Horse Boy

by Tanya Landman

A prehistoric survival adventure about a boy and a horse who rescue one another, from the Carnegie Medal-winning author of Apache and Buffalo Soldier.

"A boy without a clan was nothing. No one. A boy without a clan was easy prey."

Oak, son of the Deer clan chief, hopes that this summer he will finally be allowed to join the hunt and make his father proud of him. But this year is not like other years - the rains have failed, his father has fallen out with the Bear chief, and everyone is mistrustful of the new creatures that have been spotted near their encampment: horses. Then Oak becomes separated from his clan with only a young horse for company, and it seems that surely the worst has happened. But perhaps not all animals are prey. Perhaps Horse can be clan too.

Genres: Animals, Horses, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2020

About the author

Carnegie Medal winning Tanya Landman is the author of more than thirty books for children and young adults.

Born and brought up in Kent, Tanya had no intention of becoming a writer until the idea for Waking Merlin popped into her head. "It came from nowhere. It was completely out of the blue."

Tanya now lives and works in Bideford and the nearby coastline was the inspiration for her Flotsam & Jetsam series.

Tanya's first books were "adventure stories with a sprinkling of magic and spoonful of humour." But then Tanya turned to crime, writing Mondays are Murder (winner of a Red House Book Award) - the first in a series of ten "Agatha-Christie-for-kids" featuring child sleuth Poppy Fields and her friend Graham. Her new highly illustrated books for younger children feature Sam Swann, an accident-prone boy sleuth and his faithful canine sidekick Watson.

Although she writes across a broad age range, Tanya is probably best known for her historical novels for young adults. 
Apache - set in 19th century America - was shortlisted for several UK awards including the Teenage Book Trust and the Carnegie Medal (where it was voted the Shadowing Groups favourite). The US edition won a Borders Original Voices prize and a Spur award from the Western Writers of America. 
The Goldsmith's Daughter - set in the Aztec empire during the Spanish invasion - was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction prize. Buffalo Soldier
 won the 2015 Carnegie Medal. Hell and High Water - a swashbuckling thriller set in 18th century Devon - was shortlisted for the 2016 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her latest book Beyond the Wall is set in Roman Britain. Passing for White comes out later this year.

Reviews

[James Haddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking, majestic symphony of a story, celebrating humanity's primal connection to the rest of creation.

An incredibly moving tale of a relationship between a boy and a beast, how this friendship saves them, and indeed proves to be the making of them both.

Everyone. Read. This. Book.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully descriptive, powerful and a good pace. I thought I would not enjoy as I was put off by the prehistoric theme but Tanya Landman's writing is a joy. Nice short chapters . Amazing!

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I raced through this story as fast as a galloping horse!

I don't often read Middle Grade, but I'd heard a lot about this one, and I'm a sucker for human-animal bonding stories. I was not disappointed in this regard.

The setting of 'Horse Boy' is painted in broad but deft brushstrokes. I suspect Landman has merged a few eras and cultures in early human history, but the result is a unique prehistoric world and time, where farming has barely begun, and the aurochs still thunder across the plains, but horses are mysterious myth-like creatures. Captivating.

The narrative style, the language and the events are mature for Middle Grade, though completely realistic given the prehistoric setting. There's mention of someone's father being gutted by an aurochs, and Oak - our main human character - kills and butchers prey. The one thing that did feel too childish to me was how long it took Oak to figure out what happened to Fang. I'm sure any child reading this book will work it out in an instant.

Of course, it's the relationship between Oak and Horse that gives this story its heart and its pull. Fans of 'How to Train Your Dragon' (the film version at least) will be delighted by the striking parallels. For me, the icing on the cake was the inclusion of Horse's own thoughts. This never felt silly - Horse thinks in simple words and concepts (Leader! Safe! Good!). It was adorable and heart-warming.

The ending took me by surprise with how emotional I found it, and how bittersweet it was - not a trace of mawkishness. I would absolutely love to read a sequel!

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook, in exchange for an honest review)

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prehistory 'how it might have been' tale, totally immersive and intense.

What a great prehistory-set story! Loved Landman's other history narratives, and this one goes back further still but manages to keep the era and realistic details visually apparent while allowing readers to still experience a typical adolescent's life and emotions, not so different from their own.

Chief's son Oak is used to being looked after, the problems of his tribe don't worry him, even when the annual meeting of his Deer Clan with the other clans ends badly. There is always someone else around to manage things. Allowed to take part in his first hunt, on the search for the rarely-seen horses, Oak unexpectedly finds himself without any others in the tribe to help him, and only another young animal for company and protection.

Horse too is without his herd, and the two quickly work out they must work as one to get back to safety and home.

Landman uses language well to convey enough of a primitive syntax to be believable but not too much that readers cannot follow. As well as this, Horse's thoughts are often audible, and the way in which Oak and Horse communicate is nicely brought to life.

When I realised what the theme and context of the story was, I was rather excited, I've never thought about the origins of this particular 'custom' before, and this could easily be how things came about.

Adored the details, of belts full of provisions, of rituals and paintings, hunts and beliefs, the world of thousands of years ago.

Easily readable, vivid and full of visual images, a full world of wooded wonder, a book to bring out curiosity and questions. My son recently read Stig of the Dump and I think he'll love this one too.

Fabulously wrought, excellent storytelling. For ages 9-13.

With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.

[N.L. McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone age times were never easy, less so alone, this story tells the tale of a boys tragic circumstances turned around when he meets horse, a strange, scary new set of creatures who are illusive...and prey. The relationships between characters in this story are so heartfelt and emotional, this has been written beautifully and not only do you get Oaks' thoughts and feelings but those of horse too. This was a lovely read and I highly recommend it, this is my first book from this author but I will be sure to read more of her work. The settings are beautiful and vivid, the storyline is incredible and in depth. I really hope that there will be a sequel too with that ending...

[Sarah5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written novel for children. Set in prehistoric times, this is an adventure story about Oak, a son of a clan chief who becomes separated from his clan. A favourite children’s author as her novels are always atmospheric. I would definitely use this in my teaching for KS3 students.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this review copy.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oak is the entitled and lazy son of the Deer clan chief as the time of nomads draws to a close which is causing conflict amongst the clans. Oak is separated during a hunt with just a horse for company and together they must survive. Junior/intermed fiction with a good balance of action and thought. Evolution, reaction to change, society and power are all themes to unpack.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of heart and courage.

This book is going to be one of those books that will inspire the generations to come. An epic journey of friendship and understanding this will touch the hearts of millions.

[Ryan (Empire of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliantly written, fun read for younger readers that fans of Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother will lap up. Great characters, a wonderful setting. Would highly recommend - full review to follow.

Thank you to Walker Books/Netgalley for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nick Garlick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping story about a (16th century?) boy not only taming a horse, but learning to *understand* the horse and see the world through its eyes. Making the story even more striking is that what the horse thinks and feels are just as important as what the boy thinks and feels. Fabulous!

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting children's historical novel. A prehistoric survival adventure about a boy and a horse who rescue one another. Chief's son, Oak, becomes separated from his clan and finds an ally in a young horse that formerly was a prey animal for his people.

[Camilla Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It reminded me of the Michelle Paver series, beautifully written and really exciting it told the story of Oak of Deer Clan’s change from arrogance to understanding through bonding with a wild colt.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing, exciting and heart-warming.

[Bushwackingbarbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a lovely and heartwarming story. I flew through it, it was a pleasant writing style, easy to follow. I read this one in one sitting!

[Kim Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clan of the Cave Bear for primary school children

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not historically accurate but an imaginative story.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 words description

[Vitalija Lakaviciene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, excellent as a shared bed time story. Amusing and inspiring both for adults and children. Poetic and grounding at the same time.

[Sabinomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

This book is exactly what its description suggests: a prehistoric survival adventure about a boy and a horse.
The cover of the book grabbed me at first, then the prehistoric settings sounded good, too. But then over time, I lost my interest, but since I requested it, I had to read it. My expectations were not too high. I wasn't a fan of the book at the beginning, so I was surprised at how much I liked it in the end.
Oak is at first quite a selfish and a bit annoying protagonist. The prehistoric world wasn’t something exciting either, the presentation of the world was pretty boring. The story starts at about page 50. Oak’s survival story, getting to know and making friends with Horse was much more interesting. I liked Oak’s development and the story was full of twists. The end was not ordinary either. I really liked the ending.
Surprisingly, I really loved this book. I recommend reading it, especially if you love good character development or love reading survival stories :D

[Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story set in the hunter-gatherer era, and it's a coming of age story of a young boy who is chief-in-waiting. At the start of the story, he is arrogant and conceited, but after experiencing hardship he becomes humbled and comes to realize his inflated ego.

As another review has mentioned, the writing style is a bit on the mature side. This was unexpected because the blurb had suggested the exact opposite to me - I thought the writing was going to be filled with cutesy talk. The writing style however was chosen to convey existence in the early human era, when the natural world was not yet well understood by humans. This intentional stylistic choice didn’t translate too well when cut into a short blurb though.

I think I would have enjoyed this story more had I been in my teens, but as I am not the target audience, I found Oak's self realisations and reflections while refreshing initially, a bit belabored and over beaten after a while. I'm not sure if there's such a thing as over humbled, but it did sometimes feel that way. Ironically I sometimes also got the sense of a holier-than-thou and self congratulatory attitude from Oak for being self aware of himself when he reflected on his previous behaviour.

I did find how Horse and Oak became friends a bit... naive? Like I don't think Horse would realistically be the first to reach out to Oak and be afraid that Oak would leave him after Oak had literally stabbed a knife in Horse. I understand some suspension of belief is required though.

This was written very near the end of the book:
“None of us – not even the wisest sage – can know all the future. But we have learned one thing for certain: that signs, however clear they seem, are easily misinterpreted.” Ashe rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We were given brains to think and we must use them. And yet a human mind is such a small thing compared to that of the divine. We cannot ever understand everything. No one person can know what truly lies in the heart of the Goddess.” He smiled sadly. “In future I will distrust anyone who tells me they do.”

I’m really glad this wasn’t actually the last page of the book, because if it was, I wouldn’t know how to feel about it. (Like, was the whole purpose of the book to deliver this message?) It was a good thing (for me) that the book ended with Horse and his plans to return to Thing.

Some other questions I had was about Rowan. Why did she suddenly have a change of heart about what pleases the Goddess? I still find it hard to believe that she would find “unnatural” things abhorrent when she has already been with the tribe for so many years. (Also, what was up with the hypocracy of the Bears who made a clearing in the forest when they were so hellbent on erradicating “unnaturalness”?)

Also, how exactly did Rowan cross the river? I find it a bit comical that Oak went through so much effort (jumping across a chasm!) to get back to Deer territory, when an elderly woman easily travelled from Deer to Bear camp in a fraction of the time of Oak’s journey. Clearly there was a bridge or something Oak was not aware of that cuts through the river, which I guess could be explained by his ignorance that was discussed at length in the book. And maybe I missed the part where he did try to, but why didn’t Oak try to cross over to the Deer territory side initially when he was at the river delta? It would seem like the most sensible decision to avoid getting in trouble with the Bears. I think in general it just really bugs me that Oak’s (and therefore also the reader’s) mental map of the land comprises of this mighty unpassable river that he has to travel upwards towards the source to in order to cross, but even then he is met with a gaping and uncrossable chasm. But clearly we also see instances like Rowan and Willow crossing between the sides faster and more easily that wasn’t explained. And also what of the clan meet location? Is that further up from the chasm where Oak had to jump? Why did the path Oak took lead him to a deadend in that case? I imagine the clan meet location as a large open plain with rolling slopes, so to have rocky cliffs just below it doesn’t fit geographically for me.


Anyway, these are all the thoughts I had about the book.