Plot: After helping their grandfather raise wild ponies only to loose them when they are sold, Paul and Maureen decide to raise the money to get their own pony. A pony that will stay and never be taken away. However, they do not want any pony. They want Phantom, a three-year-old mare famous for her ability to avoid wranglers. While Paul is determined to capture her, he and his sister need to raise the money to buy her from the wranglers. They manage to, thanks in part to Phantom's little piebald foal...
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Fiction, Animals
Similar Titles: King of the Wind, Black Beauty, Where the Red Fern Grows
Personal Thoughts: Where the Red Fern Grows without the tragedy. Seriously.
Like Where the Red Fern Grows, the novel starts with a childhood desire for a pet. It develops into a quest to earn the money to purchase said pet. However, it also requires action, in this case, a willingness to participate in the wrangling and horse sale. Unlike Where the Red Fern Grows, the book ends happily, with the children enjoying their pet while accepting the loss of Phantom (do not worry, she returns to the wild; unlike the plot present in most pet stories SHE DOES NOT DIE).
My only complaint is the fact that the book should have been titles Phantom of Assateague. Most of the book focuses on Phantom. Misty only gets a few pages of her own story in the novel.
Anyway, the book also provided the basis of a movie in 1961 (it got mixed reviews) and received a Newbury Honor in 1948.
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