The Snow Pony [Hardcover]

Alison Lester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2003 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Three years of drought have reduced the Rileys’ farm to a dirt patch and strained the family to the breaking point. Between their increasingly desperate finances, her father’s short temper, and her best friend’s move to boarding school in the city, Dusty’s whole life seems to be unraveling. Her only consolation is her wild and beautiful horse, the Snow Pony.
Dusty first sees the wild brumby up on the Plains, and from that first glimpse, she can think of little else. Months later, her father catches the horse and tries to break it in, but the Snow Pony will only accept one rider—Dusty. Together they seem unstoppable. But when sudden violence erupts during a trip up to the mountains, Dusty and her horse find themselves tested as never before.
In her second novel, set in rural Australia’s rugged terrain, author Alison Lester weaves together a colorful and compassionate story of family, courage, adventure, and a young girl’s passion for her horse.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-The high plains of Australia have been hit by a severe drought that has brought difficult times to the cattle farmers. Dusty Riley, 14, has always been her father's "right-hand man," but as the situation grows worse her dad begins to withdraw from his family, causing everyone more stress. Her only consolation is her love for her horse, the Snow Pony. The mare was a brumby, and now allows only Dusty to ride and take care of her. When the teen, her younger brother, and her father set out to bring the cattle down from the high country for the winter, they encounter illegal hunters who threaten their lives. Before the roundup is over, a serious snowstorm impedes their progress and Dusty and her pony prove their courage as they go for help. This fast-paced "horse and girl" adventure story has interesting, well-developed characters, and the tension among the family members is well drawn. The dangerous situations are well integrated into the plot, and the upbeat ending is plausible and satisfying.
Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. Lester introduces readers to a willful Australian girl in this gripping adventure novel. Fourteen-year-old Dusty Riley (her cattle-farming father's "right-hand man") has "horses in her blood." But when she first spies the gray-and-white brumby she calls the Snow Pony, she knows she's a one-horse girl from that day on. The mare distracts her from the woes of her family, which was once tightly knit but is now fraying under the economic strain brought upon the farm by a three-year drought. Dusty has to grow up fast to deal with her once proud, increasingly troubled father, who relies upon her to win competitions for prize money. Despite her sense of alienation at school, and a spate of near disasters, Dusty shows her fortitude. Horse lovers will certainly revel in Lester's vivid descriptions of cattle farming, peppered with Aussie slang, but this outreaches the average horse story. Tethered to powerful themes of family, faith, and self-reliance, this also captures the beauty and unpredictability of wildness and a family's connection with the land. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (April 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618254048
• ISBN-13: 978-0618254040
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Australia & Oceania

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, Liked It, January 23, 2009

By 

writer/rider - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snow Pony (Paperback)

The first thing I'll say is what I didn't like about the book: how Dusty's father "broke" the horse. Jack tied the Snow Pony to a post and left her there all day, where she pulled and resisted the rope. When doing this Jack said, "She's going to stay there all day, and if she kills herself, so be it. Believe me, you don't want a horse that won't tie up. She's learning a lot more than being tied up, too. She's learning about patience and submission, and not calling the shots." Sure, it teaches patience, but there are much better ways to teach it. I prefer to use the term "gentling", or "training", rather than "breaking". Breaking is forceful, and in my opinion wrong. My family owns a horse that was probably broken the same way, and he had problems for a long time. We have had him for almost a year and he still hates being tied up.
I liked the rest of the book very much. The story line was very good, although I do agree, it was a little slow in the beginning. There were a few unexpected turns in the book, like with Jade. I am not gonna say any more about that, I don't want to spoil anything. The ending was a little more perfect than I would have thought, and with all that goes on in the book, a bit unrealistic, but I liked it overall, and I have read MUCH more unrealistic books. Though a great book, definatly for a more mature group.
If you liked The Snow Pony, I would recommend these books:
the Morgan Horse series, by Ellen F. Feld
The Wild Mare, by Glenn Balch
The Midnight Colt, By Glenn Balch
All of the above are suitable for younger readers as well as teens.
And for the older audience, I would recommend these:
Blind Beauty, by K.M. Peyton
Shadow Horse, By Alison Hart

4.0 out of 5 stars The Snow Pony, March 15, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Snow Pony (Paperback)

I agree with Dressage Wanabe. This book is good, but not for very young readers. When Dusty's father begins to become an alcoholic and there are some scenes that I would rather not relive, they would signify that this book shouldn't be read by younger readers. Personally, if I had known one of those parts was in there, I would have skipped over it.

And yes, the beginning was a little slow. However, I liked this book. After a prolonged drought, Dusty and her family are in the pits of financial trouble. When Dusty begins competing on the Snow Pony, however, income begins to come back into the family account. Dusty's best friend Sally goes off to boarding school and they begin to slowly seperate, like two friends just drifting away. As things become worse in Dusty's life, including school, financial problems, her father drinking alcohol, ect., Dusty finds that her consolation is in a beautiful mare that only she can ride. Together, the two battle through tough times and end up overcoming one of the biggest challenges of them all.

I think this a good book. I gave it only four stars for some of the mature content, but besides that, mature readers should be able to enjoy this book. Especially if they like horses or reading about family difficulties. Or both!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, January 5, 2007

By 

Dressage Wanabe (Belmont, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snow Pony (Hardcover)

A wonderfully written story for anyone who loves horses. My daughter and I read this book together. We had to look up some of the Australian slang words and some of the "scenes" were a bit mature for a pre-teen (family strife involving an alcoholic dad and sexual fondling of a young girl). We picked this book up after reading Alison Lester's other horse book, The Quicksand Pony, which was also very enjoyable - and more appropriate for a younger reader. Although we both enjoyed The Snow Pony, I would recommend it only for the more mature reader.