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The Winter Horses
Author:
Kerr, Philip
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 10-14
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.K468
Grade: 5-9
Print Run: 20000
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ISBN-13: 9780385755436
LCCN: 2013035978
Imprint: Knopf
Publisher: Random House
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Pub Date: 03/25/2014
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $16.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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277 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
H 8.53",
W 5.87",
D 1",
0.875 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Booklist High-Demand Hot List
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Historical Fiction
Animals
Family Life
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / Holocaust
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Animals / Horses
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Orphans & Foster Homes
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LC Subjects:
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Holocaust, Jewish, (1939-1945), Ukraine, Fiction
Holocaust, Jewish, (1939-1945), Ukraine, Juvenile fiction
Holocaust, Jewish, 1939-1945, Ukraine, Juvenile fiction
Holocaust, Jewish, Ukraine, Fiction
Horse family (Mammals), Fiction
Horses, Fiction
Horses, Juvenile fiction
Jews, Ukraine, Fiction
Jews, Ukraine, Fiction, Juvenile fiction
Przewalski's horse, Fiction
Przewalski's horse, Juvenile fiction
Przewalski's horses, Fiction
Survival, Fiction
Survival, Juvenile fiction
Ukraine, History, German occupation, 1941-1944, Fiction
World War, 1939-1945, Ukraine, Fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Holocaust, 1939-1945, Fiction
Horses, Fiction
Jews, Ukraine, Fiction
Przewalski's horse, Fiction
Self-reliance, Fiction
Ukraine, History, 1941-1945, German occupation, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
6.1
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Points: 10.0
Lexile Level:
930
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 03/01/2014 |
| Keeping a dangerous secret could cost Max dearly as he looks after the animals on a preserve, careful to keep quiet about Kalinka, a Ukrainian girl in hiding on the preserve. Now that the Nazis have taken over the land, horse-lover Kalinka sets out across a frozen landscape to save the only two horses that were spared in the recent Nazi extermination campaign. 224pp. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 03/01/2014 |
| Grades 7-12. The year is 1941. The place, Ukraine. After her entire family is murdered by invading Nazis, Jewish teen Kalinka finds herself alone on the vast Ukrainian steppe until she encounters two Przewalski's horses. These prehistoric animals, depicted in ancient cave paintings, are the rarest horses in the world and have never been domesticated. But the preternaturally intelligent creatures quickly--and improbably--bond with Kalinka, and along with a Russian wolfhound named Taras, the three flee for their lives from the invading Nazis, who are determined to exterminate the horses, which they consider to be an inferior species. Their flight is a perilous one, as they are beset not only by the Germans but also by the forbidding winter weather, wolves, and even cannibals! Can they possibly survive these vicissitudes? Best-selling adult author Kerr presents his story as legend, not historical reality, which gives him the latitude necessary for his plot's improbabilities and anthropomorphized animals. Though sometimes didactic and slightly contrived, the story is nevertheless engaging and exciting and is sure to appeal to horse lovers and fans of survival fiction. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It's big news that the best-selling author of the Bernie Gunther novels for adults has moved into children's literature, and the full-court marketing campaign for this title reflects that. Cart, Michael. 224p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 04/01/2014 |
| Ad. Gr. 5-8. Set in the Ukrainian steppe in 1941, this novel follows Kalinka, an orphaned Ukrainian Jew on the run, and Max, the elderly caretaker of the Askaniya-Nova State Steppe Nature Reserve. The reserve is presently occupied by a band of Nazi soldiers, whose leader orders the extermination of most of the animal population at the reserve. His main target is the small population of rare Przewalski's horses, horses that Berlin has declared "a forbidden breed" because they threaten to contaminate "decent domesticated horses." Max played a major role in setting up the reserve's breeding program, and Kalinka, hiding out in the woods just outside the reserve, has developed an unusually close relationship with a pair of the horses, so they each have reasons to resist. Max assists Kalinka, who flees into the steppe accompanied by the two horses, pursued by the Nazis. The animal story (drawing on the real-life Ukrainian reserve and the killing of its rare herd of Przewalski's horses) offers appealing elements in Kalinka's friendship and the horses' need for protection, resulting in an unusual wartime tale. The plot, though, is too often implausible (Kalinka encounters everything from attacking wolves and ancient burial chambers to cannibals, and she's finally captured by a kindly German officer who supports her cause), and Kalinka's exposition moves the story with a slow pace unsuited to such an adventurous survival story. Those willing to ride out the far-fetched storyline will likely enjoy the survival story, however, and the social metaphor of identifying the horses as an unfit species makes for a useful entry point to discussing World War II and the Holocaust. The bound book will include an author's note. HM. 224p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2014. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2014 |
| 4. In 1941, Jewish orphan Kalinka finds herself on the frigid Ukrainian steppe, in the Askaniya-Nova reserve, with two rare Przewalski horses, struggling to survive the ravages of Nazi occupation. Max, the reserve's elderly caretaker, risks everything to help Kalinka hide. Despite lumbering plotting, this unique survival-adventure story is set within a country whose contemporary strife makes its history all the more relevant. rss. 278pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2014. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 02/01/2014 |
| Kerr, well-known for his best-selling World War II thrillers for adults (A Man Without Breath, 2013, etc.), enters YA territory with a compelling but ultimately flawed tale of saving the last Przewalski's horses from Nazi invaders. Elderly Max has been caretaker of the Ukrainian nature preserve Askaniya-Nova all his life, from its inception by a gallant German baron at the beginning of the century through torture and destruction during World War I and even now, as the Nazis invade. Max initially believes the Germans will, like his former master, be kind to him and the animals in the preserve, particularly the small herds of Przewalski's horses, some of the last on Earth of a very ancient breed. Meanwhile, Kalinka, a 15-year-old Jew orphaned by a German pogrom, has escaped to the steppe and makes friends with two of the remarkable horses, who are renowned for both their wildness and their cunning. Fast-paced action and interesting history (Askaniya-Nova still exists; the horses have been restored there) keep readers turning the pages, but the distant, omniscient point of view will prevent them from becoming truly engaged in the characters' plight. Flat dialogue often sounds as though it's coming from a tour guide, not a Russian peasant, and the abrupt ending doesn't fully satisfy. Though marketed for teens, it reads more like an adventure for children. A worthwhile-enough read for kids particularly interested in history and/or horses. (Historical fiction. 10-14). 276pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2014. |
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| School Library Journal | 03/01/2014 |
| Gr 6-8--This story follows the harrowing journey of Kalinka, a Jewish orphan searching for safety, and the horses that provide her with comfort, power, and hope. Set in 1941 in war-torn Ukraine, Kerr's novel is also a tale of survival-not only Kalinka's, but of Przewalski's horses, a rare breed of wild horse that dates back tens of thousands of years. The story opens on the Askaniya-Nova animal sanctuary where Max, the longtime caretaker, has been ordered by the SS to kill all of the animals, including the nearly extinct Przewalski's horses. As Max struggles with the demands of a cruel Nazi officer who has turned the reserve into his headquarters, he meets Kalinka who is travelling alone after witnessing the deaths of her family. With Max's guidance and support, Kalinka and the last pair of the horses embark on a jouney across the Ukranian wilderness. As Kalinka faces frightening obstacles, her ability to communicate with the horses and other fantastical elements give her the courage to face serious threats and her own fears. Threads of "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel" contribute to the sense that this is an "old" story handed down through generations. Like the best stories told around a campfire, it is spellbinding, but it can also be terrifying. Ultimately, The Winter Horses ends on a note of hope and triumph-for both Kalinka and the horses. Kerr's novel will be enjoyed by readers who like a touch of fantasy in their historical fiction. Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA. 224p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2014. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 04/01/2014 |
| 4Q 4P M J S. The cold steppe of the Ukraine is fraught with danger for Kalinka, an orphaned girl trying desperately to survive. After the massacre of her family and most of her town at the hands of Nazi soldiers, she finds temporary comfort at a wildlife preserve when her path crosses with a pair of Przewalski's horses, wild horses whose entire pack was slaughtered by the same Nazi soldiers. The horses are preternaturally clever and form a unique bond with Kalinka, all three with quick wits and gut-instinct for survival. After finding temporary refuge with Max, the discovery of the yellow fabric from her jacket begins danger anew as Kalinka, the horses, and a Russian wolfhound make a mad dash to the territory of the Red Army before they are captured and killed. Death seems to lurk at every turn and the four must use all their skills and instincts, and trust in each other. With a slow pace while the story establishes itself, the novel soon takes off at a gallop, pulling readers along in this Holocaust story of life in the Soviet Union during World War II. While the connection between Kalinka and the animals may be far-fetched, their stories and experiences bring this harrowing survival story to life. Kerr makes a point to show a spectrum of Germans, not all are vilified, as a range of people making choices. This well-told story centers on the drive to survive, both for self and to fend off extinction of a species.--Erin Wyatt. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2014. |
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9780385755436,dl.it[0].title
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