Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew
A few years ago I told yall about the Appaloosy Books, and now there is another one for me to share with you. Blue Skies West is the fifth book in an adventure series for kids and families. Mattie is a young woman now but began writing books in her early teens. Her stories are adventurous and written from the point of view of the horse. Your horse loving, adventure seeking kiddos are going to love this series!
I knew we wanted to read this one because my oldest enjoyed the first books we read several years ago, but also because I now have an 8 year old who is *obsessed* with horses. Blue Skies West is a 140 page, soft cover chapter book, with sturdy binding.
My daughter says,
In the story, Charlie is the horse’s boy. The whole family decide they’re going to take the Oregon Trail to Oregon, where part of their family has settled. Charlie takes Blue with the family, along the way many of the children in the family get sick, they have ford a river, with adventure along the way.
The story is told from the perspective of the horse, Blue which makes the narration unique and interesting. I really like that in the front of the book there is an informative introduction about the Oregon Trail as well as a large, easy to read map of the Oregon Trail. In the back of the book readers will find a Blast From the Past section where they can read and learn about the history which the book is based upon, an Author’s Note and Historical Disclaimer section, this is a brief note to readers from Mattie herself. Lastly, there is a Bibliography/Further Reading page with a list of books and additional reading for those who would like to dig deeper into the history that Blue Skies West was written in.
I think most of your historical fiction loving families will enjoy Blue Skies West, and the other books in the Appaloosy series. It will be a big bonus for animal and horse loving kids! These are going to make great gifts this Christmas season, and you will be supporting a young, Christian author who just may sign your books!
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