Samphire Song

April 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Jodie Palmer, 14, lives with her mother and younger brother, Ed, in southern England and volunteers regularly at a horse stable. She has fond memories of her father, a Royal Air Force pilot who died when his plane crashed. Ed has weak kidneys and needs dialysis treatments, yet his interactions with Jodie seem bubbly and playful. When Mom lands a new job, she offers to buy the children something they want-a radio-controlled plane for Ed, and, for Jodie, a horse of her own. Thus, Samphire, a gray part-Arab stallion with a wild streak and a melodious whinny, enters the tale. When Ed needs a kidney transplant and Mom's job ends, Jodie decides to help her family by selling her handsome horse, having promised him she would not ride another horse until they were reunited. After Mom gets a new job, Jodie makes plans to repurchase Samphire but finds his ownership has changed, and Ed sells his model planes to help her raise money. In a secret bike ride at night, Jodie wheels into the countryside looking for her horse and, against all odds, hears his distinctive song. She tracks him to a large barn filed with mistreated animals, where she and an injured Samphire escape the cruel animal traffickers. The plot is overly dramatic and the family sacrifices too selfless. The book's strength lies in the interaction of horses and people, especially the bond between Jodie and Samphire, and her watchful care during his slow, uphill recovery from abuse to full equine health.-Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2013
A dream-horse book overcomes its trope. Fourteen-year-old Jodie, still grieving the death of her father, finds some solace in her work at a local livery barn. When her mother snags a regular writing gig, she uses it in part to fund Jodie's and her younger brother Ed's hearts' desires: for Ed, a radio-controlled airplane; for Jodie, a horse of her own. At the New Forest pony auction, Jodie immediately falls in love with a wild, barely broke stallion--an overused element in horse fiction that actually works here. Jodie, damaged herself, feels a bond with the horse, Samphire, and responds to him patiently, until they are galloping the beaches where she once rode with her father. Then disaster strikes: Ed needs an organ transplant, and Jodie's mother loses her job. Jodie sells Samphire, willingly, but with great pain; several months later, the family situation eased, she attempts to buy him back only to find he's been sold on. At that point, the story takes a turn toward the melodramatic. But the writing is lovely, the family life and affection among the characters real. Jodie expects no magic; she and Samphire heal on their own time. (But why does this obviously British book speak of dollars, not pounds?) A worthwhile addition to a well-loved genre. (Fiction. 10-14)

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March 15, 2013
Grades 4-8 Bereft after the sudden death of her father, Jodie seeks solace in the horse stables where she volunteers. Surrounded by the quiet munching of hay, Jodie finds an escape from her grief and concern over her beloved young brother Teddy's precarious health condition. Longing for a horse of her own, Jodie is thrilled when her mother surprises her by promising to take her to a horse auction. Spirited and skittish, the Arabian stallion Samphire immediately speaks to Jodie. Together, Samphire and Jodie begin to forge a bond that is healing to both of them. Strong, loving familial relationships play a central role in this novel; frequently, Jodie chooses to spend time with her mother and brother rather than with her friends as she works through her own obstacles. Horse-loving youth will enjoy Jodie's devotion to Samphire and become wrapped up in the drama of their journey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)