War Horse (Scholastic Gold)

Written in 1982 and a runner-up for the Whitbread, War Horse is the story of a young British boy and his horse, separated when the horse is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France early on in WWI. It is a universal story of war and suffering told through the eyes of a horse as he experiences it

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on the front. It is a unique, elegantly told, anti-war story. A YA book that adults will enjoy, too.

The first person narration reminded me of old favorites of mine, Black Beauty and Beautiful Joe.

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Review from Badelynge.
I was drawn to this book after seeing the life-sized horse puppets in the theatrical version of War Horse. Former UK Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo usually has an entire shelf dedicated to him in most British book shops and this one, written nearly 30 years ago is one I

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can recommend to both children and adults alike. It tells the story of Joey, a half-thoroughbred red bay bought by a drunken farmer to spite another and beloved of the farmer's son. The events of 1913 shatters the pair's brief happiness as Joey is sold into a war of wire, mud and carnage. His first new owner is Captain Nicholls who takes Joey as his cavalry mount. He also meets his loyalest equine friend, a shining black stallion called Topthorn. It's all told from Joey's point of view as he tries to survive the unfathomable conflict and regain the company of his farmboy. Along the way he'll find kindness where he can find it, endure crippling work and health sapping conditions. Although Joey is often in the thick of the chaos the book never dwells closely on the bloody results beyond detailing the casualties and the effects of their loss. It's a quick read, engaging ,moving and a great excuse to get some history into young reader's minds.

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Having first come to this story through the film and play (my neighbour's son was a puppeteer in the original and superb National Theatre production) I was surprised to find that the book is already thirty years old. Like the best of classic children's novels it is of course ageless even though it

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deals with a very specific and sad time in world history, The First World War. Though this subject has been much covered in the past, to witness it from the viewpoint of one of the horses involved in the conflict is both innovative and challenging, and of course very appealing to children. Morpurgo is not the first to use a horse as a narrative voice (Anna Sewell, most famously, in 'Black Beauty' which I remember reading while ill in bed with some childhood infection)but he does it very well and it allows him the advantage of being able to describe the horrors of war at one remove so that he can remain close to the action without unnecessarily upsetting younger readers. It takes a little leap of faith on behalf of the adult reader to accept an astonishingly articulate horse who can apparently understand English, German and French without any difficulty, but it would be no problem for the target audience to suspend disbelief and we should too, thus allowing us to enjoy a troubled, often exciting and thoroughly warm-hearted adventure.

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It may seem insulting to call this an adult version of Black Beauty, but I mean it as the highest compliment. I was gripped from page one, and enthralled by this story. Unlike other stories, I never found it wonky or weird to hear from the animal as narrator. I highly recommend this novel, it's a

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great read.

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Joey is a beautiful red-bay horse, working on a small farm in the English countryside. In 1914, as war is breaking out, across Europe, he is sold into the army, to be used in the British cavalry. Against modern weaponry, this looks to be a doomed objective from the start. Joey finds himself in one

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bloody battleground after another and even ends up being captured and utilized by the German army.
The story, simple and brisk, is told through the eyes of Joey. This could be a risky and sappy approach, but the author, a seasoned children’s writer, pulls it off. The narrative is also quite vivid and cinematic, almost a screenplay in tone and style. So, of course a film adaptation, by Steven Speilberg, is being released.
If you are looking for something light and entertaining, this should fit the bill.

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Black Beauty for Grownups. That is literally what I thought when I read the first line. At the time I thought it would be a rip off of one of my favorite books of all time, but then as I went from page to page and found myself glued to the book, unable to put it down, unable to stop myself from

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reading, I realized that it is a compliment to compare the two. While not equal in number of pages, it is equal in heart and soul.

A story of sadness and joy in war time, War Horse follows the life of Joey. Told through his eyes, it is the fictionalized, true story of this special horse, important to the people who knew him, and loved by one determined boy. He was a farm horse sent to war and along the way came on adventures both heartwarming and tragic. His bravery and the bravery of the humans depicted with these pages will remind many what it is like to go to war and why we must fight so hard for the peace that will prevent it.

This book is an easy read for a World War I setting, the words flow effortlessly through the mind, bringing life to the scenes on each page. They do not hide the pain of war, but they do not dwell on the agony of it either. In each sad tale there is happiness, in long moments of sorrow, someone is always able to lift us up, if only a little.

A perfect choice for this time where family members are often off to distant lands and fighting for freedom, both true horse lovers and history buffs will enjoy reading this story so much that they will find they have finished it almost without knowing, having been pulled in from the start. This book will bring hope to those who read it, reminding them that if they can only push through the hard parts, an easier path will come.

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I have to review this from two perspectives: as an adult and as a kid.

As an adult, I found it rather dry. The book is told through the viewpoint of Joey the horse and he doesn't have much voice. He observes World War I and has a peculiar knack of understanding what is spoken in any language. It's

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not that I wanted Joey to be anthromorphized more.. I just wanted more character overall, as in the old Robert Lawson book Mr. Revere and I. That said, this would be an excellent book to teach middle graders about the Great War.

Now if I had read this during my horse-obsessed childhood, I would have adored the book and probably read it dozens of times.

The movie based on the book comes out next month and I hope to see it, even though the trailer alone is a tear-jerker. I think the John Williams soundtrack will bring Joey the horse to life in a way the book couldn't quite manage.

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I read this YA book to prep for the movie coming out this Christmas. I wanted to be prepared for the sad parts. The book moved very quickly with short chapters. It almost felt more like a Juvenile fiction than Young Adult. The story is told through the eyes of Joey the horse, from his earliest

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memory, various owners, and the good and bad times of being a war horse in WWI. The sad parts of this book aren't too graphic, which was great for me. Of course, you want to see Joey survive and thrive, and get returned to his beloved master. This book was pretty much Black Beauty, set in wartime.

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Having seen the stage production of this book on the West End (London's answer to Broadway, darling!) I already had a hunch that I might just love it. I had never read any of Morpurgo's work, although I understand that he is quite a prolific childrens' writer, but I feel like I could sit down and

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read everything this man has written. I was struck by how well he combined things that some children will absolutely love reading about (namely animals, or more specifically, horses) with things that older children probably need to be reading about (war, presented realistically and not glamourised). Using an equine perspective, rather than a human one, worked tremendously well and I think it would have been a mistake to try to tell the story from Albert, the boy's, perspective. An absolute must-read - I wish I'd discovered this earlier!

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Wonderful story of a horse that is sold to the British cavalry during WWI and his adventures in the war. At once harrowing and always compelling the story is told from the horse's point of view. A stage version was a big hit in London and is now running at Lincoln Center. Spielberg's movie version

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will be released in December. Morpurgo also wrote the powerful novel PRIVATE PEACEFUL.

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Joey, a horse, tells us the story of how he was raised by a kind farm boy, sold to the army to fight in the war, and eventually found his way back to the farm.

Why I picked it up: The play based on the novel won lots of Tony awards this year.

Why I finished it: The novel is fairly episodic, each

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episode short and energetic enough to keep your attention. Morpurgo did a good job of making both sides in the war seem human; all we cared about his how well or how poorly the horse was treated. The horrors of war are hinted at but not dwelled upon -- pitched well for the audience.

I'd give it to: So many kids I knew growing up were into horse stories. This one has some weightier themes, but I think they'd like it.

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I read this children's book because it is going to be the basis for a broadway show. It is book about World War I, but told from the perspective of a horse. In many ways, the book reminds me of Black Beauty. I found the ending few paragraphs odd, unnecessary, and unfortunately not a good note on

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which to end the book. I felt that it distracted from what the story was. It'll be interesting to see how they can manage to recreate a horse and the wartime scenes on a broadway stage.

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This is a lovely book, with themes of the common values of human nature, kindness, friendship and loyalty. The plot follows the tale of a a horse navigating the war, the people he meets and the horrors and suffering and goodness he encounters during his service. It also provides some perspective on

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both sides fighting in WW1. I devoured in in less than a day, was moved to tears and laughter. Along with the writing, also loved the beautiful illustrations. Whilst this is a book for children - I think it can be enjoyed by any age.

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I read this book after seeing the movie based on it. The movie is more dramatic. That doesn't mean I didn't like the book, it's just different, although recognizable.

From the first sentence, I was immediately reminded of "Black Beauty," a favorite from my childhood. This also tells the story in the

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voice of the horse, and does it well. At under 120 pages, and written for young readers, it's a quick read, and an well worth an evening's entertainment. The calm voice of "Joey" contrasts with the horrors of WWI trench warfare in a way that ends up being a commentary on war, but not in any sort of heavy-handed way. Recommended.

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A story of WWI as experienced by a British horse taken into combat. Joey changes hands several times throughout the narrative, always seeking to return home to his beloved Albert.

This is a great way to tell about WWI from the point of view of a character who does not choose sides. The story does a

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great job of de-glamorizing war. This is important in the hyper militarized society we live in today. In the classroom, this book would be a great small group read/discussion.

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This is an amazing story told from the perspective of Joey, a horse who is raised by an English boy named Albert and then sold by Albert's father to fight in World War I. Morpurgo captures the events of war as Joey sees and experiences them, and in doing so, he provides a new and harrowing

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perspective on war. Morpurgo also does a great job describing the varied relationships that Joey forms with the humans he encounters. From his initial days with Albert to his time with soldiers on both sides of the war, Joey is cared for deeply by many people, and as a reader, I came to care deeply for him too.

I read this book before I went to see the Broadway play, and I was glad that I did. The play takes some liberties with the storyline, but there are many similarities between the two. Most importantly, both the book and the play convey Joey's essence beautifully.

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This was a beautiful, simply written story. While there were not a lot of plot twists, I enjoyed the storyline.

Brilliant, Morpurgo weaves history within this fictional work and brings it back to life. This book really pulls on the heart strings and plays emotional chess with the story line. A horse is sold at auction to a drunken farmer who needs a plough horse. I felt sorry for this farmer who was maimed

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in the war and had come back damaged physically and emotionally. his loyal wife although a strength to him berates him but they keep teh horse. Their son Albert dedicates himself training the horse whom he names Joey. Albert and Joey's bond is unbreakable adn Morpurgo portrays this as he goes on to write about Joey being sold off to teh army so that Albert's dad can repay a debt. Joey adn Albert although apart face many trials through teh war but eventually their paths are crossed and they meet up again.

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A wonderful book told from the point-of-view of the horse, Joey. He ends up in the midst of World War I, used by the British military and later the Germans. Alfred is the boy who loved him and when his time came to join the army, he hoped he would find his horse that his father had sold to the

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army. The courageous heart of this horse shines throughout the story, reminding us to never give up, for in the end all is well.

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Although simply told, this was a good story about an extraordinary horse caught up in the horror of WWI. Quite a few differences from the movie but both were good.

Tale told through the eyes of the horse and its suffering during WWI....Black Beauty?? Nicely told... Will definitely rent the DVD. LOL

War Horse is a very good book and has many moving scenes. Excellent book!

Warhorse was a very different read for me, it took me a while to get into this, and to get my head around taking the position of a horse as the main character.
In reading this book though, the themes that relate to us in the human world, loyalty, friendship, being pushed to the end, kindness and

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many others come through so clearly.
I enjoyed the way that this book did not take sides but more looked at human qualities of both people and animals around him.
It was also a pleasant read in the sense that I felt it could have been quite barbaric, but was tastefully done as a wartime story.
Michael Morpurgo does a great job with this book, I would recommend it to anyone who can relate to the above, I don't think it is solely a boys book. You need to be a confident reader to be able to make the most of the connections between the two worlds. Can't wait to see the movie!

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I liked Morpurgo's later YA novel, PRIVATE PEACEFUL, very much. Since then I have read his BORN TO RUN, which did not interest me nearly as much, but was, admittedly, meant for a much younger audience. The BLACK BEAUTY -ish WAR HORSE (1982), which has apparently been an enormously successful book

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for its author, spawning a stage play and now a movie, evoked mixed reactions in me. And perhaps again it's because of its target audience of pre-teens and/or young adults. There is a strong anti-war sentiment here, perhaps best represented in a statement from a young British soldier: "... a horse's life is maybe even more important than a man's, 'cause a horse hasn't got no evil in him except any that's put there by men."

This seems a bit oversimplified to me as an anti-war horse book, but it hits home nevertheless, and brought to mind a couple of other books I've read about the use of horses in war. Molly Gloss's novel, THE HEARTS OF HORSES, is a superb example of this sub-genre. Another is OUR HORSES IN EGYPT by Benben. I enjoyed both of these books more than I did WAR HORSE. But again, I figure it's because I'm at least fifty years too old for this book. I would not hesitate to recommend it to young readers who love horses. Morpurgo's excellent reputation in the field of children's lit and YA books is well-earned. He knows what he's doing.

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