Middle Grade Monday: Maddie's Dream

  

Title: Maddie's Dream (Marguerite Henry's Ponies of Chincoteague #1)

Author: Catherine Hapka

Publisher: Aladdin, 2014. 91 pages (per my Nook. Paperback is listed as 224 pages).

Source: Library (digital)

Publisher's Summary:

Maddie is desperate to keep her favorite horse from being sold in this first book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague." Madison "Maddie" Martinez loves her weekly riding lessons, and she loves working with her favorite horse, Cloudy, every time. So she is shocked when she finds out Cloudy's former owners might want to buy her back! Maddie desperately concocts various plans to stop the sale: maybe she can raise money to buy Cloudy herself, or what if she can make the potential buyers lose interest? Maddie's online Pony Post friends--Brooke Rhodes, Hayley Duncan, Nina Peralt, who all share a love of Cincoteague ponies--can tell something is up, but at first Maddie is afraid to tell them what's happening. If she loses her only connection to Chincoteague, will they even want to be friends with her anymore?

My Review:

This was a quick, horsey read for younger middle-grade readers. The personal issues and aspects are present, but the horse interest is, in my opinion, higher. The story is well-written, moves quickly, and proceeds without much diversion toward the expected conclusion. The tie-in to Misty of Chincoteague is tenuous, at best: the series is based on the idea of a number of tweens around the country who own, or ride (as in Maddie's case) Chincoteague ponies. The girls are on-line friends through a network Maddie has established.  The main thing I felt this book shared with Misty was reading level, and a kid who is in love with a horse over all other interests (that's pretty well in keeping with Paul and Maureen Bebee).

Maddie's problem is real enough to make young readers sympathize with her, and her solutions will seem either clever or absurd depending on the sophistication of the reader. The solution to the problem felt a little too easy to me, but in a way it was just a side-note anyway--the real story is how Maddie deals with the threat.

Recommendation:

Girls between about 8 and 11 who are horse-crazy will probably enjoy this book (and presumably the series). Any child who has read all Henry's books about Misty and her descendants will appreciate the tie-in, however tenuous, and will sympathize with Maddie's struggle to keep the horse she loves.

Full Disclosure: I checked Maddie's Dream out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Z: Zilpha Keatly Snyder's Gib Rides Home

Title: Gib Rides Home
Author: Zilpha Keatly Snyder
Publisher: Delacourt Books for Young Readers, 1998, 256 pages
Source: Library

Summary:
Gib Whittaker has been an orphan since he was small, living at an orphanage where the boys are given a minimal education and lots of hard work. No wonder Gib thinks being adopted would be better, even after he learns that many boys are taken to be farm hands, not really adopted.  And all he really wants is to know who he is and where he came from.  When Gib is finally adopted, he finds it's both more and less than he'd hoped, and when things go very bad, it looks like it's all over.

Review:
The book was a quick and easy read, but I can't say there was a lot of substance.  I felt that the situation, though sadly not outside the realm of how orphans were treated in the early 1900s, was a bit cartoonish, as were many of the characters.  That we know Gib will find a family isn't a bad thing (since the genre pretty much demands it, I don't consider this a spoiler), and the route to get there is convoluted enough to be interesting, but the book doesn't measure up to some I've read on similar themes.  In many ways, I think the book ended just when the story might have gotten really interesting.  It's an okay read, and has the added bonus of being a horse book for those of us who like that.

Recommendation:
For fans of the author and die-hard horse-story fans. Kids will probably have no problem with the issue that bugged me!

Full Disclosure: I checked  Gib Rides Home  out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

 

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 Well, that's it--A to Z winds to an end!  I'll be back tomorrow or Friday with my reflections on the trip.  Meanwhile, have some ice cream!