Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (4)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (2)
- Canada (2)
- England (4)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Saturday, September 08, 2012
Gentle War Horse Proves That Love Conquers All—Even the Most Painful Wounds of War
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Joey, a gentle red bay colt, is purchased by Mr. Narracott, he gets his first taste of the cruelty some men—particularly drunk men—like to unleash on weaker beings. The young horse misses his mother, fears his new owner and wonders what is to become of him in the hands of the angry Mr. Narracott. Then, Joey meets Albert, his owner's 13-year-old son. Albert is as kind as his father is mean, as soft-spoken as his father is harsh, as determined to love Joey as his father is to break him. Although Joey still shies away when Mr. Narracott comes for him, he knows that as long as he has Albert, everything will be okay.
Then, World War I bears down on England. Albert is too young to enlist, but Joey is just what the Army's looking for—he's a strong and healthy recruit. Mr. Narracott needs the money the Army's offering him, so he sells Albert's horse to them. After working on the farm, Joey knows all about sore muscles, but the exhaustion he feels on the battlefield is something else altogether. Along with the other war horses, he has learned to charge the enemy, transport wounded soldiers and carry heavy artillery. With gunshots roaring in his ears, he must do his duties bravely, even as his friends—both equestrian and human—fall all around him. Joey is determined to survive the war for one reason: Albert. He must see his friend again, no matter how impossible that reunion might seem.
I'm not much for books with animal narrators, but War Horse by Michael Morpurgo has received so much praise that I knew I had to read it. While I'm not sure the book quite deserves all the attention it's been given, I did enjoy the story. It's a quick, heartwarming read about an animal's love for his owner, a boy who's also been his kind and loving friend. With a true and heartbreaking look at how war destroys—and sometimes solidifies—such bonds, War Horse is an uplifting tale that proves love conquers all, even the most painful wounds of war.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade: B
If this were a movie (and it is!), it would be rated: PG for mild language, violence (including animal cruelty) and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of War Horse from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry

Listening
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country in the World by Sarah Smarsh



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher9 minutes ago
-
-
-
-
-
The In and Out Book Tag5 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
If You Like L. M. Montgomery…12 hours ago
-
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James12 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
Isn’t It Romantic?1 day ago
-
-
-
Audio book: Pet1 day ago
-
Song of the Week1 day ago
-
A Mansion for Murder by Frances Brody2 days ago
-
Haiku reviews...2 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Book Blogger Hop #62 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Books Read in 20232 months ago
-
-
Nonfiction November 2022: New to My TBR3 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?5 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen7 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
0 bookworm(s) said...:
Post a Comment
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!