Esteban Makes an Appearance

 Hello,

My name is Esteban Barnes, well it's actually not my real name, it's my brush name. It's like a pen name, but for artists. Anyway, I am Miss K's brother and she wanted me to do a review since she has nothing to post about - an I just finished reading "Year of the Black Pony," not just, several days ago.

So if you have ideas as of what Miss K should blog about comment below.

Now to the book.

Year of the Black Pony

by Walt Morey

Year of the Black Pony! Wow!! Although this is a book for younger people ... no, any book is for everyone! Just like C.S. Lewis said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." 

A summary from Goodreads

"The Fellows family has joined numerous others striving to make a go of homesteading in the Oregon high desert. But the venture has been disastrous from the start. Mr. Fellows, who is not a farmer, resents any advice from his wife, who grew up on a farm. Ma is not only troubled about the farming, but 7-year old Ellie's chronic illness has become a source of constant worry and expense. 12-year old Chris, who cannot seem to please his father no matter what he does, eases his own misery by stealing time away from work to watch a neighbor's scarcely broken black pony, only to get into more trouble. When it seems circumstances could not get worse for the struggling family, Fellows gets drunk and dies. Not willing to give up, Ma stubbornly and creatively seeks a way for the family to stay Oregon. Frank Chase, an unintentional element in the death of Chris's father, is added to the mix and challenged by Ma to keep his word to help the family. The resultant dramatic and sometimes humorous contest of wills comes to a satisfying culmination when, after Frank's purchase of the wild black pony fro Chris, Ma is reluctantly forced to once again use her backbone of steel for the good of all. Walt Morey's careful research and vivid storytelling talent warmly bring to life the struggles and triumphs of homesteading in the oregon high desert country in the early 1900's. A great family read-aloud!"

My Thoughts

Well, I thought this book was amazing. It only took me 2 days to read, so if you have 2 days to use up, read this book! 

As you probably know from reading the summary up top, or if you didn't read the top, I'll explain down here as well. This book is about a family that wants to get away from the city life of a hard everyday factory job and seek a job that is more relaxing and can choose when to work - to manage themselves instead of having someone else tell 'em what to do. But as they settle down in the farm life, finding a cheap house and land, they realize just the opposite - farm life is hard. There is work to do every day, hard labor. 

I should stop telling you the whole story. I feel like I'm reading the book to you. If you're interested in what you've read so far on this blog, GO READ THE BOOK! And then comment below if I did a good job with the review. 

But before I stop typing I will also mention the horse. There. I mentioned it. A black pony, to be more specific. A wild black pony. 

I recommend this book to all people capable of reading! And I give it 5 stars!

If you get this far and are reading this sentence, I also have a blog where I post things to, or actually write and paste pictures of my artwork. So, if you like art, drawings and painting of things you should read that blog, https://sketcheddrawnandpainted.blogspot.com. 

-Esteban Barnes

Book Review: The Weka-Feather Cloak

Imagine finding a fantasy book on my bookshelf. Very unlikely (except for the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia). However, I just finished a fantasy book called the Weka-Feather Cloak: A New Zealand Fantasy by Leo Madigan. Thanks to my older brother for recommending it! This is one of those books that starts right in with the story, without an explanation. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but boy was it a GREAT read! 

"Small, quiet, artistic Danny Mago, used to an uneventful, if not always pleasant existence, suddenly finds himself catapulted into a series of inexplicable happenings. After he gets the new job at St. Martin de Porres Convent with Mother Madeleine, the famous Maori painter, and he approaches the ancient, unused elevator on the Convent grounds, the uneventful tenor of his life takes a decided turn...upwards! The resulting wild sometimes hair-raising adventures next become strangely entangled with the mysterious quest that has brought beautiful Zelia Mazloum all the way from Turkey to New Zealand. In the midst of all this, Danny accepts a call to make a unique contribution to his home, the land that rests  

the land that rests upon the seas, Aetearoa. Demonic creatures, angelic beings, sly villains, an old and beautiful weka-feather cloak, a blank wall in a new Cathedral and an unforgettable Maori nun come together in this amazing tale of spirit and laughter." (Photo and text credit)

This fantasy was not like any other that I have read. There was no Narnia and no Middle Earth, no wizards, no fauns, no goblins, and no hobbits. Madigan writes about New Zealand throughout the story, but includes the fantasy of an elevator that can bring Danny Mago to many different places in time. Additionally, the story includes angels and demons to guide Danny in making the right choices. 

Things I Liked:

• I really liked how the Catholic faith was incorporated throughout the whole fantasy. Danny was challenged in many ways, but turned to his Rosary, the Crucifix, and Holy Water for protection. 

• I also liked how descriptive the scenery is! God's Creation of New Zealand is found throughout this book. Often, each chapter starts with a description of the nature around Danny and the other characters (see my favorite quotes below for examples). 

• Although Danny is the focus of this book, there really are three plots throughout that end up combining at the end. The plots are focused on Danny and his elevator, his special needs sister, Angela, and solving a mystery with a school girl, Zelia. 

• Finally, I loved how even though this was a fantasy, there was a lot of history intertwined among the chapters. Danny learned about Lady Juliana of Norwich, the Sylvestrine monks and Fra Angelico, and about the Eucharist. 

Things I Didn't Like:

• I mentioned above how I liked the three plots that eventually turn into one. However, it gets a bit confusing during the last few chapters, which I didn't like. The last chapter makes sense, but the few before that kind of mix everything together, so it really didn't make any sense until the end. 

Favorite Quotes:

    "Danny stood in the center of the room for a long time. It was good to be there. It had the comfort and security of a womb. A peace rose up from the stone floor and a peace seeped out through the walls. There was a distinctive smell to the place, fresh like apples and spring water, and the air tasted like that too" (51). 

    "They found themselves on a hillside looking down on a town of great visual charm. It was built on the confluence of two rivers and, criss-crossed as it was with canals and pools, it gave the illusion of floating on water. Fruit trees, palms and weeping willows grew on the banks of the rivers and the courtyards, and even the flat roofs of houses were dancing with color in the heat" (121).  

Content: 

There is a bit of bullying between Danny and his classmates during the school scenes. Additionally, during the fantasy scenes there is some descriptive violence. However, it is handled well between the characters. 

Age:

I recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

Rating:

★★★★

What is your favorite fantasy book?  

-Miss K