Post by rallycairn on Sept 25, 2014 20:10:02 GMT 1
_Spirit of the West_ by Jahnna N. Malcom, 1996, Scholastic.
(SPOILERS)
_Spirit of the West_ is a solid story for middle/pre-teen readers set in the American northwest in 1911. Jessie is a young Nez Perce Native American girl struggling to reconcile the tribal ways she has learned living on a reservation all her life with the ways of the "white" people she goes to live with when her father takes a job as horse trainer for a wealthy rancher. The ranch is located near the valley that Jessie's people consider their homeland, so that even though she has left her former home on the reservation, Jessie - whose Native name is Wind Dancer - feels that the move to the ranch is a spiritual homecoming. But once in her new home, she quickly feels herself in conflict as she becomes a part of life at the ranch and goes to school with white children. She tries to adopt European ways and customs and pretends to forget her Native heritage.
However, Jessie never forgets her love for horses, especially the Appaloosas that are the pride of the Nez Perce. Jessie has seen a beautiful leopard Appaloosa in her dreams. Her grandfather tells her this must be her wayakin, or spirit guide. Jessie also develops a strong bond with one of the broodmares on the ranch, a blanket Appaloosa named Morning Star. Jessie enjoys helping with Morning Star and the other horses whenever she can, but misses her own mount, who had to be left behind on the reservation.
As the school term progresses, Jessie finds sympathetic friends but cannot bear to have her skills as a rider called into question as empty boasts. She would prove her skills if only she had a horse to ride! How can she show that she really is a good rider, earn the respect of the school bullies, and most of all, simply fit in? Jessie knows that Morning Star, before being bred, was a trick horse in rodeo shows. Should Jessie take Morning Star away from her foal, almost ready to be weaned, so she can show off her riding at the school picnic and horseback games? What will become of little Starfire if she does?
The story, while still being short and targeted for middle grade readers, effectively conveys Jessie's conflicting feelings and warring sense of identity as she tries to be both Jessie the ranch girl and Wind Dancer the Nez Perce daughter. I also enjoyed the Native customs and beliefs that were portrayed. My only big criticism is that I don't find it believable that Jessie would take Morning Star away from her unweaned foal, even with her strong desire to show off her riding and to feel like she can fit in. Jessie seemed too steeped in caring for horses, from both her own love for them and from the example set by Red Wolf, her father, and others on the ranch, to take a mare away from her unweaned foal like she did. Still, though, wanting to belong with a group can be a hugely powerful motivation.
This book is a solid entry in a series published in the 1990's by Scholastic, the Treasured Horses Collection. The novels were sold as sets with horse models and as individual books. When the series was first in print, I bought two of the early titles, _Pride of the Green Mountains_ about a Morgan and _Ride of Courage_ about an Arabian. I thought them serviceable stories but was not moved to keep them in my library, instead donating them to the lounge at the stable where I boarded, which was a very kid-friendly barn. Recently, I sought out _Spirit of the West_ because my husband and I are about to get an Appaloosa, so I went looking for books about Appys to celebrate my new fandom. This title was good enough to make me consider re-visiting the series. _Changing Times_, described as being about a girl who wants to show her Tennessee Walking Horse is as good as those newfangled automobiles, sounds especially appealing to me.
Three Horseshoes.
(SPOILERS)
_Spirit of the West_ is a solid story for middle/pre-teen readers set in the American northwest in 1911. Jessie is a young Nez Perce Native American girl struggling to reconcile the tribal ways she has learned living on a reservation all her life with the ways of the "white" people she goes to live with when her father takes a job as horse trainer for a wealthy rancher. The ranch is located near the valley that Jessie's people consider their homeland, so that even though she has left her former home on the reservation, Jessie - whose Native name is Wind Dancer - feels that the move to the ranch is a spiritual homecoming. But once in her new home, she quickly feels herself in conflict as she becomes a part of life at the ranch and goes to school with white children. She tries to adopt European ways and customs and pretends to forget her Native heritage.
However, Jessie never forgets her love for horses, especially the Appaloosas that are the pride of the Nez Perce. Jessie has seen a beautiful leopard Appaloosa in her dreams. Her grandfather tells her this must be her wayakin, or spirit guide. Jessie also develops a strong bond with one of the broodmares on the ranch, a blanket Appaloosa named Morning Star. Jessie enjoys helping with Morning Star and the other horses whenever she can, but misses her own mount, who had to be left behind on the reservation.
As the school term progresses, Jessie finds sympathetic friends but cannot bear to have her skills as a rider called into question as empty boasts. She would prove her skills if only she had a horse to ride! How can she show that she really is a good rider, earn the respect of the school bullies, and most of all, simply fit in? Jessie knows that Morning Star, before being bred, was a trick horse in rodeo shows. Should Jessie take Morning Star away from her foal, almost ready to be weaned, so she can show off her riding at the school picnic and horseback games? What will become of little Starfire if she does?
The story, while still being short and targeted for middle grade readers, effectively conveys Jessie's conflicting feelings and warring sense of identity as she tries to be both Jessie the ranch girl and Wind Dancer the Nez Perce daughter. I also enjoyed the Native customs and beliefs that were portrayed. My only big criticism is that I don't find it believable that Jessie would take Morning Star away from her unweaned foal, even with her strong desire to show off her riding and to feel like she can fit in. Jessie seemed too steeped in caring for horses, from both her own love for them and from the example set by Red Wolf, her father, and others on the ranch, to take a mare away from her unweaned foal like she did. Still, though, wanting to belong with a group can be a hugely powerful motivation.
This book is a solid entry in a series published in the 1990's by Scholastic, the Treasured Horses Collection. The novels were sold as sets with horse models and as individual books. When the series was first in print, I bought two of the early titles, _Pride of the Green Mountains_ about a Morgan and _Ride of Courage_ about an Arabian. I thought them serviceable stories but was not moved to keep them in my library, instead donating them to the lounge at the stable where I boarded, which was a very kid-friendly barn. Recently, I sought out _Spirit of the West_ because my husband and I are about to get an Appaloosa, so I went looking for books about Appys to celebrate my new fandom. This title was good enough to make me consider re-visiting the series. _Changing Times_, described as being about a girl who wants to show her Tennessee Walking Horse is as good as those newfangled automobiles, sounds especially appealing to me.
Three Horseshoes.