Pony

The author R J Palacio will be familiar to many, due to the huge bestselling book “Wonder”. Seeing an unrelated book by the same author intrigued me, and I didn’t know what to expect. This historical novel is completely different. The main character is a 12 year old boy, Silas Bird, whose life is turned upside down in the night when armed gunmen come and take his father. Silas is left with a pony and guided by a ghost who only he can see, and he goes after the bandits to try to find his father.
It’s an interesting story, and I did enjoy it. The premise is definitely original and layers of mystery are gradually solved as the story reaches its conclusion.

Wow. What a book! I was utterly spellbound by R.J. Palacio’s latest offering, Pony. It is an intricately created, totally unpredictable and deeply emotional book, which grabbed my attention from the first page to the last.

The story begins with the protagonist, Silas, waking to find three bandits taking his father away. The twelve-year-old is left alone - with only his ghost friend as company. When a mysterious pony arrives at his door the next morning, Silas decides he must face his fears and journey into the unknown to find his father. What follows is an epic voyage, connecting him to his past and his future.

Pony is an adventure story, about courage, conviction and never giving up. It is a coming of age tale about the importance of the bonds that connect us, showing us that we are never truly alone. I found it deeply moving and was completely swept away by the story. It’s different to anything I’ve ever read and I applaud the wonder that is R. J. Palacio for yet another utterly brilliant creation.

I will definitely be adding Pony to our Year 6 bookshelf: in my mind, it is a future classic and I feel very lucky to have had a sneak preview. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.