REVIEWS+

Astra

by Chris Platt
147p. 978-1-56145-541-6.
COPY ISBN
Gr 5—8—Thirteen-year-old Lily O'Neil recently lost her mother to a riding accident while the woman was training for an endurance race. Since then, her grieving father has forbidden her to ride, although she is allowed help to take care of the horses at her neighbor's stables. Her favorite is Astra, the animal that her mother had been riding when she fell. It seems almost too much to bear when Astra falls ill and is at the point of death. As a kindness, the horse's owner signs her over to Lily and keeps his word after the Arabian steed makes a miraculous recovery. Astra is ready to compete again, but will Lily be allowed to race her? Filled with information about endurance racing as well as a cast of interesting supporting characters, including the dishy new boy in town, this novel is a quick and enjoyable read.—Kathleen Meulen Ellison, Sakai Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island, WA
Following her mother's death while racing an Arabian named Astra, Lily's father forbids her to ride. When Astra contracts colic, Lily pleads for the horse's life, and Astra's owner gives her the mare. Although the didactic writing and emotional framework are clunky (readers are reminded every few pages of Lily's feelings), the comprehensive depiction of endurance racing will attract horse lovers.
Reviewed by Kathleen Meulen Ellison , Mar 01, 2011

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