Can I Get There by Candlelight?

The person who gave this one star was distracted while reading. There is plenty of pony business, incl. the girls' respective r'ships to Candy. There is plenty of Time Slip business, too. Best of all, there's an ending that makes the reader think, and wonder, and dream... the author doesn't tell us what exactly happened.

LFL find.

This was my first foray into fantasy writing. I read it over and over until it fell apart. (Again, thank God for Alibris). If you know a little girl (I was around 9, I think) who is a reluctant reader, try this. Aside from the fantasy element, the historical aspect of the story may pique her interest. It did mine. Looking back, I think this may have been the genesis of my love of history. I remember trying to find out as much about that time as possible.

Time travel, but not so's you'd notice. From the cover I expected a horse story, but didn't really get that. There was a pony, but not much talk of relationship with it. From the description I expected a time travel story, and while she did communicate with someone from the past there was no connection to the present or sense of being in another time and place. Seemed more like an imaginary friend than a real adventure. Pretty dull over all. I left in on the airplane. Maybe someone else will enjoy it.

A summer spent in a rented house while Gail Simmons waited for school to start, started out normal, looking through the attic of the old coach house, Gail found a trunk with a side saddle and riding habit. She was a good horseback rider, her and Candy (short for Candlelight) had even won awards together but she had never ridden sidesaddle so the dusty saddle interested her. Spending her afternoons on Candy, riding in the orchard, she found a gate in the old stone wall, they went through and followed a path and were surprised to see a summerhouse (gazebo type building) on the other side (Babylon). The girl, Hilary was there, drinking lemonade and dressed differently than Gail was. Through out the summer, the two girls became friends and show more together they taught Gail how to ride sidesaddle and drive a pony cart. The whole time, Gail knew there was something so different about their friendship, she just was not sure and in the end, the time difference was so much more than the ride through the simple woods.

Fun and easy read, short chapters, the concept of time is subtle only pointed out by the differences between dress style, transportation forms, and several words. The girls become friends with several similar interests including the love of horses, riding, and being outside in the summer. The ending is sad and in some ways incomplete, what happened to Hilary, how bad was she hurt, who put the trunk back in the attic. Good read aloud story.

"How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light.
You can get there by candlelight."
- Mother Goose show less