Sunday, July 20, 2008

# 11: From Ms. Lucas, Grade 6 Language Arts

After years of prodding from my parents I finally read Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand. Going into it, I had no real interest except my parents' rave reviews, and I'll admit I was skeptical. Horses are great and all, but a whole book??? I was pleasantly surprised!!! It is a nonfiction account of arguably the best and most popular racehorse ever to run. It reads like a novel, and I found myself totally enthralled pulling for the horse and all those involved with him.

Hillenbrand tells the story of the horse and his owners, trainer, and jockeys, giving equal time to all. You learn about the hardships and successes of each, pulling for them in the victories and the defeats. Her depiction of Seabiscuit is especially touching, portraying his personality and how the humans in his life were so touched by him. The book is also quite the history lesson of our country during the Depression. Overall, I found it interesting, informative, and intriguing. I think that's pretty good for a nonfiction book!

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