War Horse

By:Michael Morpurgo
Pages: 165

The book War Horse, is the story of World War 1, but through the eyes of a horse named Joey. Joey (a farm horse) belongs to Albert. Joey and Zoey (the older farm horse) help to plow the fields in a small, rural Irish farm. When Albert's father sells Joey to the Army, Joey is sent off to the front lines of war away from his beloved Albert (the only being that Joey truly trusts).  While in France, Joey is trained to charge forward though the enemy is close and many horses around him are killed, help drag heavy artillery, and help to carry wounded (and dead) soldiers off the battlefields. Some of the Army officers are friendly while others are harsh. When the Army gets help from a young girl (named Emilie) and her grandfather (who provide shelter for the horses), Joey begins to think that the war may almost be over and that his new "owners" are actually trustworthy.  But the war isn't over and this time the military leaders aren't familiar (it's the French Army).
Meanwhile, Albert grieves the fact that his father sold his beloved horse. In order to find Joey, Albert  enlists with Veterinary Corps (young men who took care of and nursed the animals back to health).  But will Albert ever find Joey?

This book is a good young adult book dealing with life during World War One. Though told from the Joey's perspective (for the majority of the book), this book deals with the harsh realities of life in the early 1900's and how each person and horse made an impact on the outcome of history.  Only 165 pages, it's an easy read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Please note - I have not seen the movie! I have heard that it's pretty graphic (war images + animal abuse = PG-13 rating).  I highly recommend reading the book before deciding on seeing the movie. The book isn't quite as graphic in terms of dealing with the war (though it also mentions that the horses were later sold for their meat at the end of the war ), be aware it could be graphic!