Horse Diaries: Bell’s StarAlison HartThe characters in the book are Katie, Star, Eliza (a slave), Katie’s Mom and Dad, and Eliza’s mom and dad, Bell (Star’s mother), and the herd of horses. The main characters of the book are Star, Katie, and Bell. I like them because they seem pretty bright and curious, kind of like me. The story takes place on the farm in Vermont, and in Canada. There are tons of horses on the farm and Star makes three friends. One day Katie and Star are taking a light run by the river and they find a runaway slave and she is separated from her parents. So they take her home but Katie’s family is white so they have to hide the slave in the barn. Katie likes slaves but her father doesn’t like slaves because he doesn’t want to break the law. One night Katie, Star and Bell sneak out and take Eliza to Katie’s teacher’s house because she wants to help slaves too. The slave catchers come close to the teacher’s house trying to get Eliza. Katie ends up giving Star to Eliza so she can get to Canada. When Eliza and Star get to Canada she finds her father and mother and has freedom. The mother and father thank Star, give her hay, and then Star goes back home. I suggest it to any horse lover. Bell’s Star, or Star as the family he works for calls him, is born in the spring of 1850 on a Vermont farm where a mother and father live with their young daughter, Katie. From the start, young Katie loves Star, and has a strong bond with the horse. Star likes Katie and her family, but he hates work and wishes he could just run free, a longing that Katie often shares as she must do many chores around the farm to help her family.Three years pass, and it is now the spring of 1853. The Fugitive Slave Law recently became law, and now it is a crime to help runaway slaves escape to freedom in nearby Canada. When Katie is riding Star in the woods, she finds Eliza, a young slave girl who is trying to escape to Canada where she hopes to find the family she was recently separated from. Katie decides she must help Eliza find her mother again, and she needs Star’s help to do so. She must keep this a secret not only from slave catchers but her own family, who would not want her involved because it is dangerous to help a runaway slave.Bell’s Star is a very sweet and simple read that is sure to be enjoyed by the target audience of young readers, particularly girls, who enjoy horse stories or historical fiction. The story is fast-paced and teaches history painlessly, and I love the illustrations, they are completely adorable. If you know a young reader who loves history or horses this would be a great book to recommend or to give as a gift.
Do You like book Bell's Star (2009)?
i loved how star was willing to help Katie and Eliza, he was so sweet.
—whatadorkysmile
More beautiful illustrations and a short but sweet story.
—nellbell144
