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A review by birdkeeperklink
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
3.0
I was fortunate enough to read this as an adult, rather than as a child. Despite the simplistic writing and the fact that this is a 'boy and his horse' story, I don't believe this is really a book for children--at least not young children who have no parental guidance while reading.
At least one horse dies fairly gruesomely, and while it isn't described in detail, it's made pretty clear that the horse bled to death during an operation to remove an undescended testicle. Oh, and this is just a page after it's described how nice and sweet that same horse is, and how much Ken likes it. Young children will probably be traumatized if they're not warned about this in advance, and/or if their parent doesn't take the time to explain it and comfort them. Also, Flicka herself is in grave danger several times during the book.
Nevertheless, if the child is old enough and has an adult available to counsel them if necessary, I think they could handle it. It probably depends on the child and how sensitive they are.
Having read it as an adult, the simplistic writing made it a fast, easy read. I enjoyed it, but I felt O'Hara was trying to say too many things within the same book, so the messages sort of got tangled up and lost in each other. In the end, I wasn't sure what her point was. All 'deeper meaning' aside, it's a pretty good story as well. Ken is fairly likable, and of course Flicka is a sweetheart.
At least one horse dies fairly gruesomely, and while it isn't described in detail, it's made pretty clear that the horse bled to death during an operation to remove an undescended testicle. Oh, and this is just a page after it's described how nice and sweet that same horse is, and how much Ken likes it. Young children will probably be traumatized if they're not warned about this in advance, and/or if their parent doesn't take the time to explain it and comfort them. Also, Flicka herself is in grave danger several times during the book.
Nevertheless, if the child is old enough and has an adult available to counsel them if necessary, I think they could handle it. It probably depends on the child and how sensitive they are.
Having read it as an adult, the simplistic writing made it a fast, easy read. I enjoyed it, but I felt O'Hara was trying to say too many things within the same book, so the messages sort of got tangled up and lost in each other. In the end, I wasn't sure what her point was. All 'deeper meaning' aside, it's a pretty good story as well. Ken is fairly likable, and of course Flicka is a sweetheart.