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chitownbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jmyodafriend's review
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
roseleaf24's review against another edition
3.0
Medal Winner 1949
The race scene at the beginning stuck me, and I would imagine, some child readers, as boring and vocabulary-heavy. But the rest of the story is a sweet story of a mute stable boy and the horse he loves. The two go through enormous challenges, and both highs and lows, but eventually are redeemed through the speed of the horse's offspring. The book does an excellent job of showing what happens when we judge others without knowing their story, when we choose to act without trying to listen first. I was curious as to how a 1948 book would handle a Muslim main character from the Arab world, but Henry did a good job of simply showing his world and his practices without comparing it to Christianity.
The race scene at the beginning stuck me, and I would imagine, some child readers, as boring and vocabulary-heavy. But the rest of the story is a sweet story of a mute stable boy and the horse he loves. The two go through enormous challenges, and both highs and lows, but eventually are redeemed through the speed of the horse's offspring. The book does an excellent job of showing what happens when we judge others without knowing their story, when we choose to act without trying to listen first. I was curious as to how a 1948 book would handle a Muslim main character from the Arab world, but Henry did a good job of simply showing his world and his practices without comparing it to Christianity.
starfallz's review against another edition
5.0
Of all of Marguerite Henry's books, this one is my favorite.
dmhkennedy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cmwilso3's review against another edition
5.0
This was my absolute favorite book when I was a child. I probably read it fifty times when I was in elementary school, and now reading it as an adult was an indulgence. It was like eating chocolate. Always as good as I remember it to be.
leannarapier's review against another edition
4.0
I reread this book to my 9-year-old son as I remember loving it as a child. It's a charming story.
apochemu's review against another edition
3.0
Had my son read this for school and he loved it and wanted me to read it. I was obsessed with her book "Misty of Chincoteague" when I was a kid so I had high hopes for this one. It certainly wasn't bad, but not great either. I thought the relationship between the boy and the horse (and eventually the cat as well) was sweet. I enjoyed the high spirited horse and felt bad for all the trials he faced. Agba, the boy, was entirely devoted to his horse, which was nice but that's about it. There was zero character development. This story takes place over many years, but Agba never acts any different than at the very beginning. You'd never even know any time has passed. But I'm still glad I had my son read it because it teaches great lessons about friendship, devotion, and perseverance.
beautifulandfullofmonsters's review against another edition
3.5
Solid. Emotional moments about the attachments possible between a person and an animal. Not the most anti-racist text I’ve ever read.