Reviews

It's a western....it's a ghost story.... it's a family drama....it's a tale of boy and his Pony. I enjoyed this middle reader about the connections of love that bind us together. A fun adventure! There's even hidden treasure.

becxreadz's review

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I was bored

thefabnp's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

the_bookish_musings_of_mari's review against another edition

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adventurous sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

rmarcin's review against another edition

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4.0

A bit of coming of age, a bit of history in this story of a young boy, Silas, who attempts to find his father who was captured by a group of horsemen. Silas, along with his friend, Mittenwool-a ghost, ride a baldfaced pony to rescue his father. Along the way, they meet a marshal, and then a sheriff (Cornwall), as they attempt to save his Pa from the men. Silas's dad is a brilliant man, applying for a patent for irontypes, a form of photography. But, the men wanted Pa for another reason-they suspected him to be Mac Boat, a notorious counterfeiter and thief.
The story of Silas is tender and sweet, and your heart will go through various emotions as you read this tale of a young boy with a deep love for his parents, and the ability to talk to the dead.

natcat's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I didn't know what to expect from this book; I picked it up solely because of the title and because I wanted to see what horse books were like these days (I absolutely devoured horse books as a kid, but it's been a while!). This is a horse book in that a horse is a main character, but it's not a horse book in that it's about horses - it's The Blue Roan Child rather than My Friend Flicka.

It's also beautiful and lyrical and deceptively simple - I think I'll be thinking about it for awhile! It's also the first book I've read in a while where the first person POV is absolutely earned and worthwhile - there is no other way this story could be told, Silas's voice is so distinctive.

I enjoyed this book a lot, from the descriptions of the forest to the way the ghosts are part of the world, and especially the way the story is told, inventive and thoughtful and such a delight to read. The characters are also lovely, vividly drawn and with more depth than I was expecting, initially.

Tanner being a ghost the whole time was a particularly good touch, and I was delighted when Jack did turn out to be queer (it's nice to have my "hmm, is he gay?" thoughts pan out for once!).

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