Misty's Twilight [Hardcover]

Marguerite Henry (Author), Karen Haus Grandpre (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

Sandy Price, a doctor who had always dreamed of owning a pony, journeys to Chincoteague and buys a direct descendent of Misty for her children. By the author of the Newbery Honor-winning Misty of Chincoteague.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More than 40 years after the release of the Newbery Honor book Misty of Chincoteague comes Henry's latest novel about the descendants of the famous wild pony. Dr. Sandy Price had been mesmerized by Misty as a child; now living on a horse farm and raising children of her own, she sets her sights on buying some Chincoteague ponies. One of the prize animals that Dr. Price wins at auction is a direct descendant of Misty, and she eventually gives birth to a filly named Twilight. Twi's unusual markings, speed and temperament make it difficult to classify her; but when her talents finally bloom she becomes a dressage champion. Unfortunately this is less a novel than a collection of footnotes to the earlier classic. The plotting here is choppy and forced, and the cardboard characters fail to generate any genuine emotion--despite the overuse of exclamation points throughout. Horse story and Henry fans will be disappointed. Illustrations not seen by PW . Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 --Readers will grab this book with high expectations, but the plot won't capture them like the real-life dramas that inspired the previous three Chincoteague stories. Twilight is the great-great-granddaughter of the famous pinto, Misty of Chincoteague (Macmillan, 1990). Sired by a thoroughbred, the delightful pony samples the popular equestrian sports of cutting, jumping, and dressage. Her family, Dr. Sandy Price and her children, Chris and Pam, experience the excitement of Pony Penning Day at Chincoteague, and Twilight personifies the romance of the wild ponies. She is an engaging pony whose spirit is true to her ancestry. The protagonist, Sandy, is a mature woman seeking to live a childhood dream, with Chris and Pam as secondary characters. They're enthusiastic horse lovers, but they can't compare to Paul, Maureen, and Grandpa Beebe. The story repeats Henry's folksy style while it relives the magic of its predecessors. This sequel will suggest a rereading of the earlier books. --Charlene Strickland, formerly at Albuquerque Public Library , NM
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844671770
• ISBN-13: 978-0844671772
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,318,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marguerite Henry is the beloved author of such classic horse stories as King of the Wind, Misty of Chincoteague, and Stormy: Misty's Foal, all of which are available in Aladdin paperback editions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Huge Disappointment, November 7, 2001

By 

Anne (Plymouth, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misty's Twilight (Paperback)

I've been reading the Misty of Chincoteague books to my 7 yr old horse-loving daughter over the last few months, and have loved Misty, Stormy, and Sea Star. Twilight was an incredible let-down. We felt we knew the Beebe family and many of the Chincoteague residents intimately; none of them were mentioned in this book, and even Pony Penning and all it's festivities were only touched in passing. We never connected with the characters in this book. The kids weren't likeable because they didn't like horses, and complained about having to work on the Farm. Sandy, the Mom, was inconsistent, proclaiming her love of horses and of spending time with them, but not doing it. Chapter 16 closes with them thinking they'll try making Twilight into a cross country jumper, with Sandy envisioning herself riding the jumps with her pony. Yet Chapter 18 opens with Sandy not having had any contact with Twilight for months, and wondering if there was even any bond left between the pony and herself. Sandy lost all credibility with me, and my daughter, when she sent her son away to boarding school because of "teenage mischief-making;" she obviously spent as little time with her children as with her horses, and solved her problems with her children the same way as with her horses, by sending them off to someone else to deal with. The book also lost credibility when Sandy missed Twilight's first dressage show because of opening the invitation too late, but has her dreaming of watching the show, then researching dressage for a hour to learn what her horse had been doing for the last year, instead of picking up the phone and calling to find out how the horse did. And lastly, somehow "Twi" was invited to participate in a prestigious regional show after placing in two events in one show; anyone who knows anything about showing horses knows you need to earn a high number of points in the duration of a show season to get such an invite. We forced ourselves to finish this book, but it was drudgery, not the eager anticipation we had for the previous Misty books.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An updated version of "Misty of Chincoteague"!, January 11, 2000

By 

Stacey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misty's Twilight (Paperback)

Do you love the classic "Misty of Chincoteague"? Then you'll absolutley die for Twilight! Twilight is the great-great granddaughter of the famous Misty. Twilight is a Chincoteague Pony/Throughbred cross with a heart of gold. She can jump, she can cut (as in cattle cutting), she can even perform in the Dressage ring at international levels! What happens to the little super-star? Read this book ;0)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three-in-One Pinto Talent, July 29, 2004

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misty's Twilight (Hardcover)

This charming story takes place long after Misty's death, but the spirit of this famous Chincoteague pony lives on-inspiring another generation of horse-loving children and adults. Down in Florida on Stolen Hours Farm Dr. Sandy cherishes a dream: to travel to the coast of Virginia to purchase

some Chincoteage ponies of her own. Captivated by the MISTY book and nationally-beloved story about the little filly of Pony Ranch, she drags her unenthusiastic kids along--returning home with four ponies in her trailer.

But she pins great hopes on Sunshine, a direct descendant of Misty. Working with a wise and generous horse breeder she envisions a special blend of Chincoteague and Thoroughbred. The result is a pinto spitfire filly whom she names Twilight. But which course will be best for

Misty's lively great-granddaughter? Should Sandy train her to be a Cutting horse--facing cows and bulls-or to be a Jumper in the show ring, or to learn the noble art of Dressage? This spunky blend of both equestrian worlds is eager and willing to try all three paths to fame.

But many years later Sandy realizes that Twilight has an even greater challenge; to help people realize the value of preserving a place for the wild things. This talented pinto will serve as a "symbol of what Nature has to offer us." A pleasant read for horse-lovers of all ages, this book reminds us of what we stand to lose if we fail to honor the Misty's legacy.