Alouette Elementary teacher-librarian Jennifer Waterman recommends Pony by R.J. Palacio.
We all know that the path to a lifelong love of reading is through amazing books – the ones that capture your heart and mind forever. An author who has captured my heart with many wonderful books has done it again! R.J. Palacio’s Pony is a beautiful, heart twisting story that starts in the dead of night when twelve-year-old Silas watches powerlessly as three strangers ride onto his farm and take away his dad. Silas is left afraid, shaken, and alone except for his companion, Mittenwool, who happens to be a ghost. When a mysterious pony shows up the next day, Silas decides that he is going to search for his dad. Silas’ journey to find his father connects him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him.
I learned so much from this book and could not put it down. If you like R.J. Palacio or historical fiction (the story setting is 1880s America), you will love this book. And maybe, like me, you will slow down reading as you near the end, because with every page turned you know that the story is closer to finishing. And maybe like me, when you turn the last page, you will go right back to the beginning and start all over again!