Today, I’m reviewing Pony, the new book by internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning author, R. J. Palacio. Thank you @PuffinBooks and @NetGalley, for my digital ARC of Pony in exchange for my honest review.
AUTHOR BIO.
Raquel Jaramillo Palacio – Palacio is her mother’s maiden name - lives in New York with her husband, two sons and dogs (Bear and Beau). Her novel, Wonder, sold over 5 million copies worldwide and has been on the New York Times bestseller list since 2012. In 2017, Wonder was adapted into a film starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.
R. J. has also designed book covers for thousands of authors in various genres, including Salman Rushdie and Paul Auster. Her early works were board books which she wrote and illustrated herself under the name, Raquel Jaramillo.
BOOK BLURB.
When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost.
But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do.
So begins a perilous journey to find his father - a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him.
MY REVIEW
Pony has to be one of the best middle-grade books I’ve read in a long time. It’s one of those stories that left me thinking about the characters and storyline for ages afterwards. It’s a story full of emotion, mystery and adventure – added with an element of supernatural magic which takes the reader to another level. Pony is set in 1800s America, so as well as the topics mentioned above, there is also history to add to its many qualities, which all knit together to make the perfect book. I devoured this story in no time, eager to know the outcome – what happened to Sila’s genius of a father? Who is Mittenwool and where did he come from? And last but not least, the mysterious and magnificent character that is: PONY.
R. J. is a brilliant author who has captured the setting, emotion and pace perfectly. After reading Pony, I shall be buying Wonder and many more of R .J.’s future books.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐