Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Book Review: Presumed Dead by Barbara Derkesen

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Book Review: Rosie and Scamper

From the back of the book:
While learning to ride at Sonrise Stable, eight-year-old Rosie dreams of the horse shows she will win with her pony, Jet. Two years later, nothing is exactly the way Rosie planned it -- she's riding a new pony, Scamper, and learning that life isn't always easy. But it's as Rosie reaches out to the new girl next door that she truly begins to see that God works all things together for good in our lives.
Rosie and Scamper is the first book in the Sonrise Stable series, heartwarming stories of an extended homeschooling family, they live, learn, and love together. Mixing adventures, life lessons, and realistic horse experiences, the series is a must for readers who enjoy family values, Christian faith, and, of course, horses!
 Sonrise Stable Rosie and Scamper horse book for children

This chapter book is quite cute for ages 6-9, though it's definitely more for girls than boys. Rosie learns a lot of lessons about horses and horse care over the course of the 134 pages, but the more important lessons she learns are about love, loss, and friendship. Family plays a very important roll in the book, and it's great to see the interactions between the grand kids and the grandmother. I love the name Sonrise Stables, but I'll let you read the book to get the full meaning.
The only negative for me was all the time spans that the book skips. Rosie and Scamper takes place over more than a 2 year time frame but there are a lot of 'time skips.' I understand the two years later one, but all the little 'weeks later' or 'three months later' makes the book a little disjointed. I would have liked to see more chapters and less time skips.
Overall, I'd give the book 4 stars. Any little girl that loves horses will love this book.