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Beauty
She was an old horse, but she could still run like a champ. Grampa warned him to be careful with Beauty, but Luke didn't listen. He'd told her all about his hopes, dreams, and fears -- secrets Beauty would never reveal. She was his pal, who went skinny dipping with him in forbidden ponds and galloping after cattle in dangerous cowboy games he knew he shouldn't play. Until the night of the wild storm, when Beauty raced through the barn doors he'd forgotten to close into a terrible trap, and Luke ran into the blinding rain desperate to save the best friend he'd ever have...
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
22 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Bill Wallace
100 books187 followersBill Wallace was an American teacher and later an author of children's books. He started writing to quiet down his fourth grade students, who loved his stories and encouraged him to make “real” books.
Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.
Bill Wallace has won numerous children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
Bill Wallace died from Lung cancer on January 30, 2012.
Former elementary school teacher; West Elementary School, Chickasha, OK, principal, since 1977, and physical education teacher. Speaker at schools and universities in various states, including State University of New York and University of South Florida.
AWARDS:
Bluebonnet Award from Texas Association of School Librarians and Children's Round Table and Sequoyah Children's Book Award from Oklahoma State Department of Education, both 1983, Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Nebraska Golden Sowers Award from Nebraska Library Association, 1985, all for A Dog Called Kitty; Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Pine Tree Book Award, 1985, both for Trapped in Death Cave.
Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.
Bill Wallace has won numerous children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
Bill Wallace died from Lung cancer on January 30, 2012.
Former elementary school teacher; West Elementary School, Chickasha, OK, principal, since 1977, and physical education teacher. Speaker at schools and universities in various states, including State University of New York and University of South Florida.
AWARDS:
Bluebonnet Award from Texas Association of School Librarians and Children's Round Table and Sequoyah Children's Book Award from Oklahoma State Department of Education, both 1983, Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Nebraska Golden Sowers Award from Nebraska Library Association, 1985, all for A Dog Called Kitty; Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Pine Tree Book Award, 1985, both for Trapped in Death Cave.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
October 11, 2013
This book changed my life! I was in elementary school. Everyone was donating really old, torn, boring books to our grade. Everyone expected me to get a book about horses (I do horseback riding and I'm a girl, no dur!) I was about to pick up some dumb book about unicorns and rainbows, but in the corner of my eye, I saw this book just sitting there. It was previously owned by one of our old school teachers. It was in poor condition, but something told me I had to read it. I gave up a read a few pages. ADDICTION! I was glued to the book. It was no ordinary story about a horse. IT WAS A HEARTWARMING STORY ABOUT BONDS! I cried at the end.According to my 5th grade reading teacher, crying is a sign that the book is good. I remember my teacher saying she tried her best not to cry when reading us stories, but crying is a good sign. The book will always be my good luck charm. ALWAYS!
January 28, 2024
Beauty is written from a child's perspective. His Dad has left and he and his Mom are forced to leave their home in Colorado to move in with his Grampa on his farm. Nothing chases the sadness except Beauty an old white mare his Mom once rode. A bond of love leads the boy to maturity and great joy and crushing sacrifice. This is a kids book that has the heart to endure in the reader's mind. A story of beauty.
April 17, 2015
Some books you loved as a kid don't stand the test of time. When you reread them as an adult you're left wondering why you loved it to begin with. In this case, not so. Never. It will always be amazing.
September 28, 2017
***Rated by my daughter***
My daughter said it only gets 4 stars instead of 5 because the book made her cry. I guess she's not old enough yet to realize that it's a good thing if the writing is powerful enough to bring out those emotions.
My daughter said it only gets 4 stars instead of 5 because the book made her cry. I guess she's not old enough yet to realize that it's a good thing if the writing is powerful enough to bring out those emotions.
November 7, 2018
Just as good as I remembered it and I probably cried even harder this time because my 8 year old son was sitting beside me crying. Melts my heart to think that my son was crying over a book. Then he looks at me and says mama this is the first book that I have ever cried while reading! Can’t wait to read another Bill Wallace book!!
Read
July 6, 2013Still moves me to remember the story.. I read it in 6th grade but I'll have to re-read it sometime.
January 24, 2022
this was the first book i ever cried over
May 13, 2016
Book Review - Beauty
An Inspiring Adventure in the Oklahoma Dust
Rate out of 5 - ⅘
For my book review I chose to write about Beauty, as it is one of my favourite books after the series Heartland by Lauren Brooke.
This book is not part of a series. However, Bill Wallace is an author of many other books like ‘Eye of the Great Bear,’ ‘No Dogs Allowed,’ ‘Dog called Kitty’ and ‘Coyote Autumn.’ He has written approximately 45 books in total, and many of them are about animals, mainly directed to ages nine to fourteen. However, he has written other books that are a little more complex like “True Friends” or “Human Trafficking A.”
Bill Wallace was born in 1947 in Chickasha, Oklahoma, United States. He died on January 30th, 2012 in the same place he was born: Chickasha.
“Beauty” is a book of adventure, set in a Western type of environment. Then, to go with the Western environment, some of the characters are quite Western too, with the cowboys and all, making some of the conversations possibly confusing for some readers. Overall, Beauty is quite an easy read though.
The setting of this story is in the past, but sometimes when the characters are having a conversation, they talk in the present, but then soon enough jump back to the past.
It is all very realistic and could easily be a true story.
I find all the characters in this book quite likable, some may seem a little cold or stiff at the beginning of the book, but as you read deeper and learn more about their history, you start understanding the reasons for their actions and words.
Personally, my favorite character was Luke. Not every reader may perceive him in the same way, but I found that Luke was a very dynamic character, as at the start of the book, he was very closed to making peace with the situations he was living, but page by page he began to accept the truth and live with what he had.
It may be weird to look up to a character in a book, but I think that in the future Luke - making the best of what he has - could help me in some aspect of my life.
Also, Luke is a brave guy, and when it comes to decision making he listens to his heart, not his head, and his conclusions are made thinking about others too, not only himself.
Another thing I liked about this book, is that some parts of the story are - to me - impossible to predict. I was very surprised at the end when Luke made a decision that the least expected…
The first two sentences that Bill Wallace writes in ‘Beauty’ is: “Sometimes you remember dreams. Sometimes you don’t.”
At least for me, it definitely got me curious and straight away I’d asked questions, the first being: “Dream? What dream?”
The first chapter is mainly the introduction - told through his dream - and how Luke feels about the whole situation. There, he talks about his previous home, then where he and his mother moved to: Oklahoma. Overall, I’d say that chapter 1 is where the reader gets a good understanding of what’s going on and who is who.
The first problem Luke and his mother faced was a tough one, as after the father leaves the house, Luke’s mother loses her job and soon enough they run out of money. The only option available to them was to move from their apartment in Denver to Luke’s grandfather’s house in Oklahoma. This was tough, as neither of them wanted to, but money had become scarce and they had “barely enough for bus tickets.” (P7)
I think that anybody who is touched by bonds between people and animals (or even people and people) would love this book, as a lot of it is about the process of how Luke, the eleven-year-old boy in this story creates a very strong bond with the strong, old horse his mother used to ride. Other people who like stories with adventures, horses and dust will enjoy this too, as - as I have mentioned before - the setting is right next to Texas in the US, so the dust and the cowboys are major.
As for the age groups, I find it hard to direct this book to a specific one, as different level readers read in different ways, for example a ten-year-old could possibly have higher reading skills than a fifteen-year-old, but for my level I found it impeccable. Also, what I find really captivating is that there is no age limits - any adults would enjoy this book as much as I did, although they may get a slight different understanding to what I did. Therefore, I’d say about 11-year-olds to adults.
Bill Wallace did especially well in the last three chapters to get the reader to grip onto the book with hands, mind and 100% full attention.
My eyes were glued to the book and my fingers were shaking with excitement.
When I read good books, I do usually cry quite easily, and at the end of this one although I tried my best not to, I couldn’t help but get a few tears out. That shows that it was indeed a good book, and not only was the concept good, but Bill Wallace’s way of bringing this concept forward was even better. He has a way to anthropomorphise the book, I find it great!
So yes, I really do like his style of writing, especially in this book as western reads are one of my favourite genres… And he writes these extremely well!
Auriane
An Inspiring Adventure in the Oklahoma Dust
Rate out of 5 - ⅘
For my book review I chose to write about Beauty, as it is one of my favourite books after the series Heartland by Lauren Brooke.
This book is not part of a series. However, Bill Wallace is an author of many other books like ‘Eye of the Great Bear,’ ‘No Dogs Allowed,’ ‘Dog called Kitty’ and ‘Coyote Autumn.’ He has written approximately 45 books in total, and many of them are about animals, mainly directed to ages nine to fourteen. However, he has written other books that are a little more complex like “True Friends” or “Human Trafficking A.”
Bill Wallace was born in 1947 in Chickasha, Oklahoma, United States. He died on January 30th, 2012 in the same place he was born: Chickasha.
“Beauty” is a book of adventure, set in a Western type of environment. Then, to go with the Western environment, some of the characters are quite Western too, with the cowboys and all, making some of the conversations possibly confusing for some readers. Overall, Beauty is quite an easy read though.
The setting of this story is in the past, but sometimes when the characters are having a conversation, they talk in the present, but then soon enough jump back to the past.
It is all very realistic and could easily be a true story.
I find all the characters in this book quite likable, some may seem a little cold or stiff at the beginning of the book, but as you read deeper and learn more about their history, you start understanding the reasons for their actions and words.
Personally, my favorite character was Luke. Not every reader may perceive him in the same way, but I found that Luke was a very dynamic character, as at the start of the book, he was very closed to making peace with the situations he was living, but page by page he began to accept the truth and live with what he had.
It may be weird to look up to a character in a book, but I think that in the future Luke - making the best of what he has - could help me in some aspect of my life.
Also, Luke is a brave guy, and when it comes to decision making he listens to his heart, not his head, and his conclusions are made thinking about others too, not only himself.
Another thing I liked about this book, is that some parts of the story are - to me - impossible to predict. I was very surprised at the end when Luke made a decision that the least expected…
The first two sentences that Bill Wallace writes in ‘Beauty’ is: “Sometimes you remember dreams. Sometimes you don’t.”
At least for me, it definitely got me curious and straight away I’d asked questions, the first being: “Dream? What dream?”
The first chapter is mainly the introduction - told through his dream - and how Luke feels about the whole situation. There, he talks about his previous home, then where he and his mother moved to: Oklahoma. Overall, I’d say that chapter 1 is where the reader gets a good understanding of what’s going on and who is who.
The first problem Luke and his mother faced was a tough one, as after the father leaves the house, Luke’s mother loses her job and soon enough they run out of money. The only option available to them was to move from their apartment in Denver to Luke’s grandfather’s house in Oklahoma. This was tough, as neither of them wanted to, but money had become scarce and they had “barely enough for bus tickets.” (P7)
I think that anybody who is touched by bonds between people and animals (or even people and people) would love this book, as a lot of it is about the process of how Luke, the eleven-year-old boy in this story creates a very strong bond with the strong, old horse his mother used to ride. Other people who like stories with adventures, horses and dust will enjoy this too, as - as I have mentioned before - the setting is right next to Texas in the US, so the dust and the cowboys are major.
As for the age groups, I find it hard to direct this book to a specific one, as different level readers read in different ways, for example a ten-year-old could possibly have higher reading skills than a fifteen-year-old, but for my level I found it impeccable. Also, what I find really captivating is that there is no age limits - any adults would enjoy this book as much as I did, although they may get a slight different understanding to what I did. Therefore, I’d say about 11-year-olds to adults.
Bill Wallace did especially well in the last three chapters to get the reader to grip onto the book with hands, mind and 100% full attention.
My eyes were glued to the book and my fingers were shaking with excitement.
When I read good books, I do usually cry quite easily, and at the end of this one although I tried my best not to, I couldn’t help but get a few tears out. That shows that it was indeed a good book, and not only was the concept good, but Bill Wallace’s way of bringing this concept forward was even better. He has a way to anthropomorphise the book, I find it great!
So yes, I really do like his style of writing, especially in this book as western reads are one of my favourite genres… And he writes these extremely well!
Auriane
October 21, 2010
Beauty Book Review
I thought this book was great. I loved every part of it except the ending. It starts out with a boy named Luke. His parents are fighting all the time and one day his dad just leaves. After his dad leaves his mom loses her job. So, his grandpa invites them to live with him. When Luke moves in he thinks his grandpa is a cranky, fussy, old man. Then his grandpa buys the horse his mom used to ride as a kid. When Luke starts riding Beauty he has no success. When he finally gets the hang of it his grandpa wants him to ride a boy's horse, not old Beauty. So, he starts riding lessons with the neighbor, Mike. There he meets a new friend, Joshua. He and Joshua play football together. One day Luke grandfather gets in an accident. When his mom and Mike are visiting his grandpa at the hospital there is a terrible storm. Beauty escapes from the corral and get stuck in the cattle guard. He calls his grandpa and faces the most difficult decision of his life. Will Beauty live or die? Does Luke kill his own horse or leave her to suffer? Read this book and find out. I have never read a Bill Wallace book I didn't like. I don't think you will either.
I thought this book was great. I loved every part of it except the ending. It starts out with a boy named Luke. His parents are fighting all the time and one day his dad just leaves. After his dad leaves his mom loses her job. So, his grandpa invites them to live with him. When Luke moves in he thinks his grandpa is a cranky, fussy, old man. Then his grandpa buys the horse his mom used to ride as a kid. When Luke starts riding Beauty he has no success. When he finally gets the hang of it his grandpa wants him to ride a boy's horse, not old Beauty. So, he starts riding lessons with the neighbor, Mike. There he meets a new friend, Joshua. He and Joshua play football together. One day Luke grandfather gets in an accident. When his mom and Mike are visiting his grandpa at the hospital there is a terrible storm. Beauty escapes from the corral and get stuck in the cattle guard. He calls his grandpa and faces the most difficult decision of his life. Will Beauty live or die? Does Luke kill his own horse or leave her to suffer? Read this book and find out. I have never read a Bill Wallace book I didn't like. I don't think you will either.
November 4, 2018
I read this book with my daughter for her third great book report. Having horses and my wife’s recommendation, we chose this book.
This book combines the difficulty of changing life circumstances (Luke’s parents divorce, a bad economy and a forced move to a new community), with youthful joy of life, with an aging, grumpy (but loving) grandpa, a mom starting to date again, love of horses and awful tragedy.
This may be one of the best books that I never read in childhood. For my money, better than Old Yeller.
This book is a classic - a tear jerker - a wonderful read. In the end, you can’t help but feel the feelings of each character from Lucas, to crusty old grandpa, to good old Mike down the road who rips out the d@mn cattle guard at the end. If you rate a book by its ability to make you feel, this one can’t miss. I recommend with a very rare 5 star rating.
This book combines the difficulty of changing life circumstances (Luke’s parents divorce, a bad economy and a forced move to a new community), with youthful joy of life, with an aging, grumpy (but loving) grandpa, a mom starting to date again, love of horses and awful tragedy.
This may be one of the best books that I never read in childhood. For my money, better than Old Yeller.
This book is a classic - a tear jerker - a wonderful read. In the end, you can’t help but feel the feelings of each character from Lucas, to crusty old grandpa, to good old Mike down the road who rips out the d@mn cattle guard at the end. If you rate a book by its ability to make you feel, this one can’t miss. I recommend with a very rare 5 star rating.
July 8, 2010
This book was really good. A sad ending though.
October 18, 2012
Sad, stupid ending.
May 7, 2018
So sad! :( Made me cry. Beautiful horse live on!!! :)
Read
October 15, 2019Favorite book still cry
October 8, 2019
This is one of those books from my childhood that I will always have some interesting ties with and also some fond memories. First of all I came across this book when I was trying to re-find a book with the same title by Robin McKinley and although they definitely aren't the same writing I chose to read it since of course this one also included a horse on it.
The book to me is a sweet coming-of-age story that more or less resembles an Old Yeller-type book but with a horse in place of the dog. As a result it is a bit of a nice change of animal characters, especially since in this telling the young protagonist is a boy and not a clichéd girl horse story. As a result some will think this is a book for boys but I honestly think either gender will approve of the story since it is so relatable.
The author has a way of using words that are simple and sweet to young readers while at the same time using their power to capture the emotions so well. As a result there are places where I laughed, places where I was able to relate to the young boy and the proverbial weeping towards the end. And in many ways re-reading it reminds me of how much it hit close to home for me in my own years in a family that was torn apart.
Although not deemed a classic by any standard for those who read it this will be a book that stands time and it is just as touching each time you read it as it was when you first found Beauty.
The book to me is a sweet coming-of-age story that more or less resembles an Old Yeller-type book but with a horse in place of the dog. As a result it is a bit of a nice change of animal characters, especially since in this telling the young protagonist is a boy and not a clichéd girl horse story. As a result some will think this is a book for boys but I honestly think either gender will approve of the story since it is so relatable.
The author has a way of using words that are simple and sweet to young readers while at the same time using their power to capture the emotions so well. As a result there are places where I laughed, places where I was able to relate to the young boy and the proverbial weeping towards the end. And in many ways re-reading it reminds me of how much it hit close to home for me in my own years in a family that was torn apart.
Although not deemed a classic by any standard for those who read it this will be a book that stands time and it is just as touching each time you read it as it was when you first found Beauty.
April 25, 2023
Okay... first of all, I thought the beginning of the book was boring. then when I got to the middle, I was LITTERALLY LOVING IT!! I didn't want the MIDDLE to end!! The end of the book was just plain terrible!! I hated the end! I don't like to spoil endings, but I can't help but talk about it. What the end to me should be, is a nice happy ending. I guess my dreams aren't able to come true... :(
Alright, tell me, who likes a story about a horse! anyone!? yes, no. What about a dead horse?? I sure don't. I
think I would reread it, maybe, but after I long forget it! :) then I'll pull it out of a bookshelf and think:
'This might be good.' and read it. Until the end.
Where is Mike when you need him? Out at lunch with Carol! On a stormy day, and a maybe twelve-year-old at home, by himself, with basically NOTHING TO DO!! (Other than to kill his horse.) Just to sit in the tub and wait. Poor horse... I would hate to be trapped in a cattle guard!
like I said earlier, maybe a reread book. but definitely NOT five stars!!
Alright, tell me, who likes a story about a horse! anyone!? yes, no. What about a dead horse?? I sure don't. I
think I would reread it, maybe, but after I long forget it! :) then I'll pull it out of a bookshelf and think:
'This might be good.' and read it. Until the end.
Where is Mike when you need him? Out at lunch with Carol! On a stormy day, and a maybe twelve-year-old at home, by himself, with basically NOTHING TO DO!! (Other than to kill his horse.) Just to sit in the tub and wait. Poor horse... I would hate to be trapped in a cattle guard!
like I said earlier, maybe a reread book. but definitely NOT five stars!!
September 20, 2018
Beauty is about a boy who's going through a rough patch in his life, finding comfort in his mom's old horse, Beauty. Luke forms a bond with her and makes friends through a horse riding at his neighbors. One night there's a terrible storm and Luke is face with a difficult decision. Personally, I enjoyed this book. It's a short, light-hearted book with a good plot line and character development, the only part I didn't like was the emotional part near the end although the ending was nice. I recommend this book to other readers because it's easy to get into, and the writing is great. A quote from the book is, "'Fact is, you're the only one I've ever told stuff like that to." I thought out loud." This quote made me smile because Luke trusts Beauty, telling her things he wouldn't dare say out loud. Over all, this was a good, and well written book, even with the emotional ending.
November 10, 2025
Just for the record, this part of the book's description above is false: "Until the night of the wild storm, when Beauty raced through the barn doors he'd forgotten to close into a terrible trap, and Luke ran into the blinding rain desperate to save the best friend he'd ever have..."
He did not forget to close the barn doors. Please, the boy suffered too much without having to feel responsible for what happened.
I picked up this book from a library free bin, it's about a horse and a boy; my sons love horse stories. The central message of the book is beautiful and timeless. But I guess I'll just be honest, a subplot about the romance between his newly divorced mom and the burly neighbor man means I'll probably pass the book on to someone who is more okay than I am with this lifestyle.
He did not forget to close the barn doors. Please, the boy suffered too much without having to feel responsible for what happened.
I picked up this book from a library free bin, it's about a horse and a boy; my sons love horse stories. The central message of the book is beautiful and timeless. But I guess I'll just be honest, a subplot about the romance between his newly divorced mom and the burly neighbor man means I'll probably pass the book on to someone who is more okay than I am with this lifestyle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2019
This is the second Bill Wallace children's book I've read, and with both books he tells a great story involving animals. This particular story was enjoyable, but children who are not used to some of the tough things that happen on a farm might struggle with the ending. Wallace tells the story of a young boy, Luke, who's not happy about his parents' divorce, his father abandoning him, and the move from Denver to a farm in Oklahoma to live with a grandfather who seems harsh. The theme of the story seems to be, "You can do hard things in spite of life's challenges that keep coming, as long as you keep working and trying," and it's presented in a sweet, uplifting way.
Read
March 7, 2023Layla read this book because she loves horses and will read almost any book that is about a horse. The story had a great introduction and she liked the way the characters were introduced. The story kept a great pace and kept her attention. WARNING: an animal does die in the story, and it is really sad. But Layla seem to understand and was able to continue reading the story. She says it does have a happy ending and she liked the story.
August 29, 2017
This book was about a mother who moves with her son back home with to live with her father. The boy has a hard time adjusting to the new lifestyle from living in New Jersey to now living in Oklahoma. His grandfather gets him a horse and he really takes to it and enjoys caring for it. I thought this book was great I liked it a lot.
February 21, 2018
I loved this book when I was little. I read it probably a hundred times. I think it is the first book that made me bawl. I still can't think about it too hard without wanting to cry. It's such a beautiful story about learning independence and also the grave responsibility of friendship.
100% would tell anyone to read this book.
100% would tell anyone to read this book.
March 7, 2024
I read this book when I was in 8th grade I believe and then had to make a book report on it. This was the first book that I ever read that made me genuinely like writing. It was also the first book to make me absolutely sob. I was never super in to horses or anything but the bond and true care put into this book is astounding.
May 8, 2018
This was the first book to ever make me cry. It was a moving account of the main character's adventures with a horse named Beauty. Since I grew up on a farm, the description of the fateful cattle guard at the end was one I could not easily forget.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2020
Written with the perspective of a true cowboy and perfectly targeted to a young audience. Wallace is a master writer! His stories artfully flow and connect to produce heartwarming tales for all ages. Luke’s adventures will not be soon forgotten!
May 31, 2022
I had read this book several years ago and re-read it recently. I liked the story because of the friendship between Luke and his horse, Beauty. I thought the novel was somewhat engaging both times I read it. It was a decent book but not a favorite.
August 14, 2022
I laughed. I cried. I laughed again. My bestie let me borrow her personalized copy, and yeah. I cried. I knew it would be a fast read because of the reading level, page count, and the font. Just ONCE I’d like to read a book centered around a horse and not cry.
January 10, 2026
A little mature for my five year old but she really loved it. The death of some animals and the family dynamic isn’t something I thought my child would want to read but it was good and developed some tough topics to discuss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2020
your books are the best when i started to read your books i couldn't stop i even got i trouble because i would sneak my book in my bed thanks
June 24, 2020
Touching story. I would recommend this book as a prequel to stories such as for beginning novel readersOld Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, ect.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews