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kairosdreaming's review
3.0
After reading Misty of Chincoteague, anyone could become enamoured with the ponies of Assateague island. That being said, this book is kind of a let down after that. While it was still well written for children and does envelop the horse culture that is Chincoteague, the story almost seems incomplete and not very fleshed out.
Its the next Pony Penning day at Chinconteague and before all the wild ponies of Assateague can be driven over to the island, Paul and Maureen are approached by some movie makers wanting to buy Misty, their pony they had gotten the year before. Misty is beloved to them and they have a hard time letting her go, but need the money to send their uncle to college and also think other children should be able to experience the wonderfulness that is Misty. With the emptiness that fills their hearts after letting her go, they need to find something to ease the pain. Luckily, they find an orphaned foal whom they call Sea Star and claim him for their very own. He doesn't want to eat however, and is not thriving very well. Maureen and Paul have to find a way to save him.
The characters in this book are not as fleshed out. Although they are the same as from the previous books, they just don't have as much warmth to them and even Grandpa Beebe seems a little less cheerful. Grandma Beebe gets a few more lines in this book which was nice to see, but still remains a minor character. The book mostly focuses on Paul and Maureen but they are often doing things rather than experiencing them and showing emotion (the exception being when they make the decision to sell Misty).
This book is still very well written for kids. Most of it is easy to read and understand and has a simplicity that even the younger ages can handle. There isn't anything offensive in this book and it is appropriate for all ages. I do find some flaws in the writing though, although a lot happens in this book there is scant description and the ending seemed incomplete. Another fifty pages or so would definitely help the book and bring the story along more.
It was an ok book, just not as good as some of Henry's others. I do look forward to reading some of her other books and always love a good horse story that appeals to adults and children alike.
Sea Star
Copyright 1949
174 pages including pictures
Its the next Pony Penning day at Chinconteague and before all the wild ponies of Assateague can be driven over to the island, Paul and Maureen are approached by some movie makers wanting to buy Misty, their pony they had gotten the year before. Misty is beloved to them and they have a hard time letting her go, but need the money to send their uncle to college and also think other children should be able to experience the wonderfulness that is Misty. With the emptiness that fills their hearts after letting her go, they need to find something to ease the pain. Luckily, they find an orphaned foal whom they call Sea Star and claim him for their very own. He doesn't want to eat however, and is not thriving very well. Maureen and Paul have to find a way to save him.
The characters in this book are not as fleshed out. Although they are the same as from the previous books, they just don't have as much warmth to them and even Grandpa Beebe seems a little less cheerful. Grandma Beebe gets a few more lines in this book which was nice to see, but still remains a minor character. The book mostly focuses on Paul and Maureen but they are often doing things rather than experiencing them and showing emotion (the exception being when they make the decision to sell Misty).
This book is still very well written for kids. Most of it is easy to read and understand and has a simplicity that even the younger ages can handle. There isn't anything offensive in this book and it is appropriate for all ages. I do find some flaws in the writing though, although a lot happens in this book there is scant description and the ending seemed incomplete. Another fifty pages or so would definitely help the book and bring the story along more.
It was an ok book, just not as good as some of Henry's others. I do look forward to reading some of her other books and always love a good horse story that appeals to adults and children alike.
Sea Star
Copyright 1949
174 pages including pictures
andib's review
2.0
Let me preface this by saying that I grew up horse-obsessed, and read lots and lots of horse books, including most of Marguerite Henry's works. I remember reading Misty of Chincoteague as a kid, though I don't remember loving it. I wanted to re-read the book after recently traveling to Chincoteague for the first time, but I couldn't find our copy of it, so I settled for the second in the series, which was available via my library's Libby app.
I had read this one before, too, and remembered a couple of aspects of it. One of the things I remembered were the old-timey ways of Grandpa, which seemed so familiar to me as a kid growing up in rural Appalachia. I was surrounded by people like Grandpa Beebe, even though we were in the landlocked hills rather than the outer-banks island of Chincoteague. But old rural folk in the Eastern U.S. look a lot alike, from my experience, and it wasn't so much that I didn't like old rural folk...but I remembered being kind of uncomfortable with him as a character--even when I read Misty to my daughter for the first time years ago--though I couldn't quite place why.
I think this book is the why.
I'm going to hide this under spoilers because it gives things away in the story, but in short: Grandpa behaves in ways that absolutely boiled my blood when it came to the orphaned colt Sea Star.
I was also reminded of why I didn't really love these books when I was a child, even though everyone assumed I would. First, the aforesaid behavior under the spoiler cut. This is clearly why I felt the echo of discomfort with the Grandpa character (take that both ways). But the book also is expressly NOT about Sea Star--the kid's not even in it until somewhere around the 2/3 mark. This book, as well as the other Misty books, are about the people, not the horses, and I just wasn't into that as a kid.
And of course, there's the old bugaboo of books written in this time period--all the implicit sexism. You'd think that Marguerite Henry, being a woman, could have seen her way clear to make Maureen as smart and interesting as Paul, but no--Paul is the POV character through most of the book and his thoughts and ideas are much more deep and centered in the narrative than anything Maureen has to offer. She is a couple years younger, but this doesn't appear to be the reason that Paul is clearly beloved by the author and Maureen is given almost a sidekick role. It's annoying.
So...I doubt I'll bother to reread Misty (even though I have the Breyer model horse of her). I gave the book two stars because Henry is an excellent writer and does a great job of crafting descriptions and building a unique writerly voice. I just wish she had plied her talents creating characters I could love, or at least focused more on the horses.
I had read this one before, too, and remembered a couple of aspects of it. One of the things I remembered were the old-timey ways of Grandpa, which seemed so familiar to me as a kid growing up in rural Appalachia. I was surrounded by people like Grandpa Beebe, even though we were in the landlocked hills rather than the outer-banks island of Chincoteague. But old rural folk in the Eastern U.S. look a lot alike, from my experience, and it wasn't so much that I didn't like old rural folk...but I remembered being kind of uncomfortable with him as a character--even when I read Misty to my daughter for the first time years ago--though I couldn't quite place why.
I think this book is the why.
I'm going to hide this under spoilers because it gives things away in the story, but in short: Grandpa behaves in ways that absolutely boiled my blood when it came to the orphaned colt Sea Star.
Spoiler
So basically, the foal is orphaned virtually as a newborn, and Paul and Maureen, the kids and POV characters of these books, bring him home to raise him. They and Grandma are fixing a bottle to give to the poor tyke, who had been standing next to his dead mother on the Assateague shore for who knows how long, when Grandpa (normally a genial and personable sort) angrily tells them they cannot bottle feed this colt because he raised up a horse-colt on a bottle onc't and it became the most spoiled foal ever in the history of foals, kicking him when he didn't get the food to it soon enough so NO WAY is he going to let them bottle feed this little orphan foal! He then literally shoves grass into Sea Star's mouth and tries to make him chew it. And for TWO DAYS they don't feed the colt because apparently if Grandpa says it, no one's going to deny him his way. It was maddening! There is a happy ending for all and Sea Star does finally get to freaking EAT MILK like a foal is supposed to, but does anyone say to Grandpa "Dude, you were totally wrong there and you almost starved a baby"? No. Does Grandpa express any remorse for his harshness? No. In fact, when Paul and Maureen come up with the idea for how to save Sea Star (without "spoiling" him), Grandpa literally emerges from the bushes and gives them the same idea, which gives him the fricking credit for it when they do it. Was I mad? I was mad. I was ready to DNF but I looked up spoilers and kept going. I can't believe children are told to read this shit. I can't believe she wrote this shit. COMEUPPANCE FOR GRANDPA BEEBE WHO STARVES BABIES.I was also reminded of why I didn't really love these books when I was a child, even though everyone assumed I would. First, the aforesaid behavior under the spoiler cut. This is clearly why I felt the echo of discomfort with the Grandpa character (take that both ways). But the book also is expressly NOT about Sea Star--the kid's not even in it until somewhere around the 2/3 mark. This book, as well as the other Misty books, are about the people, not the horses, and I just wasn't into that as a kid.
And of course, there's the old bugaboo of books written in this time period--all the implicit sexism. You'd think that Marguerite Henry, being a woman, could have seen her way clear to make Maureen as smart and interesting as Paul, but no--Paul is the POV character through most of the book and his thoughts and ideas are much more deep and centered in the narrative than anything Maureen has to offer. She is a couple years younger, but this doesn't appear to be the reason that Paul is clearly beloved by the author and Maureen is given almost a sidekick role. It's annoying.
So...I doubt I'll bother to reread Misty (even though I have the Breyer model horse of her). I gave the book two stars because Henry is an excellent writer and does a great job of crafting descriptions and building a unique writerly voice. I just wish she had plied her talents creating characters I could love, or at least focused more on the horses.
anikajewel's review
2.0
At first I thought it would be a good book, but after about 2 chapters it was SUPER confusing.
unicornrhyfedd's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mainebookworm22's review
I enjoyed reading this with my daughter. It makes you wish you could take a trip to Chincoteague to see the horses and to visit with the Beebe family. Would recommend to others that like to read historical fiction or just love reading about horses.
katekat's review
4.0
As a child, and as an adult too actually, I loved horse stories. Marguerite Henry writes an easy but enjoyable horse story. Her stories feel very true to the time and setting and are enjoyable to read.
waterwolves's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-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? No
4.25
katekat's review against another edition
4.0
As a child, and as an adult too actually, I loved horse stories. Marguerite Henry writes an easy but enjoyable horse story. Her stories feel very true to the time and setting and are enjoyable to read.
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