The Black Stallion- Walter Farley: These are classic books that I personally was in love with when I was younger. It tells the story of Alec, a young boy who rescues a great Arabian stallion, and follows the two of them through life in the many books in the series. The Black is a wild animal, only half-tamed by the boy who loves him, and as they live out their adventures, you come to love all the characters that take the stage in the series. Click here to see how extensive the collection is here at the library.
The Scorpio Races- Maggie Stiefvater: A standalone novel in Stiefvater's unmistakable voice, The Scorpio Races is a triumph of action, deceit, and bonds that cannot be broken. The horses (most of them, anyway) in this novel come from the sea, born of the foam, and compete once a year in a dangerous race along the beach of a tiny island. The trials and pain to get one of these horses are insane in and of themselves, and to train one well enough to be ridden and raced? It's lunacy. That's what makes it such a great book. Click here to get a copy from the library.
Animal Farm- George Orwell: You might as well read this one now, because you're going to have to read it in school if your schools are anything like mine was. Maybe you've already read it! Honestly, it's not a bad book- it gets a little strange here and there because of the allegory involved, but it's short and pretty easy to get through, especially if you don't have a hundred discussion questions to answer for class. Here's where you can check out a library copy.
So whether or not you're an animal lover, you can see that animals play a huge role in literary culture, as companions, as enemies, and as main characters. But everyone should be careful because of this animal in particular:
