PONY

PONY by R.J. Palacio

Pony by R.J. Palacio (author of Wonder and White Bird) is a book that you quickly become absorbed in and life around seems to fade away.

The book opens with how Silas Bird was struck by lightning as a young boy and marked with an image on his back as a result. His father, Martin Bird a Renaissance man, had been interested in photography, and this event made him decide to jump in and learn and even create his own style of the art.

The story switches to their present day (1860) where Silas is awakened in the middle of the night by someone named Mittenwool who warns him that 3 men on horseback are riding toward their home with guns drawn and two extra horses. Silas' Pa, Martin Bird, is already awake and watching for their arrival. They are counterfeiters and convinced that Martin Bird is an infamous counterfeiter named Mac Boat who had disappeared from the trade many years ago. Bird insists that he is not Boat, but he is forced to go with the men who need his help on getting the images correct on the money they are printing. The counterfeiters had wanted both Martin and his son to return with them, but Martin convinces them to leave Silas behind. Bird's parting words to his son are to stay put. He would be back in 2 weeks. Silas tries to become absorbed in doing his chores over the next day, but when the pony he was supposed to ride shows up, he knows he is supposed to follow.

The journey that unfolds is harrowing for the normal person, but Silas is not your normal person. Silas can see ghosts that have left things undone in life and talk with them. Without divulging the story, this plays a huge part.

The ultimate theme of this story is love. The love of a father for his son and son for his father, the love of a mother who has passed, the love of a pony for its master, the love of a good friendship. It is not your conventional styled story, but it is moving. Because it is not your typical story, this book is a middle grade reader, but your average younger middle grader will not pick up on all the deeper meanings the book is offering. This book would be best suited for Jr High and above.

HEADS UP - The ghosts are not your typical scary/horror type spirits. However, they are seen in the way they were as they died. Periodically, this may mean that they have war wounds, etc. There are approx 2 profanities. Right at the end one of the ghost situations Silas makes right is a gay one. It lasts for a couple of paragraphs.