Walls, Jeanette. Half Broke Horses.

Walls, Jeanette. Half Broke Horses.
Simon & Schuster/Little Brown 2009 272p 26.00 978-4165-8628-9 hs/adult Subtitled “A True-Life Novel,” this is the story of Wall’s grandmother’s life in the southwest as a rancher, mother, teacher, flyer, and rebel. Lily Casey Smith is a character that readers will not soon forget as she relates the adventures, hardships, and triumphs of her memorable life in a spellbinding manner that keeps the pages turning. The book is subtitled “A True-Life Novel” and is the story of Wall’s grandmother’s life in the southwest as a rancher, mother, teacher, flyer and rebel. Lily Casey Smith is a character that readers will not soon forget. Told through Lily’s expressive voice, she relates the adventures of growing up on a ranch in the hard scrabble West and becoming a rancher’s wife. Lily suffers many hardships along the way, the cad of a first husband and the death by suicide of her beloved sister but manages to overcome her sorrows. She always works hard and does what is necessary to make a living and raise her children the way she sees fit. In addition to being a wife, mother, and rancher, Lily teaches in one room school houses and learns to fly airplanes. Her triumphs over adversity are rollicking and at times very humorous. At the end of the book, the author explains why this is categorized as a work of fiction even though most of it is true. After reading this story, I want to go back and read Crystal Palace, the memoir of the author’s life as the child of Lily’s own rebellious daughter. Half Broke Horses is wonderfully written, spell binding, and hard to put down as the reader will want to find out what will happen next in Lily’s quest to live life to its fullest. Recommended for Tristate Books of Note. Weinraub, Tina

Lifting the Sky.

d'Arge, Mackie. Lifting the Sky.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2009 310p 16.99
978-1-59990-186-2 ms/jr

Blue ( a twelve year old) moves around the ranches in the Northwest with her ranch-hand mother. It is a story where a young girl learns to adapt and make friends quickly.
Blue is a young twelve-year old has to move frequently because her mother constantly changes her jobs with different ranches. In the story, they finally settle down in a remote ranch adjoining an Indian reservation. Blue is a resourceful person and learns to help out with the ranch chores, and makes friends with the ranch hands, and the young Indian boy who lives on the next farm. In addition, Blue learns that she has some mystical ability with animals that she puts to good use.
Mackie d'Arge has written a good read that will appeal to young readers. It deals with single parent families and the anxiety produced when two parents can't communicate. The story line also deals with the everyday living side of ranch life. It also illustrates how humans and animals can develop a mutual communication that will benefit both parties.
It is a good read that middle school and upper elementary school readers will enjoy. LM