Marguerite Henry

Name of Book: Born to Trot

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 223 pages

Age Recommendation: 10 +

Book Review: If there is any writer of horse books who can stand up to the great legend of Anna Sewell, it is Marguerite Henry. Her horse books (Born to Trot, Misty of the Chincoteague, Mustang - Wild Spirit of the West etc) have won Newberry Honor medals and ordained thousands of words of praise over the years. Born to Trot stars young Gibson, a trotting racer in training. Gibson is frustrated because all he ever does is train, train, train – never race, just train. Then Gibson’s chance comes with a young filly named Rosalind. Gibson decides to take her all the way to the top, and this book follows their story.

Name of Book: Misty of Chincoteague

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 173 pages

Age Recommendation: All Ages

Book Review: The time for Pony Penning Day on the Island of Chincoteague is arriving. It is the first time that Paul Beebe is allowed to go along too. He and his sister Maureen have been working hard to earn enough money to buy a horse at Pony Penning Day – but they want one horse in particular: The Phantom, the mare who has evaded capture for the past two years. Paul is sure he can round up the Phantom, and if he does, he and Maureen will buy her. However, Pony Penning Day holds so many surprises – the biggest one being that Paul brings in the Phantom and her newborn filly. Paul and Maureen want both the Phantom and her filly Misty, as Paul named her. Will their dream come true?

Name of Book: Misty’s Twilight

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 142 pages

Age Recommendation: 11 +

Book Review: Dr. Sandy Price has dreamed since she was a little girl of getting her own horses at Pony Penning Day on the Island of Chincoteague. Now, finally, her dream is coming true! Dr. Sandy and her two children go all the way to Chincoteague to buy their dream horses. Immediately, Dr. Sandy falls in love with Sunshine, Misty of Chincoteague’s great grandfilly. She buys Sunshine and takes her home. But the story does not end there. Sunshine gets bred to Big Bluffer, a Thoroughbred stallion, and the result is a feisty, Thoroughbred x Chincoteague Pony filly named Misty’s Twilight. Dr. Sandy immediately knows that there’s something special about Twilight and is determined to make her into a star. But a star at what? Follow the epic story of Misty’s great-great grandfilly.

Name of Book: Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 100 pages

Age Recommendation: 10 +

Book Review: Molly wants a horse more than anything, but she knows that she will never get to own one. The only horse she ever gets to ride is Freddy Westover’s old, slow mare Della. But, beside all her doubts, Molly’s father buys her a mare for her tenth birthday. However, the mare, Lady Sue, is not what Molly expected. Lady Sue is tired and worn-out – she must be even older than Della! However, with love a care, Lady Sue son returns to her former glory and surprises Molly with a gift – a gorgeous mule colt. Molly names the colt ‘Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley’. She is determined to make Brown Sunshine into a champion mule . . . no matter what everyone thinks of him.

Name of Book: Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 222 pages

Age Recommendation: 12 +

Book Review: Annie Bronn loved horses more than anything. They were in her blood. Most of all, Annie loved Hobo, her Mustang gelding. Hobo’s smartness and character caused her to be enchanted by his wild Mustang cousins which roamed the American plains. Then, when the greedy cattlemen started killing the wild Mustangs for dog meat and to make more space for their cows, no-one cares – except Annie. Follow the real-life story of Wild Horse Annie and her quest to save the amazing wild horses of North America.

Name of Book: King of the Wind

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 173 pages

Age Recommendation: 12 +

Book Review: Agba called the new colt ‘Sham’ after the sun. On the heel of the red-chestnut colt was the white spot of speed, but the wheat ear of misfortune was imprinted on his chest. Yet no harm seems to befall Agba and the swift, young horse from the Sultan of Morocco’s Stable . . . until Sham and Agba are sent to England as part of a gift from the Sultan to the King. In Europe, Sham and Agba are not appreciated for what they are. But little did everyone know that Sham would turn out to be the ‘Godolphin Arabian’, the most famous and influential Arabian stallion in history.

Name of Book: Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Author: Marguerite Henry

Pages: 170 pages

Age Recommendation: 11 +

Book Review: When Joel Goss sees Little Bub for the first time, he just knows that there is something special about the young colt. Sure, Bub is undersized and spunky, but Joel falls totally in love with him. Then, Justin Morgan, the schoolmaster and owner of Little Bub, asks Joel to gentle the colt. Joel is trilled! There is nothing he would rather do. Soon, Little Bub is famous around the country. He can run faster than the fastest racehorses, out-pull the heaviest of oxen, and go for miles longer than the sturdiest of horses. This is the story of the runt of a horse that became the founder of one of Northern America’s most famous breeds of horse – the Morgan.