Bells Star (Horse Diaries, #2) by Alison Hart

Bells Star (Horse Diaries, #2) Reviews

• 
  Elizabeth Dragina

  3.5 stars ~
  
  Wow, the slavery histories described in this book are beautiful, although bitter. So, bittersweet?? It wasn't my level of reading, but definitely an inspiring and emotional book. I was captivated.
• 
  B

  The premise of a diary "written" by a horse would probably be appealing to a horse crazy kid but it didn't work that well for me. Nevertheless this series also takes kids back into time and they work better as historical novels. In this one, the horse comes to the rescue of a runaway slave in 1850's Vermont.
• 
  Rachel

  Calling all horse lovers! This series is told from the viewpoint of a horse in history. In this book it is a male Morgan horse used on a farm in Vermont shortly after the passing of the fugitive slave law. Great horse information, although swallowing the parts where the horses speak to each other is a bit of a stretch, and good from a historical fiction standpoint.
• 
  Lolly

  i loved how star was willing to help Katie and Eliza, he was so sweet.
• 
  Maykala

  amzing
• 
  Tania

  When the young Morgan horse Star is born to his mother, Bell, he enters a world of wonders. Soon his human Katie claims him and names him, though he is destined to pull his weight as a workhorse on the family farm. Star learns about the world around him from his mother and from Katie, and soon displays a very strong personality of his own. Bell's Star is a charming story with a delightful young colt at its center, however it has much deeper meaning within its pages. Aside from telling the tale of a Morgan horse and his abilities, this book also incorporates the underground railroad and the trials of escaping slaves headed into Canada. Katie's farm happens to butt up against the best route for those escaping their bondage and traveling to freedom, and soon enough Katie and Star encounter a young girl on just such a journey. Katie rejects the idea that she should stand idly by and watch a human being be captured and beaten by her captors. Instead, she reacts with courage and bravery, as does Star, as they double down to find a way to help their new friend.
  
  Horse lovers will relish these stories being told from the horse's point of view. Experiencing the newness of words, concepts, and sights with Star was a delight. He drank in all the information his mother sent his way, and then lightens the mood with his innocent musings, "I wanted to race after the blue jay to the place called wherever they want." It was a nice touch of realism that he didn't immediately understand everything he was being told, but cataloged it for later use anyway. I love that these books also incorporate history - both the history of the location in which the story is set and the history of the horse breed featured. In this case the story wraps in the adversity of its time - runaway slaves and those who helped them escape. It also uses characteristics of Morgan horses to build out Star's character. At the end of the book, after the story has finished, the author also includes more detailed information about the horse breed and the location/setting.
• 
  Emory Ivie

  This is a wonderful series that I well-enjoyed during my younger years, and when I was about seven years old it was my ultimate favorite. We all loved the story of Black Beauty, and this series has the same idea - a horse telling its own story during the historical time it lives. There are so many books to read in this series, and though they don't need to be read in order, as each novel presents new characters with new conflicts, but they take place in the order of the historical time. It's really cool for a young kid to be able to read the thoughts of a horse through a fictional book and learn more about the breed it highlights and the history centered around the breed's origin.
  
  These books are absolutely wonderful and very informative. After the entertaining story, there is a little section in the back that teaches about the breed and its uses during a specific time period. They are clean, entertaining, and such a great read for any 7 to 10-year-old child. If you love horses and history, be sure to check out Horse Diaries!
• 
  Hααlεч ♥

  This was a really nice book. I love that these include historical elements. This particular one was about a Morgan horse named Star and his owner Katie that find a runaway slave and promise to help her to safety.
  While the story was short and simple, it was entertaining.
  I wish there was more because I wonder what happened with Katie and the slavecatchers after Star escaped.
• 
  Gerri Leen

  I love these because they are so beautifully illustrated (this one especially), combine history (both of a type of horse but also of a time and place) with story in a lovely way, and are such fast reads. This is a very sweet story. On to the next one.
• 
  ArgyleDragon

  Not as good as the first one. Another river rescue felt a little boring, but the suspense of the escape to Canada was exciting. The appendix of this one was an interesting peak into American history in relation to slavery.
• 
  Ron Weasly

  Bell's Star. That is one hard workin' sweetie pie. Bell's star is a awsome book.
• 
  Abrigella Bryn

  I love this book that’s all I can say it was so good
• 
  Dylan

  A really good book
• 
  Lily Thomas

  I think that this is the Horse Diaries book I have read the least. However, the pictures are still fun and the plot is exciting and engaging.
  
• 
  Kami

  - I thought Elska was super cute, but this book was just as cute with an element of danger. I loved it!
  
  - These are some very well written intermediate books. I'm so glad Gnome and I found these.
  
  - Katie and Star are so brave, and they just want to do what is right, no matter the cost.
  
  - The message of this book is something we all need.
  
  - Gnome loved that the girl and horse were trying to help another person. I'm really proud of her for understanding and sympathizing with this story.
• 
  Rebecca

  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.
• 
  David

  
  As a fan of Ruth Sanderson's art, a friend suggested I might read a series of books written for children, and illustrted by Sanderson. This is the first one I have read, and I kind of liked it.
  
  I have an aversion to the fact that all the books about horsies seem to focus on the 'little girls love horses' and so I started out with a considerable bias there. More little girls and horsies. Hey, ya know, BOYS love horses too, you know. hrmf.
  
  This story twines the history and behavior of the Morgan horse breed, with the Historical era in which slaves were fleeing to Canada for freedom. A little girl whose best friend is a Morgan born on thier fam, finds a runaway slave who is her own age... and the adventure begins.
  
  I thought it was fairly well written, but you might want to read it with your child if they're very young, because it hints at some very dark issues of the time, without really explaining them- and kids have a way of turning vaguaries into nightmares. It has a VERY happy ending, and then a chapter about both the Bree of horse, the Morgan, and the situation of Slavery at that time in that place. That makes it much better, in my opinion!
• 
  Ellen

  This second book in the series has improved on the first, but the Dog Diaries series has a leg up on both of them. Maybe it's because the whole Dog Diaries series has been written by the same person so far. I like the consistent style and voice. We don't have that here. There was just a certain something about the way Klimo interwove the history with the perspective of one animal's voice.
  
  Even so, Bell's Star is a solid story. The horse in this story is involved with rescuing a young fugitive slave and reuniting her with her family in Canada. I am certain fans of either series will enjoy this one.
• 
  Wendy

  I read this to my horse-loving daughter, and she enjoyed it quite a bit. I was put off by the whole "white girl rescues poor little black slave girl, who only has like two lines in the whole book" thing. But to be fair, the horse's role is what's really emphasized, as well as the horse's coming of age story.