I've loved this book since I first read it when I was seven or eight. I love all of Mary O'Hara's books, especially Wyoming Summer. What an interesting, fascinating life she led! I'd love to see a movie about her! Ken, the dreamy drifty boy, who grows up through his love for his horse Flicka, his mother and his demanding father are written about with such perception that lines from the book stick with me forty-five years later.. ( )

In the tradition of Marjorie Rawlings' "The Yearling" and "Old Yeller", this is a coming of age story about a young boy on the verge of adolescence and his struggle with responsibility, parental approval, and pressure to conform.

O'Hara's writing includes beautiful and moving depictions of life on a ranch in the West including the harsh financial realities as well as family dynamics. Although the book's events take place in an earlier era, most children will readily identify with Ken's problems as he tries to retain something of himself while seeking the approval of his father. Ken's victory is bittersweet and comes only at great cost to himself and his family.

I highly recommend this book. It's one of my favorites, one I find myself reaching for and re-reading time and time again. ( )