The Escape

Reviewed by: Terri Bauld - Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, ME, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

This is not a book for the sensitive reader. Horse lovers beware....from being thrown off a ship and fighting off sharks in the ocean, crocodile encounters, cruel treatment by greedy humans to horse beheadings, this book is for a mature reader.

The first book in the Horses of the Dawn series, the story is told through the perspective of Estrella a young filly who is looking to find the horses ancestral home in the New World. Her mother, Perlina, who dies by shark early on, helps guide her daughter by offering mystical clues along the way as her daughter leads the herd onward to find their original homeland. The text has Spanish throughout which could be tough for young readers as there are no definitions provided elsewhere in the book. An unusual story that combines fantasy with factual information, this survival story will keep readers engaged. Although this book is targeted to readers ages 8-12, this story may be a better read for children at the higher end of this range or older.

Overall Book Score: fair