Silver Birch

by Dorothy Lyons

Connie McGuire longs for a horse of her own, but with the Depression hitting the country hard there's no money for such luxuries. She decides the only way to get a horse is to capture the elusive Silver Birch — a beautiful Arabian mare who was abused, then abandoned, and now runs free. But many have tried to capture the mare and failed. Can Connie succeed?

Genres: Horses, Animals

308 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1939

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Goodreads blurb for this book doesn't begin to do it justice. It may be the ultimate in wish-fulfillment horse stories. Connie wants a horse and doesn't have one when she and her friends decide to start a mounted scout troop. She's not the only one without a horse, and how everything works out for the girls is a cozy story complete with the messages about industry and perseverence required of stories for girls back in the day.

I got an old hand-me-down copy for my 12th birthday and gave it to my not particularly horse-crazy daughter at around the same age--she loved it, too. The camaraderie between the girls, the mysterious Silver Birch, the delightful 1940's line drawings--it's pretty near perfect.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved my mom's childhood copy of Golden Sovereign, but I only recently learned about the earlier stories. (Only they cost at least $50 now, so I was ecstatic to finally order a copy of this via Interlibrary Loan.) I loved seeing how it all began. The story of taming the title character may have been the main draw, but all the girls were delightful characters and I loved their friendship and perseverance in starting their own Girl Scout chapter. Sweet, wholesome fun.

[Naomi Bigelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first 'chapter books' that I read, in fourth grade about a hundred years ago. It hooked me on horse stories and contributed to my own lifelong love of horses and writing.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book about a girl and a horse that she finds running wild and trains.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

How could I dislike a horse book? Three stars looks too low, but in the pantheon of horse books out there, I couldn't say I really liked it. It was pleasant and nostalgic.