*Review
created for Texas Woman’s University graduate level class*
1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Steifvater, Maggie. 2011. THE SCORPIO RACES. New
York. Scholastic Press. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1
2.
SUMMARY
The
Scorpio Races feature a mix of
different legends and myths about the water horses. In this novel the water horses, called capaill uisce surge out of the ocean
every fall, hungry and looking for meat.
Once they come upon shore, teenage boys and men capture the capaill to train. The Scorpio Races, an event held every year
in November is where the horses, sea mad and thirsting for fresh blood, are
raced on the beach. The winner of the
races is given an extremely large cash prize.
Puck, or Kate Connelly, an orphan because her parents were killed by the
capaill usice decides to ride in the
races, the first girl to ever do so, to try to delay her older brother Gabe
from leaving the island. Sean Kendrick is
a four time winner of the Scorpio Races, and rides one of the water horses that
he himself caught, and trained for his boss.
Sean, who lost his father to the races, loves Corr, the blood red capaill usice stallion, and wants to buy
him from his owner. In order to buy him,
he has to win the race, and earn enough money to do so. Kate and Sean meet, and end up training
together for the races, and fall in love.
Will love be enough to save them from the races, can Kate compete on her
island pony Dove, and will Sean be able to buy Corr? I guess you will have to read to find out.
3.
CRITICAL
REVIEW
Stiefvater creates an intriguing and beautifully
rendered low fantasy novel. Her story is
set on an island in the sea. Young
people frequently leave behind the island for jobs on the mainland. However, there is something different about
this island, the island is home to the water horses, or capaill usice, or the singular capall
usice. The water horses surge out of
the sea every October and November; they are vicious, and attack both animals
and humans alike. “The island becomes a map
of safe areas and unsafe areas, because unless you’re one of the riders, you
don’t want to be around when a capall
usice goes crazy.” Puck is an average
tom boy who had to grow up too fast because of the death of her parents. Her nerve, daring, and sarcasm are engaging,
and both girls and boys can relate to her, and her feelings of abandonment. Sean was left to raise himself after his
mother left the island and him behind, and his father was killed in the Scorpio
Races. He takes a job training horses
and the capaill usice for the richest
man on the island, all the while dreaming of owning Corr, the blood red
stallion he caught and trained. Teen
boys are sure to love Sean, a young man who has been alone for too long, and desperately wants freedom.
The plot moves along, slowly at first, laying the
groundwork for both the main characters and their backstory, and allows time
for the characters to grow and evolve.
The setting is modern, which we can see from mentions of planes and the
Morris, the Connelly’s old ramshackle car which breaks down more often than it
runs. Stiefvater provides vivid
descriptions, of both the sea, and the island.
“Even under the brightest sun, the frigid autumn sea is all the colors
of the night: dark blue and black and brown.”
Because of the vivid descriptions the reader can see the churning of the
dark, forbidding sea. The theme of the
story is common, can love truly conquer all?
Stiefvater, and her vivid, stark descriptions allow the reader to
suspend the disbelief that there are horses that surge out of the sea, hungry,
and sea mad. The opening line of the
story immediately catches the reader’s attention, begging for more, pleading to
understand, “it is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” Readers will want to know why someone will
die, why isn’t November 1st like every other day?
4.
REVIEWS
Starred Kirkus Review
“legend of the water horse into a taut, chilling, romantic adventure.”…
Kirkus Reviews
“As
a study of courage and loyalty tested, however, it is an utterly compelling
read.”… Publishers Weekly
ALA
Notable Children’s Books for 2012
5. CONNECTIONS
Read the Shiver Trilogy by
Maggie Stiefavter
Research other water horse legends and discuss the differences between
the different legends and Steifvater’s novel
Read other books about faeries, werewolves, and water horses
Brown Bag book report-find objects that relate to the book such as an
orange, a honey cake, a car, and a horse figurine
Works Cited
Kirkus
Reviews. "The Scorpio Races." Accessed August 7, 2012. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maggie-stiefvater/scorpio-races/#review.
Maggie
Stiefvater. "The Scorpio Races." Accessed August 7, 2012. http://maggiestiefvater.com/.
Publishers
Weekly. "Children's Review: The Scorpio Races." Accessed August 7,
2012. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-545-22490-1.
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