Every once in a while I'm in a mood in which no book seems to fit my needs and then Pony came along. A wonderful tale of courage, friendship and adventure. Kind of like a perfect mix between Lampie and True Grit.

Everything about this book is captivating. This novel is impossible to put down. I downloaded the arc this morning, and by this afternoon, I had finished.

A very different book to Wonder, Pony is set in 1890s America and is the story of Silas who sets off in search of his father who has been kidnapped after his identity is mistaken. Never having left home before, Silas is nervous but determined. Accompanied by his friend Mittenwool, a ghost, and Pony the horse the book tells of their journey and everything he experiences.
A story with heart about courage and never giving up.

R J Palacio has created another moving story that should enthral, fascinate and in many ways educate readers.
Set in 1860s America, Pony tells the story of Silas who sets out on an adventure to find his father who has been taken by thieves to undertake counterfeit activities. Silas has never left home before and we soon discover that he has an extraordinary ability ( no spoiler) On his quest he is accompanied by Pony, a horse that escaped from the thieves , and who befriends Silas, He is also meets up and travels with Marshal Farmer ( their growing friendship is beautifully described) and by his side is his trusted friend Mittenwool. The journey to find his father describes forest life in difficult terrain. The discovery of his father brings two further characters into the tale - a Sheriffand his Deputy. This is a fascinating story as interwoven through the book is the story of photography ( Silas’ fathers talent) and black and white daguerreotype imagery adds a further dimension to the book. This is a story about survival, transformation and connections to our roots and family ( Silas has never known his mother ) . R J Palacio is never afraid to confront issues and life’s trials . An adventure story with heart . This is different to Wonder and White Bird but there is a thread about survival in challenging circumstances and finding your own identify and future path.This may well become another classic. Lovers of Katherine Rundell’s and Emma Carroll’s stories set in different historical periods will certainly find this book gripping

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.

I have been waiting for years to read another book from RJ Palacio and I enjoyed this very much. Inevitably there will be comparisons to her previous novel, Wonder, but this is a very different story.
It has a little bit of everything - historical fiction, ghosts, adventure, counterfeiters, lawmen and more. Its a very male centred book, with only one female character present in the book (very close to the end).
While Pony doesnt pack the emotional punch of Wonder its a very enjoyable adventure story

Wonder is one of the very few books that, even several years after I first read it, I could tell you exactly where I bought it. Sat on a shelf in my local W H Smith, in the buy one get one half price titles when it was published several years ago, its bold cover drew me to it and after taking it home and devouring it, I made it my shared read with the Years 5 and 6 class I was teaching at the time, and have turned to it again more recently as a book that I know my children will love as much as I do.

When I first saw this title up for request on Net Galley, I didn’t register the name of the author and initially discounted reading it because – I have to be honest – the cover really didn’t appeal to me. It wasn’t until I next logged on and clocked that it was by R. J. Palacio that I took the time to read the short synopsis and, based on that and my love of Wonder, requested it – wondering what this would be like. While very different in tone and content from that title, it is another brilliant read and one which I’m certain will be a sure-fire hit.

It is the middle of the 19th Century, and Silas Bird lives a quiet life together with his widowed photographer father and a ghost named Mittenwool; it is Mittenwool who wakes him one night to warn of the approach of three riders and a bald-faced pony. Silas’s father is already awake and armed, and when the boy goes to see what is happening he is told to stay out of sight. Warning his son not to come out with him, Martin opens the door to speak to the strangers who ask him if he is Mac Boat before introducing themselves. When he tells them that he is Martin Bird, their leader tells him that his boss Mr Ollerenshaw is familiar with his work and has a business proposition for him.

Mr Bird is not interested in whatever the proposition is but the men refuse to take no for an answer and he begrudgingly agrees to accompany them on condition that Silas remains and he will return a week later. After making his son promise to stay in the house, he leaves with the men as a tearful Silas watches him disappear into the distance. With Mittenwool’s support, Silas carries out the chores that need to be done before noticing that the pony the men had brought for him to ride has appeared at the window.

Convincing himself that this is a sign that he should look for his father, Silas persuades Mittenwool to accompany him to the nearby woods in case his father is lying injured – promising him that if they fail to find Martin they will come straight home again. Once they reach the Woods, however, Silas feels compelled to enter them and – driven onwards by his belief that Martin needs him – sets about undertaking an incredible journey that will change his life forever.

Although the story is entitled Pony, and said animal is depicted on the cover, this is not what most of my class would call an animal story. Yes – Pony is key to the plot, and features heavily, but the story is most definitely about Silas and how his life is changed by the disappearance of his father. When the horse turns up at his home, Silas comes up with several theories as to how it is no longer under the control of the strange men and he strongly believes that its appearance is not just a coincidence but predestined.

With only the thought of finding his father in his mind, Silas is totally unprepared for what is to come and it is thanks to Mittenwool’s interventions and prompting that he takes a few supplies and resources with him to support him along the way. Supernatural companions are nothing new in stories, but here Mittenwool is not just Silas’s best friend, but more like an older sibling. Throughout the story, he looks out for Silas and is not only a source of comfort and company, but takes an active part in searching for his father so that throughout the book he feels far more like a physical flesh and blood character than many other ghosts do.

Dotted throughout the book, between the sections into which it is split, are some wonderful old daguerreotypes and ambrotypes which add brilliantly to the historical feel of the story. These, coupled with the author’s intensive research, which she talks about at the end of the book, give the story a strong sense of realism and as I got further and further into Silas’s adventure, and more and more involved in him as a character, I found myself holding my breath at several points – such was my sense of worry at just what was happening to him.

I really enjoyed this story and I hope a great many other readers will too. As I said earlier, it is very different from Wonder, but there are several parts of this title which are similarly heart-warming. There are also a few quite unpleasant or sad parts and anyone thinking this is a fluffy book because of the cover will be sadly disappointed. This is a title which would make a fabulous film or TV serial for families to enjoy together and is one which many children of Year 5 age upwards would enjoy.

Enormous thanks, as always, go to publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of the hardback being published on September 28th. 5 out of 5 stars.

It's fair to say,that Palacio is most famous for writing about a brave young boy,who faces the world head on..... and that's what we have here.
This book is full of charm,a plucky young kid battling his fears to search for his father.
Facing up to the unknown, helped by his imaginary friend and a peculiar pony.

Some lovely bits thrown in,that I won't call twists,as they made perfect sense .

Very enjoyable,and now top of my list of books to buy the younger ones.