Wonder was a lot to live up to. Thankfully, while a very different story, Pony did not disappoint. Just as affecting, just as necessary for classroom and school libraries.

Follow along on a mysterious adventure from the author of Wonder. Fast-paced and gut-wrenching, this is a story that will captivate middle school readers from the first page.

Great historical fiction book for middle grade students AND adults. The blurb is absolutely true: "Reader beware. Once you open PONY...your life will no longer be your own."

I suspect a lot of people will do as I did - pick up this book based on the author with little thought for the book's content. Be forewarned - this is vastly different from Wonder. Now, Palacio approaches the plot with the same attention to detail and complexity of character as the previous book. Not my normal preference for reading but an interesting one nonetheless.

This is the best children's novel I've read in over a decade. It is best described as a cross between "True Grit" and "The Sixth Sense." The book will probably not have the following as Palacio's "Wonder," but it should. Set in 1860 Ohio, considered the western frontier at the time. 12 year-old Silas Bird lives with his father a bootmaker, but a genius of photography at the time. At the start some men come looking for Sila's father and want to take him and Silas for a week regarding a business opportunity. That opportunity is really a band of counterfeiters. Silas is left alone, except with his childhood companion Mittenwool, who is a ghost. A pony that belong to the counterfieters returns to Silas and he decides to find his father. Silas ends up crossing paths with a U.S. Marshall, who is tracking the counterfeiters, who reluctantly allows to come with him. As the story progresses various aspects of the Bird family are revealed and a show down occurs with the band of outlaws. A beautifully written and constructed that has a few minor flaws that can be ignored. Recommended for older elementary and middle school readers, who love a little more depth to their reading.

Pony tells the story of a young boy who takes refuge in a tree during a violent storm and when the tree is struck by lightning, receives a burn on his back in the shape of that same tree. The burn heals into a very unique scar. His father revives the boy by using a fireplace bellows. This man is interested in photography but turned to boot making to support his family but the lightning incident stokes his love of art and photos. The young boy, Silas, was born the same day his mother died. So, Silas and his father are without her. Pa is kindhearted and loving and cares deeply about Silas. One night, three riders with pistols drawn, arrive at their home demanding that Pa and Silas go with them. They won’t say why other than their boss wants Pa to work for a week and then he’ll let him return to his home. The riders brought an extra horse and a white-faced pony with them so Pa and Silas could ride along. Pa makes Silas stay behind. The pony shows up soon after the riders leave with Pa. Silas is worried that Pa has been hurt so he rides Pony (Silas’ name for the small horse) and goes after Pa’s trail. He finds so much more than he expected and meets several different allies along the way. Pony is a western adventure full of action and mystery, told with a continuous sense of awe; I loved reading it, 5 stars!

Silas and his dad live in a remote area of the west. One night Silas’ dad is taken away by three unknown men who are looking for help with a counterfeiting operation. They leave an unusual horse with Silas. Though he has promised to stay home, Silas thinks better of it and decides, instead, to find his dad. Striking off on the horse which he names Pony and accompanied by his best friend, Mittenwool, who is a ghost, the three have an adventure. It took me a bit to get used to the ghost but by the end of the book I really liked Palacio’s use of this character. I think this is a great read for upper middle schoolers who won’t be triggered by some of the violence and death in it. It provides a lot of discussion topics for both a classroom or a book group. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, NetGalley, and LibroFM's Educator ALC program for advanced copies of the book and audiobook.

I adored Wonder and thought for sure that I would love Pony, but sadly, I just didn't. I'm so glad that I had both the audiobook and ebook versions and was able to listen while reading along because in print form alone, I don't think I would have stuck with the story. It was very character-driven which just didn't appeal to me. It reminded me a lot of True Grit - a book I didn't enjoy at all. I think this book will be a hit with kids who like westerns and historical fiction, but it just wasn't for me.

I loved this so much that I bought copies to live in my classroom library. I read Wonder with my students every year, and they were excited to read another masterpiece by R.J. Palacio. I highly recommend this title for middle grade and adult readers alike!

We're huge fans of Wonder so we had high expectations! We really enjoyed this book and my son feels it would make a great movie...however, we couldn't understand why the book wasn't titled Mittenwool!

Unable to download before the publication time. The rating was given so as not to hurt the overall rating of the book.

Thanks to Net Galley for electronic ARC.
I was excited about a new book by RJ Palacio, author of Wonder. This book is nothing like Wonder, except the writing is exquisite. The story is of a 12 year old boy who goes to find his father who was taken away by several men on horseback. This takes place in the early 1860's. The journey is difficult. The boy is accompanied by a lifelong friend, Mittenwool. There is a magical element to the book and most questions are answered by the end.
I was a bit unsettled by the story, but loved the writing and highly recommend this book for older readers.

Palacio's writing is sublime in this fantastic new novel. So many questions, so many answers. It is a bit magical, heartbreaking, and a thrill ride. I absolutely loved this one!

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is another masterpiece written by R.J. Palacio and every page was heartwarming and I could not help but to feel goosebumps. When it comes to family, you'll stop at nothing to go and make things right. The story of Silas losing his father and then is accompanied by Mittenwool who is sorta like his guardian angel and then he sees a pony which motivates him to go in the search for his father. Along the journey it brought joy to my heart to see the love and passion Silas had in bringing back his father and be thankful for all he has. This book just like Wonder had a strong powerful message at the end. I was so impressed at the peak of the pandemic R.J. Palacio had the determination to finish this book and release it to all of us.

We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the electronic advance galley, in exchange for an honest review.

So excited for a new book from R.J. Palacio! I absolutely loved Wonder and was eager to read this—though it was clearly going to be a horse of a different color.
A bit of fantasy, a bit of historical fiction, some mysterious old photographs…this was definitely not the world of Wonder, but…

Silas Bird may be young, but he is a reliable narrator. After his father is kidnapped, he and his friend Mittenwool travel with the pony in an effort to save him, and this is the story of their travels and what happens afterwords. It’s hard to say more without spoilers! I will say that it was not inappropriate to read this book during the Halloween season.

Content warning: there is a bit of violence, though not extremely graphic. This book is geared more towards middle grade rather than younger readers, but older readers may enjoy it as well. The writing is outstanding, and does not talk down to the reader.

With this extreme jump in genre, I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

5 stars

I loved the time period that this book was written in. I was pulled immediately into the story and it was wonderful all the way through.

This terrific story is about Silas, who lives with his dad, a boot maker in around the 1850s. Silas is different from most kids-his mom died in childbirth and Silas can remember his mother. Silas was struck by lightning as a 5 year old and has a tree shaped mark on his back. And Silas's best friend is ghost named Mittenwool. One night Mittenwool warns Silas that there are armed men approaching the house. They want Silas and his dad to come with them and have brought horses along for them to ride. Silas's dad convinces them to leave Silas on his own and promises that he will be back within the week. Silas has a strong feeling that he should follow and when the horse that the armed men brought for him returns, Silas takes it as a sign. This epic journey is filled with memorable characters, themes of love and loss and the connections that survive even after death. This would be a good one for upper middle grade and up.

Silas lost his mother at birth. He now lives with his Pa in the woods. They have learned to be self-sufficient. His Pa has learned how to use chemicals to create photographs. Early in the story, some outlaws come and kidnap his father. Silas is told to stay at home and wait for his father to return in a few days.

Silas decides to take his "imaginary friend" Mittenwool and the Pony that showed up and try to find his father. They start the adventure not knowing where to even start. Silas meets up with another traveler in the woods and he reluctantly agrees to help him find his Pa.

This story is about adventure and helping those you love. Set in the 1800's, the story develops some very deep themes throughout the plot. The author's research on early photography is very apparent in the book. I enjoyed the book, but it did hold my attention for very long.

When I saw this book available on Netgalley, I just had to read it. Wonder was such a powerful story and I had to know if this novel would be just as good. First off, it’s a VERY different style and subject matter than Wonder but I was quickly drawn into the story. I’ve been reading it every day on my lunch break but just had to finish it at home so I could find out the ending. This book is full of mystery and the supernatural and very beautifully written. While I enjoyed it and even shed a few tears, I’m not sure that many elementary-aged students will pick up on the nuances and really, truly understand it as they should. Definitely worth a read but probably better suited for a middle school library in my opinion. Loved the inclusion of her inspiration and research regarding this novel

R.J. Palacio has done it again- this was such a beautiful story of a young boy on a mission to find his Pa that has been kidnapped by some counterfeit criminals. Facing his greatest fears, with the help of some unusual companions, Silas takes out on a long journey to see if he can get his Pa back. This story had me wrecked! I went from happy, to sad, to happy tears to amazed!