Gift Horse

November 1, 1996
Gr 4-6-Matt's dream of owning a real horse seems about to come true when his eccentric Uncle Oliver promises to send him one. Forty long pages later, with no real notice to the boy or his parents, a Norwegian Fjord horse and four bales of hay are delivered to his house. With help from his brother, sister, and best friend, Matt attempts to keep the horse happy and healthy in the converted barn/garage behind their house. Then they try to convince their parents that this is feasible in a modern neighborhood. Problems with zoning laws come to a head at the local pet show, when Matt is also forced to confront his horse's need for room to roam. A slow and awkward beginning, with an overwhelming number of undeveloped characters and extraneous events, distract readers from the overall plot. A rather abrupt ending, in which Matt finally realizes and resignedly accepts that his gift horse was only temporary, is a little harsh. This novel is not outstanding among the many stories of this genre where ignorant child gets horse, and both child and horse are fortunate not to be injured.-Christina Linz, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL

October 1, 1996
Gr. 4^-6. "If you could have just one thing, what would it be?" Matt's wealthy great-uncle poses this question, and Matt, without hesitation, asks for a horse. So Matt and his best friend, Jerry, begin preparing a stall for the horse that Uncle Oliver promises, and eventually Loki, a Norwegian fjord horse, with striped legs and a mane that sticks straight up in the air, arrives. Loki is a hit with the neighbors, who want to buy its manure, and the kids, who want to ride on its back, but Matt's parents insist he can't keep the horse. The boys, with the help of Matt's older brother and sister, begin to devise a scheme to keep Loki. Youngsters will be thoroughly entertained by this charming story, and Levin also manages to weave in tidbits of information on rare and endangered animals throughout the plot. Illustrations by Jos. A. Smith not seen in galley. ((Reviewed Oct. 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)