Saving Emily

by Nicholas Read

This unique, sensitively written novel for young readers about life on a modern farm skillfully interweaves two stories, one from the animal perspective of a cow named Emily and the other from the human viewpoint of a twelve-year-old boy named Chris. Author Nicholas Read eloquently describes how two very different lives encounter similar disruptions and are ultimately brought together in a life-and-death adventure.Though Emily's early experiences on the farm are pleasant, she soon senses her mother's unmistakable signals that all is not well. Before long she must face the cruel realities of branding, a livestock market, confinement in a feedlot, and finally a frightening ride in a cattle truck. Chris, too, is dealing with the harsh reality of a broken home and being forced to move from the city to the country to start a new life when his mother decides to remarry. Compared to the busy city, Chris finds the country to be a lonely place, and he has trouble making friends until he meets Gina, a true free spirit with a love for animals. How Chris and Gina scheme to rescue Emily from a sad fate makes a fascinating and instructive tale.Parents who care about animals will want their children to read this charming, engrossing story.

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although plenty of Juv fiction books star dogs, hardly any star cows. Undervalued author Nicholas Read attempts to right this with Saving Emily, a tale of a boy and a calf whose paths cross in an unexpected way.

This book discusses the reality of modern animal faming, but skittish parents should not dismiss it as propaganda. All of the characters, including the ranchers, are multi-shaded individuals with their own reasons for behaving the way they do. Scenes of life on the ranch do include branding, tagging, and other inhumane practices visited upon cattle. I do wish the author had left out the (albeit brief) scene of the ranchers gelding the male calves. Not because this isn’t reality, but rather because it’s really skirting the line with touchy American parents, teachers, and librarians—particularly those in urban and suburban areas who aren’t exposed to the day-to-day activities of farm life.

Saving Emily is a much-needed contribution to humane literature that explores a perspective little seen in animal stories—that of a farm animal. It is my hope that it receives a wider audience. With this in mind, I purchased this book for my library.