Wild Thing

Winnie the Horse Gentler #1

by Dandi Daley Mackall

Twelve-year-old Winnie Willis has a way with horses. She can gentle the wildest mare, but other parts of her life don't always come as easily. Along with her dad and sister, Lizzy, Winnie is learning how to live without her mom, who was also a natural horse gentler. As Winnie teaches her horses about unconditional love and blind trust, God shows Winnie that he can be trusted too. Readers will be hooked on the series' vivid characters, whose quirky personalities fill Winnie's life with friendship and adventure.

In #1 Wild Thing, Winnie's fearful heart finally begins to trust God again as she tries to gentle the horse of her dreams, Wild Thing.

Genres: Horses, Christian, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Animals, Middle Grade

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 28, 2002

About the author

A professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 500 books for children and adults alike, with sales of over 4 million.

A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Twelve-year-old Winnie Willis has a way with horses. She can gentle the wildest mare, but other parts of her life don't always come as easily. Along with her dad and sister, Lizzy, Winnie is learning how to live without her mom, who was also a natural horse gentler. As Winnie teaches her horses about unconditional love and blind trust, God shows Winnie that he can be trusted too. Readers will be hooked on the series' vivid characters, whose quirky personalities fill Winnie's life with friendship and adventure.
In #1 Wild Thing, Winnie's fearful heart finally begins to trust God again as she tries to gentle the horse of her dreams, Wild Thing.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Winnie the Horse Gentler” series.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, read, & quoted; Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Winnie’s had a tough time talking to God after her mom’s death; Mentions of God, His creation, & God things; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, hymns, & singing; A few mentions of Christians, finding Christ, & a Christian school; A couple mentions of Heaven.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: three ‘idiot’ and seven forms of ‘stupid’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of sarcasm; Mentions of Winnie’s mom dying in a car accident & remembering seeing it (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hurting, injured, & abused horses and dogs (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of manure; A few mentions of animals running into cars & bikes; A mention of someone trying to drown a litter of cats (they were saved); A mention of roadkill; A mention of vomiting; A mention of lying.


Sexual Content- A few mentions of having types & cute boys; A couple mentions of boyfriends & girlfriends.

-Winifred “Winnie” Willis, age 12
P.O.V. switches between them
192 pages

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Pre Teens- Three Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{ Add ½ star to a full star for those who like horses }
Our main girl is twelve years old and loves horses in this book. Winnie lost her mom to a car accident a couple years prior to the book starting and still feels guilt over it all. I truly wanted to hug Winnie at many times, the poor thing! She been through so much and was trying to talk to God again through this book. I liked all the faith content for such a small book. I might just have to try out the rest of the series since there’s such a unique cast of characters. :)


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Ruth Garlick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tonight, I have finished the Winnie the Horse Gentler series, by Dandi Daley Mackall. It's a kids' series, comprised of 8 books, set in Ashland, Ohio, USA.
I have a couple of bones to pick with this series:
1. It treats God as though He's a magician who'll grant you whatever you wish for, so long as you pray for it. Winnie, the main character, would often pray for stuff (like confidence), which she would get almost immediately after.
I know for a fact that that's not how God works.
2. It "angelises" Autism, and other neurological disabilities. Sure, the one disabled character has his bad moments, but it reads more like he was being cute...and it keeps describing his "angel blond hair". *sigh*
However, despite those flaws, I rather enjoyed it, mostly because the second book in the series (Eager Star) was a great comfort to me when I was younger (I only got the rest of the series last year).
I love the intense horsiness – it's more about horses than the Saddle Club or Pony Pals series – they seemed to be more about the girls' friendships.
I loved it, even though some bits of it annoyed me. Recommended to any young horse lovers out there.

[Alaina]

rtc

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every horse crazy girl needs to read this series. Every book deals with a problem horse that Winnie trains through the problems, while working through problems on her own. Another plus is that these books do not have any awkward boy/girl relationships. In the later books, Winnie and Catman (no relation to Cat Woman: that is his nickname) do have some tension, but none of the kissy face that plagues many y/a books.

[Katie]

Wild Thing

[Emma | meadowroselibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each time I read this book it just gets better and better!!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting. I liked to see Winnie get back on track with God. Great for any horse lover. 😊

[Bcs (Sarah. B) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Winnie Willis, a twelve-year-old horse whisperer, sees the horse of her dreams and decides she would do anything she can to get the horse.

Overview:
Profanity/language: A character is said to swear and curse but nothing 
is written.  The character is an unbeliever, and he lost his temper...
In the same instance, Winnie loses her temper and calls people ‘Stupid 
idiots.’

Romance/sex: There is nothing.

Adventure/Action: There was only a little action when the horse is 
running towards her.

Faith: Praying, talking of God, growing faith, Bible verses, strong 
believers.

Other: There is a character that is hippy-like who is not a Christian.
but there is nothing that was too odd. Also Winnie’s mother died in a 
car accident… Winnie was in the car as well.

Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Winnie has moved with her family over and over ever since her mother died and she never cared before. Until now. When she sees the horse of her dreams Winnie now will do all that she can to keep her father from moving them once again. Winnie soon makes friends in her new town and learns about God’s forgiveness.

This middle-grade Christian contemporary fiction story was perfect for younger readers, and if older readers don’t mind books written for  younger readers, they will enjoy it as well. It was filled with information about horses and ways to act around them and train them that could be very helpful for people who want to know more about horses.  It was slow, with not much action, but the story drew me in keeping me interested so I could see what would happen next even though I have read this series before. From what I saw, there were no inconsistencies, and it didn’t seem to drag, though there was a spot towards the end, where it seemed a bit rushed.
      This is a book written for twelve or so children, mainly girls, so it is slightly simpler. Middle grade books have shorter sentences, with less description and symbolic language. They don’t go as deep and don’t have as much emotion. There were parts that were really well written for example, when Winnie first sees Catman’s house and she doesn’t know that 
it is his home. The way that the last line in the chapter was delivered was very solid.
      Winnie is a (mostly) realistic character who is struggling with something she thinks that she did... the only thing that I think was unrealistic was that she could smell fear... though I don’t know it this is something that some people can smell. The other characters were also well written, but not overly deep.

Favourites/Feelings
I really liked the ending, where Winnie finally learns fully of, and except, God’s forgiveness and the feeling that she gets when it happens is written in such a way that was amazing.
The quote that I liked is:

“Elizabeth Priscilla Willis,” I began. At least Lizzy had the good sense to flinch when I pulled out her hated middle name. “You’re 11 years old! 
You can’t have a type.”
    Lizzy smiled over her shoulder at me, as if she were 111 years old. “Winnie, Winnie… you have a lot to learn about male humans.”
     I had a lot to learn about my little sister.

In this book, my favourite character is... Lizzy, but with Winnie as a very close second. I really liked how Lizzy trusts God and how she has a real relationship with Him. And Winnie struggles, but she comes away stronger.
    This was not my absolute favourite book; there were a few things that did annoy me... Winnie’s jumping to conclusions, etc., but it was still very 
good, I really want to read the rest of the series.
    Four point five stars. Not a favourite favourite, but will go on my re-read shelf as they are still very good.

[Erin Oldemeyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book wild thing is a very quick read, but there are some negatives to this book like it's very anticlimactic, and the content in the book is very sparce.
This book is a very quick read, and it's not a book that is super boring and would keep you interested enough to finish the book. This book is something different for people read and could be a good change to read.
Although this book is interesting you would expect a more dramatic climax. The book is about a wild horse and you would think something more dramatic would happen like the horse gets injured or like the true owner of the horse shows up. I personally don't enjoy the climax.
This book would be great for younger kids. There aren't any hard words that kids would struggle with but for some people the content of the book seems to be missing some things. There is some description but there are parts where I get confused. I go back and re-read the section that I didn't understand and it still wouldn't make sense. It could just be the reader, but it wouldn't happen if the author would explain it more.
Although this book is a great quick read, but you would expect a more surprising climax, and the content of the book seems to miss something.These reasons are why I rated this book two stars.

[Angel Kleist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response: I think this was a good and easy read. It doesn’t stumble and it pushes you through. It is not hard to understand even if you are not a horse person.

Plot: Whinney and her sister and dad are always moving after her mom died. She thinks her dad is mad at her for her mom dying. So when she finds a perfect opportunity to get the horse of her dreams, she doesn’t want to leave the town. Her sister came up with the idea of buying a cheap horse at an auction, training it, and selling it. When they go to the auction to buy a horse, she realizes it was the horse that she wanted. She got it, but realized her dad was going to make her sell it at the next auction. Whinney has a week before the auction, and is making good progress. The horse, Wild Thing, is very skittish and doesn’t like anyone. Whinney gains her trust and can lead her and lunge her. When the auction came, she wanted Wild Thing to act badly so no one would want to buy her. She got Wild Thing to act up, but then realized it was a deal she made with her dad to sell the horse. She got up on Wild Thing for the first time and rode her back into the arena. Just as they were about to sell the horse, Whinney’s dad said that the horse was not for sale. Whinney got to keep the horse, and also got one person to board their horse at her house.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to girls of the early middle school. I think it would be an easy and simple read for them. It wouldn’t be too hard to where you can get lost either.

Characterization:
At the beginning Whinney didn’t care what her family did knowing they were just going to move. After she met Wild Thing she didn’t want to leave and started to care about things. She healed her relationship with her dad for the first time after the accident.
Wild Thing didn’t trust anybody. But slowly she started to trust Whinney and she was a lot more calm. Wild Thing turned into being a very gentle and caring horse.

[RebekahAshleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wild Thing" is the first book in the Winnie the Horse Gentler series. I wasn't too "into the story" at first. It was more towards the end of the book that I really started to enjoy the story. When I finished the book it made me want to give book 2 a try. So this wasn't my favorite, but it was still a good book. I think horse lovers would like the book more though.

[Christine Meunier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow!

[Essie-Marie F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this book as a kid. Haven't read it since, though, so IDK what I think of it now XD

[Elizabeth Twombly · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the nostalgia of my horse girl days

[Jenny Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winnie Willis used to work with horses with her mother before the accident. The accident that killed her mother. Winnie blames herself. Now she, her dad and her younger sister Lizzy spend their time moving—a few months here and a few months there. Winnie is so desperate to be around horses that she mucks the stalls at Spidell’s stable where she learns a beautiful new Arabian horse has arrived. It is love at first sight for Winnie, but nobody seems to be able to handle the wild horse. Winnie buys the Arabian at an auction and using everything her mother taught her, Winnie slowly befriends the horse. Then she gets ready to sell the horse she has become so fond of at a sale because her family could really use the money.

Dandi Daley Mackall is obviously a talented writer. I ran through so many emotions as I read. If you know a young girl age 8-12 who loves animals, especially horse, she would love this book. If you know a girl who has ever read Pony Pals (Scholastic), Mackall’s writing is very similar and not preachy.

I downloaded this as a free e-book to check it out for my daughter, but I would gladly pay money for any of Mackall’s books and plan to get more of what she has written.

[Dottie Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful, well written book for middle grade girls who love horses. It is written from a Christian perspective but is not preachy nor does this detract from a very good story about Winnie, a twelve year old girl who has lost her mother. In search of work her father has moved Winnie and her sister five times in two years leaving their Wyoming ranch behind. In a small town in Ohio Winnie finds the horse of her dreams – Wild Thing. She has learned from her mother how to be a horse gentler. No one can tame Wild Thing. Can Winnie do it? Will the horse be sold? Will they move again? All these questions in addition to Winnie’s guilt about her mother’s death and estrangement from her father are the back drop to a great story. The author, knowledgeable about horses, describes in the story the ways horses can be abused and shows ways to train horses gently. I bought this for my granddaughter but enjoyed it myself before giving it to her today - her birthday! There are a series of these books and this is the first one.

[Leah Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom used to say, “Winnie Willis, in the beginning God created heaven and earth and horses. And sometimes I have to wonder if the good Lord shouldn’t have quit while He was ahead.”

After their mother’s death Winnie and her sister have come to expect several moves a year. Lizzie hates it. Winnie doesn’t much care. Doesn’t care until she meets a beautiful but mostly wild horse called Wild Thing.

“Lizzie,” I said, calling up my mind’s picture of the rearing Arabian, “I have to have that horse. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get her.”

Can Wild Thing help patch up Winnie’s heart and her relationship with her father, or will the horse make Winnie’s heart break again?

Audience: Anyone old enough to read it on their own (good horse story and no boyfriends)

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book totally about horses! It is really really good! It is about this girl named Winnie and she found this horse named Wild Thing and she falls in love with her! She is on a journey to get Wild Thing whatever it takes! It is a must read book! It is one of my most favorite books now!!!!

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great tale for teen girls in love with animals, especially horses. I enjoy how Mackall includes real life, practical insights on horses that are definitely not fictional. Perfect start to a popular series.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these books when I was younger, and when I went back and re-read them, enjoyed them just as much. I appreciate how much Winnie grows in each book, yet that no one grows too unbelievably much. Thank you Dandi Daley Mackall for eight great books!

[Ava Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a very good book. i like it that she is alot like her mother and she is helping other people with their horse problems. and that she is trying real hard to try to get this horse that everyone thinks is dangerous

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. It is a series, and this is the first one. I have since read the second also, and it also rocks.

[Sarah Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was one of the book series I grew up on and loved all through elementary and middle school. I still own them and will probably never get rid of them either.

[Danielle Singleton]

It was a good book I think that it is good for anyone who likes ranches horses and any other things like that

[Briana]

I loved this book, it was wonderful. Now it's time 2 start reading Eager Star!!!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this series as I could relate to Whinnie, but some of the things she did at her age were a bit unrealistic. Also beware of some teenager drama....It can get a bit irritating

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first series i ever read and its one of the best.

[Brianna Vitale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good and I enjoyed it a lot cuz I luv horses!!!! <3 <3

[Corinne Carr]

On page 11 just started love it !!!!!! "

[Emma]

very exciting and a very sweet. great family book and fun humor with wonderful relationships of friends