World War I from a different point of view

Interesting that the book War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is aimed at younger (3rd to 6th grade) readers, but the recently released movie is for viewers who are older.  The book is told from the point of view of Joey, a beautiful red bay horse.  Joey is sold at a young age to a farmer who has little use for him. Fortunately, the farmer's son Albert is a sensitive young boy who takes wonderful care of Joey, and the two become very close.  But they wonder if they'll ever meet again, when World War I breaks out and Albert's father sells Joey to the army.  Soon Joey is in the trenches in France: pulling guns, hauling ambulance wagons, and witnessing the horrors of war.  Soldiers from both sides share their thoughts with Joey; not too surprisingly, these thoughts are quite similar and express the anti-war message the book is designed to deliver.  There are some sad parts, but overall the book is a good choice for fans of horses or historical fiction.  

Calling all horse lovers

If you like horses, this is the book for you! There seem to be two parallel stories going on in The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley. Abby is a 7th grader growing up on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Her father calls all of their male horses "George" and all the females "Jewel," so Abby won't get too attached to any of them before they're sold. Abby does tons of work with the horses, from feeding and grooming to riding and training. The author alternates between this theme and life at school, which features plenty of stress from the Big Four - Linda, Mary A., Mary N., and Joan - and changing friendships with Gloria and Stella. I kept thinking there was going to be a significant link between these two stories, but that never seemed to be developed. Another part of the book, when Abby was asked to help train a horse for Melinda, a shy and very wealthy young girl, had a lot of potential, but it also fell flat. If you like lots of detail about horse raising (each chapter starts with a few beautiful pen and ink drawings of horse equipment), give this book a shot. Otherwise, you may want to take a pass.