Post by rallycairn on Sept 17, 2014 16:51:22 GMT 1
Stealaway by K.M. Peyton
IN A NUTSHELL
Stealaway is a great horsey ghost story for middle readers, and well worth the quick reading time for pony book lovers of any age. Nicola and her mother, a professional horse trainer, arrive at Bloodybow Castle in Scotland on a suitably snowstorm-y evening to assist the estate's wealthy new American owner with his plans to start a hardy but versatile and refined line of horses. History weighs heavy on Bloodybow, with much ancient feuding and contention centered on horses bred, bragged about, and stolen. Hints of ghostly happenings commence early and include a truly visceral and vividly described encounter with a child ghost on horseback, with still more spectral encounters, both threatening and friendly.
IN DEPTH (WITH SPOILERS!)
As a book for younger readers, Stealaway succeeds admirably. It gets down to business fast with the ghostly goings-on and is a short, quick read. Among its strengths are a fair bit of horsey action and detail, a suitably spooky setting, a reasonably fleshed out heroine in Nicola, a male as well as a female main character, and swashbuckling sounding names like Crackspear and Strongbow and Flashing Steel.
However, even for pre-teen readers I would have preferred more plot development and showing rather than telling in the resolution of things. For example, throughout the story Nicola loves and reveres Rowan the ghost pony extraordinaire, amazing mount and staunch protector of Bloodybow. But after Rowan's task is done and she moves on to greener ghostly pastures, suddenly the estate's new stud, Stealaway, is instantly granted similar amazing qualities. Whereas it is nice to think of Nicky having new appreciation for the living and not dwelling on missing Rowan, and Stealaway is set up as sort of an heir to the legacy of Rowan and the great stallion Flashing Steel, still I think this change was a touch too abrupt and too neat.
I also expected a more fleshed out resolution to the ancient feud, but after the final crisis when Stealaway is saved, Bloodybow's American owner just suddenly drops his digging into the history of the area. The rival clan, the Armstrongs, are portrayed as being bad just because they are bad. Most of all, I was disappointed that the death of the young Armstrong boy who was killed at the age of ten, and who appears as a ghost riding his stallion Strongbow, is not really atoned for or given enough weight as a great wrong done to the Armstrongs, in my mind.
Nits to Pick:
It was fun I suppose to have American characters, and fantastic to see a Morgan horse featured, because I think they are a lovely breed, but other than his name of Jed, Nicola's new friend does not seem very American. His speech is very British. One of the first things he says is, "He's a bit potty, my Dad." Not American syntax at all. Americans don't tend to use "potty" for eccentric, nor do we tend to use the sentence construction of giving an unspecified pronoun with verb first, then adding the clause at the end clarifying the subject. We would be far more likely to say, "My dad's crazy about history" than, "He's a bit potty, my dad. Looking up this history ..." "Jed" is also an older name not much in use any more, and may be construed as suggesting a person from a rural and uneducated background, which I doubt Peyton meant to imply for her well educated and nice character. I tried to rationalize Jed's speech and interests by deciding he must have attended boarding schools in England, but I don't think that was actually stated in the story!
Overall, I loved Stealaway, but wish it could have been longer with more details of the family history behind the ghostly happenings, less automatic villainizing of the rival family, and most of all a more gradual change in the heroine from her dealings with the past to appreciating the present. Still, a strongly recommended read, especially for autumn or any time you are in the mood for a spooky story.
IN A NUTSHELL
Stealaway is a great horsey ghost story for middle readers, and well worth the quick reading time for pony book lovers of any age. Nicola and her mother, a professional horse trainer, arrive at Bloodybow Castle in Scotland on a suitably snowstorm-y evening to assist the estate's wealthy new American owner with his plans to start a hardy but versatile and refined line of horses. History weighs heavy on Bloodybow, with much ancient feuding and contention centered on horses bred, bragged about, and stolen. Hints of ghostly happenings commence early and include a truly visceral and vividly described encounter with a child ghost on horseback, with still more spectral encounters, both threatening and friendly.
IN DEPTH (WITH SPOILERS!)
As a book for younger readers, Stealaway succeeds admirably. It gets down to business fast with the ghostly goings-on and is a short, quick read. Among its strengths are a fair bit of horsey action and detail, a suitably spooky setting, a reasonably fleshed out heroine in Nicola, a male as well as a female main character, and swashbuckling sounding names like Crackspear and Strongbow and Flashing Steel.
However, even for pre-teen readers I would have preferred more plot development and showing rather than telling in the resolution of things. For example, throughout the story Nicola loves and reveres Rowan the ghost pony extraordinaire, amazing mount and staunch protector of Bloodybow. But after Rowan's task is done and she moves on to greener ghostly pastures, suddenly the estate's new stud, Stealaway, is instantly granted similar amazing qualities. Whereas it is nice to think of Nicky having new appreciation for the living and not dwelling on missing Rowan, and Stealaway is set up as sort of an heir to the legacy of Rowan and the great stallion Flashing Steel, still I think this change was a touch too abrupt and too neat.
I also expected a more fleshed out resolution to the ancient feud, but after the final crisis when Stealaway is saved, Bloodybow's American owner just suddenly drops his digging into the history of the area. The rival clan, the Armstrongs, are portrayed as being bad just because they are bad. Most of all, I was disappointed that the death of the young Armstrong boy who was killed at the age of ten, and who appears as a ghost riding his stallion Strongbow, is not really atoned for or given enough weight as a great wrong done to the Armstrongs, in my mind.
Nits to Pick:
It was fun I suppose to have American characters, and fantastic to see a Morgan horse featured, because I think they are a lovely breed, but other than his name of Jed, Nicola's new friend does not seem very American. His speech is very British. One of the first things he says is, "He's a bit potty, my Dad." Not American syntax at all. Americans don't tend to use "potty" for eccentric, nor do we tend to use the sentence construction of giving an unspecified pronoun with verb first, then adding the clause at the end clarifying the subject. We would be far more likely to say, "My dad's crazy about history" than, "He's a bit potty, my dad. Looking up this history ..." "Jed" is also an older name not much in use any more, and may be construed as suggesting a person from a rural and uneducated background, which I doubt Peyton meant to imply for her well educated and nice character. I tried to rationalize Jed's speech and interests by deciding he must have attended boarding schools in England, but I don't think that was actually stated in the story!
Overall, I loved Stealaway, but wish it could have been longer with more details of the family history behind the ghostly happenings, less automatic villainizing of the rival family, and most of all a more gradual change in the heroine from her dealings with the past to appreciating the present. Still, a strongly recommended read, especially for autumn or any time you are in the mood for a spooky story.