Disclaimer: I was gifted an advanced reader's copy of this book to read for feedback. This blog post was not part of the agreement.
Title: The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy
Author: M. J. Evans
Year Published: 2023
Publisher: Dancing Horse Press
What's it about?:
A historical fiction about the real rescue of many great European horses in World War II. This story follows an autistic boy's connection with the stallion Witez II and how they survived the war together.
Likes:
I love how this shows the special connection that can happen between a horse and a human. Horses are amazing creatures that can help us learn so much about ourselves.
This is a fun new perspective on the amazing horse rescue that Elizabeth Letts writes about in her nonfiction book, The Perfect Horse (Do you want a book review on Letts's book?).
Dislikes:
The first half of the book felt more like a history of the rescue and not a story about Teodor and Witez. I don't mean that in a negative way, but I was confused as to if the book was fiction or nonfiction for a while because there was so much focus on the rescue.
Thoughts:
I LOVE this book!
If you know me, you know two of my biggest passions in life are horses and disabled individuals. I love that this is a combination of my three biggest passions: horses, disabled individuals, and books!
This story showcases such a special connection between a human and a horse. A connection like Teodor and Witez's is something most people strive for, and something disabled individuals can usually do better than able-bodied individuals.
This book is a great way to learn about the horse rescue in World War II. I didn't know about it at all until I read The Perfect Horse. The Perfect Horse is a great book, but The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy makes the facts a bit easier to digest. I don't think one book cancels out the need of reading the other, and they are great complementary reads. The rescue was a complex operation and both books share the main story of the rescue as well as adding in different details.
The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy is an easy read with short chapters that I had a hard time putting down. By the second half of the book, I was so engrossed in the story and kept saying, "I'll read just one more chapter" until it was about two a.m. every night!
If this sounds like a book you want to read, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is it isn't out just yet.
The good news is it will be out in less than a week!
It releases on February 28 and you can buy it directly from the author here.
I am so excited for this wonderful book to be released to the public and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!