Centaur Rising

In Yolen's subtle historical fantasy, magic infiltrates the weary lives of a Quaker horse-farming family in the year 1964. Thirteen-year-old Arianne lives with her six-year-old brother, Robbie, who was born with birth defects resulting from thalidomide, and her mother, who has been depressed since the departure of her estranged husband. On the night of a Perseid meteor shower, Arianne witnesses an inexplicable flash of light in the field. One year later, her beloved pony, Agora, gives birth to an adorable, redheaded centaur. The family is charmed and uplifted by Kai, the rapidly growing "pony boy" with two hearts. Yet they worry he will be discovered, judged, and harmed by curious outsiders. Yolen (The Hostage Prince) strikes an elegant balance between fantasy and verisimilitude in her rural, historical setting. Allusions to Cold War-era apprehensions and panic over the world's end (Arianne's classmate calls her a "communist" because she dismisses a recent upsurge in end times prophecies) contribute to a multilayered story that explores human and animal relationships, as well as the triumph of compassion over fear. Ages 8-12. 

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