Pony
from the bestselling author of Wonder
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The highly anticipated, unforgettable new story from the internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning author of WONDER.
'Thrillingly told . . . Palacio is a fantastic writer' The Times
'Perfection . . . A beautiful, funny, heart-twisting wonder of a book . . . A brilliant story of love and courage' Wall Street Journal
When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost.
But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do.
So begins a perilous journey to find his father - a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him.
PONY is a breathtaking and powerful read, perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and Hannah Gold and destined to become a future classic.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When he's struck by lightning in front of an oak tree—an event that doesn't connect much with the rest of the story—Silas Bird, the introspective 12-year-old at the center of this meandering 1860 Ohio-set adventure, has the tree's image permanently imprinted on his back. Silas lives with his inventive but reclusive father, a Scottish bootmaker and photographic scientist, as well as a protective teenage ghost named Mittenwool, until three men on horseback arrive at the family's remote cabin to seize Silas's father. When the kidnappers' white-faced Arabian pony appears a few hours later, Silas is sure his father sent it, and rides off to find him, with Mittenwool reluctantly in tow. In the time-warped Woods, he meets a U.S. marshal tracking three outlaws; Silas, certain that they are the same people who took his father, joins him, en route narrating stories of his family's history and encountering ghosts whom only he can see. Though Silas's "I have made my peace with everything" perspective belies his age, Palacio's cued-white characters are simultaneously crusty and charming in their altruistic bravado, and the blend of rambling western, scientific, and paranormal elements mixed with lingering questions about Silas's father's past will appeal to many as the trio underscores how even unlikely friendships can make for strong bonds. Images made from daguerreotypes serve as chapter heads. Ages 10–up.
