Entries Categorized as 'Fiction'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Funny, Out of Print, The Younguns, Thomas L. Tedrow
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Terry Youngun thinks his father is unfair because he gives him work as punishment. Reverend Youngun finally comes to the end of his rope when Terry drives a car that they’re supposed to be taking care of. Terry is put to work picking his least favorite vegetable (carrots), and it doesn’t take long for him to run away with hoboes Railroad Jack and Skeeter, who have decided to follow Adam Cole’s Circus Freak Show. However, Adam Cole is not the nice guy he seems to be, and has certain crimes that he’d love to pin on Jack and Skeeter…
A page turner. Terry’s antics are great, and the ending is very exciting. You’ll laugh part of the way through, and be on the edge of your seat for the rest. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but you might find it at your library.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Horses, The Island Stallion, Walter Farley
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Steve Duncan and his good friend Pitch have returned to their secret hideout on the uninhabited island of Azul. Pitch hopes to continue exploring and documenting the many tunnels of the island, while Steve can’t wait to be reunited with Flame, a wild stallion he befriended, who is the leader of a beautiful band of wild horses. But the trouble begins when Pitch’s step-brother, Tom, discovers their island paradise. Holding them as prisoners, Tom determines to tame Steve’s beloved horse, Flame, by force alone.
I didn’t like this one as much as some of Walter Farley’s other books, and it might not be entirely suitable for younger readers. I found the part where Tom is beating Flame with a whip over, and over, and over to be a bit sickening. However, the rest of it is pretty good.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Robert Louis Stevenson, Scary
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Mr. Utterson, a lawyer, is becoming curious about a mysterious man, Mr. Hyde. Ever since Mr. Utterson saw Mr. Hyde walk right over a child, Mr. Utterson has had a sort of horrid fascination of him. Who is this Mr. Hyde? And why did Dr. Jekyll, a friend of Mr. Utterson, say in his will that, in case of his death or his disappearance, all his money is to go to Mr. Hyde? The problem deepens when Mr. Hyde kills a man and then disappears. Can Mr. Utterson figure out what’s going on?
This is an interesting tale. I suppose it’s considered to be a horror story, (it has a lot of “nameless dreads” and presentiments in it. All I can say is there are a lot of dreads running around without a name) but I only found it to be strange, not scary. At least not this time I read it. There’s one line in there that’s great. Mr. Utterson is trying to find Mr. Hyde and he thinks, “If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek.”
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Horses, The Black Stallion, The Island Stallion, Walter Farley
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On their way back from Europe, Alec and Henry’s plane goes down. Using a life raft, Henry, Alec and the crew make it out safely. The only problem? The Black and several other horses were on the plane with them. As Alec drifts about in the raft, his only comfort is that Henry saw the horses leaving the plane before it went down. Once the life boat reaches the island of Antago in the West Indies, Alec and Henry devote their time to finding the Black, before it could be too late.
This is a fun book. The only problem is the vampire bat. (Excuse me a moment while I go shiver.) The bat is infected with rabies, and plays a large part in the story line. As a heads-up, there are a few evolutionary statements about the bat. If you ever feel queasy about the bat, whatever you do, just keep breathing, it turns out okay in the end. I find it interesting how Walter Farley brought together his two most famous horses and manages to never say which horse is better. There are some tense moments, and, on the whole, this book is fun.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Horses, The Black Stallion, Walter Farley
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This book opens dramatically when someone tries to kill the Black, then, while Henry and Alec are still trying to figure out who would want to kill the Black, Abu Já Kub ben Ishak arrives and proves that he is the owner of the Black, finally taking the Black to his home in Arabia. Alec, separated from the Black for what seems to be forever, jumps at the chance to travel to Arabia, in the hope of seeing the Black one last time.
This is the second book in the Black Stallion series. These books are not long reads, in fact, at one point when I was first reading them, I actually read six of them in one day. (Of course, I didn’t have anything else to do.) I enjoy them, and The Black Stallion Returns is very fun. It’s tense in some places, thrilling in others, and yes, occasionally predictable. (But is there a problem with that? At least it’s not “form-written”!) There is some violence. I take that back. There is quite a bit of violence, but it’s not told in a gross way at all. It has almost everything. A great horse (obviously), a really bad badguy, life or death situations. It even has an old feud! A great sequel to a great book.
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