemies, Bugsy and a money sucking owner. This story has both dark and light in it. And in the end light wins. Risky Chance tells his story in his own words.

My rating: Four stars!