Hoofbeats: Katie and the Mustang Book 4

Just wanted to suggest some ages...these books are a treasure a parent can enjoy with their child...the saga of Katy travelling from the midwest by wagon train is a must for anyone who loves horses or who enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. My 6 year old daughter complained that each chapter ends at a very exciting place....she always wanted me to read on. The following themes may require some explaining or spark some opportunities for discussion for a 6 year old: Katie's original guardians do not treat her well, and mistreat (whip making welts) a horse. Katy was orphaned by an epidemic. In one book we learn that someone's hands got badly burned in a fire, and there is a boy who mistreats animals- whom Katy eventually learns was physicaly mistreated by his father- then she feels more sympathetic towards him. Otherwise the books chronicle an exciting realistic adventure of a young girl (about 10?) who loves the horse she rescues from her guardian's abuse.

Katie is traveling west to find her only living relative, her uncle. The trip is long and hard, but as long as Katie has the Mustang, it seems as though she will be fine in the end. The treacherous trip started when she heard her caretaker, Mr. Stevens, and his wife were going west without her and the Mustang. Katie was going to be left in the hands of another caretaker and Mr. Stevens left the orders for the Mustang to be shot. I loved this book. Any horse crazy girl would. The book is the second in the trilogy. It is suspenseful and even though Katie is a mere character, it seems as though you were traveling west with Katie and her Mustang. Kathleen Duey has written many other horse stories and all the ones I have read are awesome. She comes highly recommended on my list. -Gracie Eakin

I ordered this book and received it promptly and in excellent condition.

I finished this book in one day, and found it to be incredibly engrossing and educational. It reminded me a lot of The American Girl Books, which showcase real girls in a historical setting. That is the same purpose with the Hoofbeats series. Set on an Iowa farm is the laste 1800's, the book paints a very vivid picture of life for Katie, a 9 year old girl recently orphaned. I would recommend this book strongly to anyone with a daughter who loves horses, history, and reading altogether. This made for a very enjoyable afternoon!

I bought the four-book series at Wal-Mart, one by one, without having read them previously. All four books, from the very beginning, are wonderfully written and held my attention until the very end. However, the end of the series left me with the feeling that the author could write yet another book or two about Katie's life, or even start a new series altogether. For example, does Katie become a professional trick rider or will she stay on with the Kylers? Does she ever see the Mustang again? And about the two foals sired by the Mustang? What do they look like, and which one of them will be Katie's very own? What will she do with it, once it becomes hers? And will Katie ever meet up with the Stevenses again, since they were also heading west, or will she recieve news about her uncle? These are all questions that I think the author should provide some answers to.Other than prematurely ending the series, I think that the author did a wonderful job with these books. The characters are realistic, as well as the situations and knowledge of both horses and life on the Oregon trail. I would recommend these books for anyone who loves horses and/or enjoys historical fiction.