Regina Marler
Although a first-person animal narrator asks a lot of the reader, Joey's voice—unsentimental and brave under fire—amplifies the emotional impact of the story…The historical details in this short book powerfully ground it in its moment, but a timeless question drives the story: Will the two friends, Joey and Albert, ever see each other again?
—The New York Times
From the Publisher
"Superb." -- New York Times Book Review "... the novel [has an] antiwar message, and the terse details speak eloquently about peace." -- Booklist
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—Since he was a young colt, Joey has been loved and cared for by Alber, a young English farm boy. At the beginning of Wold War I, Albert's father sells Joey to a captain in the cavalry. The boy is devastated and promises Joey that someday he will find him. Joey experiences army life and the disastrous consequences of a cavalry charge into machine guns. He is captured as a prisoner of war and becomes a hospital cart transport horse for the German army. The he's used by the German soldiers to pull gun carts through the muddy trenches. Joey bolts after his friend Topflight dies. He ends up in no-man's land between the trenches. By a coin toss, he becomes again the property of the English. Joey is taken to a veterinary hospital where he is reunited with Albert. As the soldiers from both sides of the conflict share their thoughts and feelings with Joey, listeners get unique and perceptive views of World War I. John Keating's' different accents are pitch perfect as he draws listeners into the story (Scholastic, 1982) by Michael Morpurgo. An excellent choice for fans of historical fiction.—Samantha Larsen Hastings, Riverton Library, UT
NOVEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
John Keating establishes a convincing narrator with his portrayal of Joey, an English farm horse. Keating delivers this story’s differing points of view, making it easy to distinguish between the equine observer and the humans in his world. All too soon, Joey leaves his loving farm boy, Albert, to soldier through the horrors of WWI. Like the classic horse hero Black Beauty, Joey has a string of human owners. Keating characterizes each with credible emotions, accents, and age qualities. Through his portrayals, listeners understand the uniqueness of Joey’s masters, whether Welsh or German. Hearing their distinctly different stories and voices enables listeners to see the humans’ commonality. Each one hates war and bears love and admiration for the courage of this noble steed. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
