Centaur Rising

Reviewed by: Kristin Taylor - Biddeford High School, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 19, 2015

Review

The Quaker message of talking to resolve an issue until all can agree is the prevalent message of this story and that everyone, no matter their differences or disabilities are the same and to be treated as such. Janet Yolen has spun a wonderful yarn of mythology and fantasy into the lives of Arianne and her family as they deal with the birth of centaur on their families’ horse farm in Connecticut during the mid 1960s. After a Perseid meteor shower, Arianne notices a brilliant light in the field and their old pony, Agora is running to it – this later results in the birth of a half-boy, half-pony they named Kai, after the mythological centaur, Chiron.

Keeping Kai from being discovered by outsiders, Hannah, Arianna’s mother, decide to shut down the farm from their boarders and riders for a few days to figure out their best course of action. The secret is kept by Robbie, Arianne’s disabled younger brother; Martha, who lives and works on the farm and definitely prefers horses to people and Dr. Herks, the family vet. Working to agree, the ultimate decision is made to create a place to help – a therapeutic horse riding school.

At the end of the story, Janet Yolen gives a brief mythology history of centaurs along with information on therapeutic horse riding. Also in this section, along within the story, Yolen mentions Liz Hartel, who had been struck by Polio and was told that she would never be able to ride or walk again. Hartel went on to win Olympic medals in Dressage. This story would be enjoyed by middle and even high school readers who like fantasy, mythology, horses and romance. The message of being different whether it is being a centaur as Kai or handicapped as Robbie is okay and that there are ways to make situations such as these work for the better. A thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming story.

Overall Book Score: excellent