Char M. (thezookeeper) -
This is the first Am. Girl book I have read. I was under the impression that they taught morals and ethics to young girls. This particular book did not. I have heard such wonderful things about the American Girl books so I was surprised by that.
The back cover of the book describes Felicity as: "a spunky, spritely colonial girl, full of energy and independence." It really could have said a "sneaky, dishonest, disobedient thief full of impatience".
Here is the basic plot: The man who owns the tannery gets a new horse. He beats the horse and in a drunken rage yells out that anyone who can ride the horse can have it. Felicity hears this and decides to sneak out of house every night to visit the horse and over several weeks time she gains its trust and can ride it. (so she is sneaking out every night AND she stole a pair of pants from an apprenctice who is staying at her house, because it is easier to ride in pants).
When she is finally able to ride the horse, she takes it to her house and her father tells her she can't keep it. Enter the drunken tanner, demanding his horse back. Felicity realizes she'll never be able to own the horse, (the tanner said he would never sell it to such a "bold-faced" girl and said he would "kill it" if she came around again).
So Felicity sneaks out one night, goes to the tannery and gets the horse to jump the fence, setting it free into the woods.
Now I am not advocating horse beating, the tanner was clearly a heartless man. However, I do not like the fact that there were NO consequences what-so-ever for Felicity's actions. A child sneaks out in the middle of the night for WEEKS and has no punishment or reprimand??
I hope the rest of the series are better written.
The back cover of the book describes Felicity as: "a spunky, spritely colonial girl, full of energy and independence." It really could have said a "sneaky, dishonest, disobedient thief full of impatience".
Here is the basic plot: The man who owns the tannery gets a new horse. He beats the horse and in a drunken rage yells out that anyone who can ride the horse can have it. Felicity hears this and decides to sneak out of house every night to visit the horse and over several weeks time she gains its trust and can ride it. (so she is sneaking out every night AND she stole a pair of pants from an apprenctice who is staying at her house, because it is easier to ride in pants).
When she is finally able to ride the horse, she takes it to her house and her father tells her she can't keep it. Enter the drunken tanner, demanding his horse back. Felicity realizes she'll never be able to own the horse, (the tanner said he would never sell it to such a "bold-faced" girl and said he would "kill it" if she came around again).
So Felicity sneaks out one night, goes to the tannery and gets the horse to jump the fence, setting it free into the woods.
Now I am not advocating horse beating, the tanner was clearly a heartless man. However, I do not like the fact that there were NO consequences what-so-ever for Felicity's actions. A child sneaks out in the middle of the night for WEEKS and has no punishment or reprimand??
I hope the rest of the series are better written.
