Dirt

by Denise Gosliner Orenstein

Things are hard for eleven-year-old Yonder. Her mother died and her father has sunk into sadness. She doesn't have a friend to her name . . . except for Dirt, the Shetland pony next door.
Dirt has problems of his own. He's overweight, he's always in trouble, and his owner is the mean Miss Enid, who doesn't have the patience for a pony's natural curiosity. His only friend is Yonder, the scrawny girl next door.
So when Miss Enid makes the cruel decision to sell Dirt for horsemeat, Yonder knows she has to find a way to rescue him. Even if that means stealing Dirt away and sneaking him into her own house. What follows will make you worry, will make you cry, and will ultimately fill you with hope, love, and an unshakable belief in the power of friendship. Especially the four-legged kind.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Animals, Fiction, Childrens, Death, Grief

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 2017

About the author

Denise Gosliner Orenstein is a graduate of Bennington College and Brown University. Her career in education includes teaching at American University in Washington, D.C. as well as in bush villages thoughout the state of Alaska. Additionally, she has cooked for for an Alaskan village prison, worked as a PEN prison writing mentor, taught literature classes and assisted in a canine therapy program for inmates. Most recently, as head of a school for children with learning differences, she introduced a curriculum based on two rescued Shetland ponies. Denise is the mother of two daughters and lives in Northampton, MA with her dogs, Luke and Lily.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/denise-g...

Reviews

[Korrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet book!

[Ryn Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yonder’s mother has died, and her father has turned from a playful, adoring dad to a grieving alcoholic, wasting away in his bedroom and barely remembering Yonder is alive. Yonder, an elective mute, keeps things together at home, and struggles silently through middle school, the frequent target of a pack of school bullies. Dirt is a filthy and overweight Shetland pony, who will eat anything in sight and loves attention. A friendship springs up between the two outcasts, but trouble brews in the form of an overly perky social worker, and Dirt’s obnoxious owner, a stingy woman determined to sell the worthless pony for horsemeat. When Yonder is suspended for retaliating against her tormentors, she uses the time to hide Dirt from his owner… by moving him into her bedroom. As social services closes in on her, removing her into state custody and her father takes a turn for the worse, Yonder must find a way to save her pony and put her family back together.

While Dirt may appear to be a lighthearted tale, and parts of it are certainly humorous, the story is much grittier than the cover suggests. Older middle-grade readers will sympathize with Yonder, her grief, her worry over Dirt and her need to connect to something or someone that understands her completely. Although somewhat stereotypical in its negative portrayal of foster families and including a few very two-dimensional villians, Dirt is still a powerful story of a girl’s journey through grief and the importance of family.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl dealing with grief and abandonment finds a friend in an overweight, overly ornery, Shetland pony and together they face a hostile world. The main protagonist, Yonder, and "Dirt", the pony, are well formed characters but the other characters didn't feel "real" at any time. It is a cute story. Unfortunately, the reading level is about 6th grade while the story will appeal more to someone at a 3-4th grade level making it a hard book to recommend unless you have someone who reads above their grade level.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book but I was hooked by page 3. I can’t wait to share this with my 4th graders.

[Tyler Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked a librarian for a fun adventure and she recommended this. Was it a fun adventure? No. (Looking at you Pool!) Was it an emotional rollercoaster I was unprepared for? Yes.

Fantastic story.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Voice is different than speech, although most people think it's the same. Your voice is who you really are, not who you pretend to be."

Yonder hasn't spoken a word in 4 years, after the death of her mother. "I decided not to speak. Silence seemed safer." And to say life has been a struggle is an understatement. For one thing, Heywood Prune, the "biggest bully in my life," never seems to let up and when you don't speak, there's not a lot you can do to defend yourself. Then there's Yonder's father, who also hasn't taken the death of his wife very well. There are a lot of days where he just stays in his bed, drinking his "cider." Because he doesn't work all that often, Yonder doesn't have a lot to eat ... most days it's bread and water.

Things begin to change, though, after Yonder is suspended from school because of an altercation with Heywood Prune. The Principal gives her two days, but Yonder decides to take a week instead. "Why shouldn't I live it up and prolong the suspension as long as I liked? Who would even notice or care?" And it is during one of those days off that the Shetland pony arrives. Yonder is sitting on her front step minding her own business when the pony first appears. Yonder knows that the pony belongs to Miss Enid, who is one mean woman. She "hissed at anyone who crossed her path." Miss Enid would talk about the pony beast that "ate everything in his line of sight." Not wanting to get in trouble, Yonder shoos the pony away by thinking Git and the pony seems to understand.

But when the pony keeps coming around, Yonder isn't so quick to shoo it away. And as she gets to know the devilish little creature, she names him Dirt, because of his fondness for rolling in mud and dirt. "By the Sunday after my suspension, there was little doubt. Dirt could hear me, although I didn't speak." The bond between Yonder and Dirt is becoming stronger. "I guess I was going crazy after all. But if crazy was becoming friends with a pony who understood me, I was okay with it." So what's going to happen when Yonder has to go back to school? Will Dirt wander back to Miss Enid's? Or somewhere else?

Yonder is about to face that dilemma because Trudy Trumpet, social worker, shows up at the house looking to see why Yonder never returned from her suspension. Yonder knows that she doesn't have much choice now that Trudy the Terrible has come to call. "And so, like an escapee returning to prison, I finally skulked regretfully through Robert Frost's front door." What will she find when she returns home after school? She comes home to find that Dirt has made himself comfortable ... in the house. So he becomes Yonder's roommate. And the more Yonder spends time with Dirt, the more certain she is that Dirt can understand her thoughts and even her feelings. Yonder finds comfort in Dirt. "Funny how his heavy head on my shoulder always made me feel lighter. Sometimes, the weight of a friend who needs you can lessen your load."

Unfortunately, when social services stops by to see that a pony is living in the house and that Yonder's father isn't taking proper care of his daughter, they move Yonder into foster care. How can they take Yonder away from the only friend that she has? And what is going to happen to Dirt without Yonder to take care of him? Will Miss Enid sell him? Or worse?

My students have been buzzing about this book, so I'm glad I finally read it. I can see how they are drawn to the idea of finding someone who hears you and really knows who you are inside, even if it's a pet. Though Yonder often makes bad choices, she has a good heart. And she does come to see that she needs to trust other people in order to make her life better. In the author's note, the author describes her experience with using Shetland ponies in a school for children with learning differences and how those ponies had a profound impact on those students. I've had students 4th grade and up reading this one.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book. The cover is cute as heck and I wanted some new horse material to recommend to students. I'll give it to the author on the quality of the writing. She has a good sense of character and voice. Because of that I wouldn't go below 3 stars on the rating.

Here's the problem. This book has every negative theme out there in middle grade literature. In fact, I've now decided that not only do I need a bookshelf for teen angst books, but now also a middle grade angst shelf. I'm sad that middle grade books, which I once considered a delightful respite from the "woe is me" attitude in YA fiction, has now become infected with the same darkness. In this book you have bullying, a dead mother, a dysfunctional father, a traumatized girl who skips school and doesn't speak, and foster care. This is what realistic fiction has been reduced to. That's why fantasy has surpassed every other genre in popularity at my school.

What I was hoping for in this book was a Shiloh inspired book with a pony rescued from its nasty owner, housed in a shed, and taken care of by a child with responsible parents. Maybe a little mischievous behavior from the child by stealing apples from an orchard. That's not exactly what you get. I like the premise of a girl falling in love with a pony. I understand her obsession with saving him from the meat factory. I like her determination to escape from foster care and find him at all costs. All of that makes a good story. I just wish it had been a little more uplifting. And what's with all the clueless adults? The teachers aren't sympathetic. The social worker is incompetent. The foster care mother is obnoxious.

This book came at the same time I reached my saturation point for negative middle grade books. If your students/kids are cool with the heavy burdens of kids in recent literature, then by all means read this one. As I mentioned, the writing is good. I'm on the fence about whether kids will like it.

[Josie Fortman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book! I do recommend! If you like horse books you’ll love this! It’s about a girl who finds a Shetland pony and they have a very fun adventure. You’ll have to read to find out the rest!

[Savanna Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My father once explained that they named me Yonder because there’s always something to learn, way up ahead, yonder. Always a surprise right around the corner, sometimes sweet and sometimes sad, but always a fork in the road that could change your life.” “Dirt” by Denise Gosliner Orenstein, tells a story about an eleven-year old girl struggling with loss from her mother who died unexpectedly in a car crash. Yonder doesn’t have any friends, or at least any normal ones. Her best friend becomes this Shetland pony, Dirt, from next door. Dirt begins to make daily meetings with Yonder, then Miss Enid decides that she would have to sell the pony for horse meat. Yonder does not approve of this and decides to take matters into her own hands, there she will run into a few problems that she will have to go through on her own. That is only the beginning of this wonderful story that will have your emotions all mixed up. This books is one of the best I have ever read and recommended to all ages that would like to experience a heart-warming book about an unbreakable bond of friendship.

In this book,“Dirt”, the character traits of Yonder is presented very clearly. Denise Orenstein makes sure that Yonder’s bold and interesting personalities are shown throughout the whole book. Even though Yonder isn’t the talking type, she isn’t afraid to show people what she wants and is very determined to get it. She can even be very understanding at times too. On page 171, it states, “As it turned out, I heard Ms. Ross’s high pitched voice calling out to me as I dashed ahead. But I wasn’t going to stop for anyone or anything, I was on my way to find Dirt.” This shows her confidence and determination to get her pony back.

Denise Orenstein tells this amazing story with very realistic imagery. He uses descriptive words to explain the different settings of the book and even to describe Dirt. This impressive choice of words he uses, help the reader better understand the book thoroughly and adds more of a spark to the story. On page 44, it says, “Sometimes Dirt smells like straw, like wet grass, like meadow. But more often he smelled like other things, not particularly pleasant. His yellow mane was rough to the touch, but his coat was slick and soft that early fall, soon to thicken, long and downy as pussy willow.” This section of the book, really makes the reader feel like they are inside of the pages and can feel everything that was described.

I recommended “Dirt” ten out of ten. This books is one of the most heart-warming but action packed I have ever read. There was never a dull or boring moment that came up and it really kept the reader hooked on to the lovely story. This book is a five out of five stars and would be great for any age looking for a great story.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a 3.5 for me, and while it won't fit everyone's tastes, it does explore how one girl copes with grief and loss in the only ways she knows how even while the adults in her life seem less than capable. I would be hard pressed to add one more burden to the protagonist's life since she's dealing with far more than her share of life challenges. Eleven-year-old Yonder stops speaking after the death of her mother while her father falls further into alcoholism and can barely bring himself to work or to care for his daughter. There are many days in which Yonder subsists on water and slices of white bread, which she rolls into little balls before eating. She's lonely, poor, and the butt of much bullying at school, something that I would have hoped the teachers would have noticed. She befriends an overweight, dirty Shetland pony belonging to her neighbor, Miss Enid. When she realizes that the pony is due to be sold Dirt--Yonder's name for the animal--she moves him into her little house where he makes quite a mess. After an incident at school, Yonder is suspended and decides to simply stop attending school. But Trudy Trumpet, the school social worker, intervenes, and when Yonder is moved into foster care while her father recuperates, Dirt disappears. Yonder follows a lead to a petting zoo several miles away, determined to find her friend. Once she arrives at her destination, she is horrified at the condition of the other animals and Dirt. It's a good thing that there is a nearby veterinary clinic with a kind-hearted woman, Dr. Jane, at its helm. It's hard to resist Yonder's charms or not to be moved by her determination to rescue Dirt despite his considerable imperfections. While it was frustrating that Yonder didn't speak, even when she needed to the most, at least she found a way to get help for those suffering animals and to accept the love others were offering to her. Yes, as other reviewers have noted, this book is sad, but ultimately Yonder's journey is inspiring and triumphant. It's often the case that animals can work wonders in helping humans heal and find a reason to go on. I finished the book with a smile on my lips, hopeful for Yonder's future. This book would certainly be worth sharing with fourth, fifth or sixth graders.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yonder has a lot on her plate. An alcoholic father, a mother who died several years back, poverty and hunger. Her method for coping with all of the loss and hardship: mutism. Yonder stopped talking when her beloved mom died in a car accident.

Now, she's in middle school--still silent--and being bullied. She can't speak for herself, so the bullying goes unchecked, and Yonder is more likely than not to be punished for the pranks and abuses. When the neighbor's Shetland pony turns up, overweight, rude, ravenous, and possessing only one eye, Yonder finds a place to be safe. Dirt is the best kind of pony, with love, patience, and plenty of obstinance to keep Yonder busy and secure.

There's also plenty of wordplay and literary allusion to keep a classroom busy looking for connections. Mutter Street and Mrs. Prattle are in good company with Holler Hollow and Bellow Avenue. Yonder attends Robert Frost Middle School, which might lead readers to explore connections with the poet's work.

The story is one to inspire compassion for those struggling with unseen problems, and it will leave plenty of readers hoping for an incorrigible pony of their own. From the adult side, too much is hard to believe. No teachers or administrators notice for four years that Yonder is horribly mistreated by her classmates? No one notices that she's underfed and malnourished? No one steps in to suggest mental health support for a child who stops speaking? In a small town, no one realizes that Yonder's father is a spottily employed alcoholic? It's a stretch, and it makes the book difficult to sink into.

Still, it's a good pick for animal lovers, and it seems like an interesting book to study in a classroom.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dirt by Denise Gosliner Orenstein, 214 pages. Scholastic, 2017. $17.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Yonder’s mom has died four years earlier and her dad has withdrawn into his room and the bottle. She knows that even her screams would not bring back her mom and has decided to stop using her voice completely. Now, however, bullies are riding her mercilessly at school, and the teachers do not see the abuse, blaming her for the ensuing disruptions. When she encounters a shaggy, fat, one-eyed Shetland pony who’s wandered into her yard from the neighbor’s to eat the pumpkin off her porch, she's found a soulmate. By week’s end, they are fast friends. The pony seems to be the only one who can hear her inner voice and respond to her needs. When Yonder is removed from her home by Child Protection Services, she is more determined than ever to save her pony from an awful fate.

This is an intriguingly quirky but emotionally sad story. Inviting your best friend into your home, even though he is a fat pony, is quirky. Being removed from your home due to neglect and malnutrition is sad. Despite such heavy circumstances, there are moments of humor and interesting freshness. It is a gritty realistic fiction book without gritty language. The violence comes in the form of bullying, and mistreating animals. While most of the characters are not very fully developed, Yonder's adventure is crazy, showing extraordinary effort, ingenuity, and courage in the service of her animal friend.

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up because it was (despite being a middle grade/elementary book) the pick for an adult book club. It was short, the premise of a child who has lost her mother and has to enter the foster system is something that matters to me and since it was chosen I thought it might have something fresh to say. It came out in 2017 so I was interested to see what a newer book would do with this subject matter. I grew up in the 90s so we were reading problematic accounts left and right.

But — umm, I really didn’t like this. It’s full of 1-dimensional characters, there is some weird language about peoples bodies and their weight, which seemed pointless. Maybe most importantly it is unrealistic, to a fault. The system is portrayed incorrectly, the father’s alcoholism and neglect is handled poorly, the horse pet (while maybe cute for kids) was sending the wrong message about what you can and can’t do with animals. I think it wanted to be funny and tender like “Anne of Green Gables” with a precocious child who’s faced hardships but ummmmmm… this just wasn’t that.

My bigger point would be that if you read this with your child, use it as a way to open the dialogue about what their peers might be facing. Use it as a vessel for creating empathy but ground it in some realism. And if you are an adult looking to read from a child about these systems — this is not it. Check out “Foster” by Claire Keegan or “Brightly Shining” by Ingvild Rishøi, BOTH relatively short, both focused on children and the loyalty and fears they grapple with while navigating an unfriendly and uncertain world. The writing is impactful but understandable and leans more into empathy for those children than relying on tropes and convenience.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

***May Contain Triggers - Parental Loss, Neglect, Alcoholism, Bullying, Foster System, Runaways, Animal Neglect & Abuse***

This isn't a happy book nor one with a really happy ending. Instead it's the type of book that you wish the main character the best of luck in getting out of a cycle where the best in life is holding onto the lifeboat for a moment of respite before getting dragged back down for another round of bad luck. You cheer at the lessons learned while at the same time shaking your head at the perils she puts herself - just avoiding even harder lessons she may be faced with.

Dirt is very easily written but also rather long in some senses. The names of the characters aren't really creative although in some regards they tell you who the person is abstractly while the author also named one character after a famous and probably inspiring author to her but I am not sure how many young readers will pick-up that Easter egg. Otherwise I did find the names a bit silly.

The rest of the book basically is just one shuffling stumble from bad life events, responses in regards to those events & bad decision-making without the guidance of a loving adult. As such the character doesn't only disable herself but also makes herself vulnerable even though doing it for what she considers a good cause.

All in all it was decent but not a book I would recommend to younger readers.

[Peggy Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pippi Longstocking meets Black Beauty in this satisfying summer read. Eleven-year old Yonder lives with her dad in a little crooked house in Shelter, Vermont. When her mom died four years earlier her dad said, “We can choose to stop moving up that rocky path or we can decide something else.” Yonder chose to stop talking and her dad chose to withdraw from life in an alcoholic haze. Yonder and her dad are dirt poor and for that, as well as her name, she is bullied endlessly at school. When an unsympathetic principal suspends her for two days, Yonder decides she won’t go back. In the midst of her stay-cation, Yonder finds a wayward pumpkin which attracts the neighbor’s Shetland pony to her yard and they bond as he devours it. Even though the one-eyed pony is fat, rude, and caked with dirt, Yonder falls in love with him and aptly names him Dirt. But mean old Miss Enid plans to sell Dirt for horsemeat. So Yonder steals Dirt and hides him in her bedroom. Life is good for Yonder and Dirt until the authorities find out. Yonder shoos Dirt back to Miss Enid’s and the authorities take her to a foster home. But that doesn’t last very long. At first chance Yonder escapes and embarks on a rescue mission to save Dirt -- and herself -- before it’s too late. “Dirt” is an emotional adventure that will tug at your heart strings and make you smile.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade realistic fiction. Themes include overcoming adversity, speaking up for yourself, and accepting help. Yonder is a middle school girl that has been mute since her mother died. She lives in a small house with her alcoholic father. They barely scrape by, with his job attendance being spotty. Yonder is the target of bullying at school, and no adults at school seem to notice.
Yonder spends some time not attending school. A neighbor's pony wanders over and the two become friends. She names the pony Dirt. When she sees that "her" pony's future is uncertain, she plots how to keep him safe. But how can she take care of the pony when there's no one taking care of her?
This book was not what one would call a light read. It brings up issues that often get swept aside: alcoholism, grief, bullying, foster care, etc. Yonder is dealing with a lot, in the best way that she can. She is used to running the house and running her own life. In caring for the pony, she starts to work through her own grief of the loss of her mother and the loss of her father as he once was. There's not a big tidy bow at the end of the story, but Yonder's story does end in a realistically positive manner.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to adopt Yonder.

Yonder's mother has died, and she is so traumatized that she has gone selectively mute, to make matters worse, her father is drinking excessively and he is neglecting his parental duties, causing Yonder to have to raise herself.

At school, things are even worse. Yonder is being bullied relentlessly. Emotional and physical assaults happen daily, and they are too much for her to endure, so she leaves school...permanently. This decision causes a chain reaction of pain which leads to a landslide of conflicts this poor girl must deal with...alone.

I was so enraptured by Yonder. Despite her lack of words, her actions show a bravery and commitment that had me rooting for her the whole time. I wanted to reach through the pages and beat up every single person who did her wrong, and I wanted to take her home and feed her and hug her....

In the end, things aren't tied up neatly (not to give away too much), but that is how life works. Everything can't be fixed very easily. I really enjoyed this book. Super cute. Can't wait to put it in the hands of my students.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Yonder's mom dies, she and her dad are struck with grief and have trouble picking up the pieces. It doesn't help that Yonder is also being bullied at school. She makes friends with the neighbor's Shetland pony who seems to be going through a rough time too. The pony is overweight and dirty, thus earns the name Dirt.

Yonder learns that her neighbor wants to sell Dirt for meat, and she needs to do everything she can to keep that from happening. After being suspended, Yonder takes advantage of that time to sneak Dirt home. But will it be enough to save him? With the possibility of being taken from her own home, nothing is certain.

DIRT is a heavy read that takes on several issues such as bullying, grief, having a social worker involved, and it draws out several different emotions. I think it's appropriate for older middle grade readers. The connection between Yonder and Dirt is sweet, but the grittiness they go through to stay together is rough.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to fans of sensitive topics, emotional reads, horses, and finding a bond that's unbreakable.

This review can also be found on YABC: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 year old Yonder, an electively mute girl, deals with the death of her mother 4 years ago, a neglectful, alcoholic father, and a school bully who repeatedly picks on her. She befriends a one-eyed Shetland pony who shows up in her yard, and ends up hiding him when her neighbor who owns him tries to sell him for horsemeat. Events escalate and she must deal with her father's stroke, a truancy officer, abused animals from a small town zoo, and foster parents. This first person narrative has an engaging plot and a view of life from a different perspective than most children witness. The story encourages empathy and a sense of responsibility. The realistic ending works; Yonder has grown as a person, making amends with her truancy officer, accepting care from adults, and acknowledging her responsibility in the care of the pony. The author, who introduced a curriculum for children with learning disabilities based on two rescued Shetland ponies, incorporates information about Shetlands into the narrative.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dirt By: Denise Gosliner Orenstein
Yonder, Dirt, and her father are the main characters in the book who go through a sad time in present day life. Yonder is a eleven year old girl who also loves to read. She is also not social and has no friends , but for Dirt. Dirt is a stray Shetland pony who is overweight and he likes to make trouble. Dirt showed up one day and Yonder was at first scared and then fell in love with him. Yonder has a bully who doesn’t leave her alone. He punches her in the stomach and made her gym shorts smell like vinegar and glue. The day he punches her is the book fair which is her favorite time during the school year. Right after he punches her she runs all the way home to find her dad is gone and Dirt has made a mess. Then she gets taken away from her home and to a new house to live and they take Dirt away too. While her dad is in the hospital she tries to run away from the house she is at. She comes back to her house and finds Dirt and her dad waiting for her. I recommend this book for fourth graders because it was easy to read.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to adopt Yonder.

Yonder's mother has died, and she is so traumatized that she has gone selectively mute, to make matters worse, her father is drinking excessively and he is neglecting his parental duties, causing Yonder to have to raise herself.

At school, things are even worse. Yonder is being bullied relentlessly. Emotional and physical assaults happen daily, and they are too much for her to endure, so she leaves school...permanently. This decision causes a chain reaction of pain which leads to a landslide of conflicts this poor girl must deal with...alone.

I was so enraptured by Yonder. Despite her lack of words, her actions show a bravery and commitment that had me rooting for her the whole time. I wanted to reach through the pages and beat up every single person who did her wrong, and I wanted to take her home and feed her and hug her....

In the end, things aren't tied up neatly (not to give away too much), but that is how life works. Everything can't be fixed very easily. I really enjoyed this book. Super cute. Can't wait to put it in the hands of my students.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well-written, I have to give it that. But, it is very depressing.

Yonder hasn't spoken a word since her mother died several years ago. Her father has been an alcoholic since her mother's passing, and they are living in poverty. Yonder doesn't get adequate nutrition, nor adequate attention. She is viciously bullied in school, her teachers are clueless about the bullying and blame everything that goes wrong on her, even though she is innocent. In the second half of the novel, she winds up in foster care with an annoying foster mom.

Everything and everyone in her life sucks.

And then, she meets a Shetland pony she calls Dirt. Dirt is filthy, has one eye, and is very obese. Somehow, Dirt worms his way into Yonder's heart. She goes to the ends of the Earth to try and save him from harm.

I don't know if I would recommend this book, unless a student asked me if we had a book they can cry to.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #18 Read in 2018
Dirt by Denise Gosliner Orenstein

Yonder is a young girl with not a lot to say....though there is a lot going on in her head. She does not talk and does not tell her father about being the victim of bullying at school and does not tell her teachers how much her father drinks. Then she finds Dirt, a scruffy Shetland pony that her neighbor plans of selling for horse meat, and she knows he is meant to be her pony. She hides Dirt in her room until the social worker finds out. Yonder is placed in foster care so she sets Dirt free but he is taken to a local petting zoo that does not treat its animal well. Will Yonder be able to save Dirt in time? This was a book that will tug at the heart strings of readers. I recommend it for middle school readers. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about some tough issues. 11 year old Yonder has lost her mother and stability at home because her father is so depressed and sad that he spends almost everyday and night sleeping and drinking in his room. He loves his daughter and does his best to care for her, but he cannot get out of the cycle of his grief and depression. In order to cope with all of the pain in her life, Yonder has completely stopped talking, and uses other modes of communication. On top of that Yonder is tormented daily by bullies at school.

A fat, not well-cared for pony ends up escaping Yonder's mean neighbor who intends to sell the pony to a horse meat factory. Yonder finds friendship with this trouble causing pony and is on a mission to save his life.

While there are definitely some sad parts, there are times when you can't help but laugh. Kind of like life.

[Fleurdelils · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my 8 year old daughter. It kept us coming back. A good story of how animals can help humans as therapy, and otherwise. At the same time, I found something just slightly lacking from this book, but could not quite put my finger on it. However, when I think about it, it might have actually been my general frustration with the girl not being able to talk (she was mute after a tragedy) and not able to get the help she needed, which actually means the author was very effective in getting the feelings of the girl across. I would probably bump this up by a half star or so, if I could give a half star. I thought the description of the other characters from the girls point of view were quite good... social worker, foster mom, neighbor, etc. I would recommend, but not for everyone. A few bonus points for awesome cover art, and the dirt prints through the book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Yonder's mother died, she stopped talking. Yonder retreated into herself and stopped really living. Her father is barely present and deals with his own grief through liquor. The other children at school bully Yonder mercilessly. When Yonder finds a mistreated Shetland pony, Dirt, she decides to take the animal in and show him kindness she doesn't receive from others. Soon Yonder's new friend and life are threatened by well-meaning adults.

I enjoyed this read. I can certainly see myself giving this book to animal lovers and those dealing with grief. The author doesn't attempt to sugar coat the situation or conveniently fix it. This novel was well-done with a perfect balance of light and dark.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

yonder is an eleven year old fifth grade girl who has not said a word since the death of her mother four years ago. she lives with her father, who may or may not be an alcoholic, in a crooked house. though the father isn't capable of looking after her due to his 'depression' it is clear that he loves her. she suffers bullying from other children, specifically one boy. she meets 'dirt' a one eyed neglected shetland pony from the farm down the street. this is a children's book but it broke my heart in several places. denise orenstein writes well from the point of a view of child this age. yonder sounds neither too babyish nor too precocious. she's sad, lonely and eleven years old. dirt and her become friends, until something happens.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10-year old son *adores* this book. This is what he has to say: "This book helped me a lot in dealing with losing Sunny (a pet chicken that he was extremely attached to). I felt very happy at the end of the story."

My son uses this book as the standard to measure all other books. The feeling of warmth and happiness that he got at the end of the story has left an indelible impression on him. He told me that he had cried while reading this story and feels very attached to Dirt, the pony. He identified with Yonder and felt her pain as she struggled to maintain her connection with an animal who understood her.

I recommend this book for children who love animals and treasure their connection with them.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky sad story of elective mute girl told in her voice. Her mom has died, her dad is overcome w grief and over drinking, kids at school bully her mercilessly, and her teachers never suspect the real culprits. Only a stray overweight pony seems to be able to hear her inner voice and respond to her needs. She is determined to help the pony, but after she is taken from her home by Child Protection services, it takes even more extraordinary effort, ingenuity, risk-taking, and courage to save her pony from an awful fate. The story’s particulars are very gritty, but the language is clean. There are moments of humor and interesting freshness, but most of the characters are not very fully developed.

[Rachael Annette Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it were up to me, I would give this book one star. It was so depressing and sad, but as with all the books my daughter and I read together she rated it. She originally began the book in October 2020, the elementary teacher was reading it online video to the class and they were doing worksheets and essays from that, but for an unknown reasons to us, she discounted reading it to the class after Parr I of the book. After some messaging back and forth after she actually allowed us to borrow the book! My daughter and I enjoyed reading it together! It is wonderful to read together. She actually started the book over. Next week she is writing to tell her teacher what she learned and enjoyed, and is returning it with the book. We are very proud of our girl.