Horse Thief : A Novel

Publishers Weekly

Set in Depression-era Florida, this novel tells the story of a 17-year-old orphaned rodeo worker whose heart yearns for a home, a girl to love and glory as a bull rider. According to PW, he "eventually finds it all and endears himself to the audience with an admirable mix of machismo and kindness." Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

From The Critics

The horses and colorful characters of the rodeo become like family to the orphan Tullis Yoder, but it is not until he faces even more difficult times that he gains the family he has wanted for so long. After a tragic rodeo accident in 1938, Tullis spends time recovering with Doc Platt. Still mourning the deaths of her son and husband, Doc mothers Tullis back to health. The rodeo closes after another accident threatens its financial future, and the horses are to be sold to a dog food company. Tullis, Doc, and Doc's father face adventures and obstacles as they steal the horses and take them to safety. This book was difficult to read at times because the speaker changed in each chapter, and there were several storylines that only converged at the end of the book. This could be problematic for struggling readers. After the first few chapters, though, the book became easier to read and a pattern seemed to develop. Boys between the ages of 12-15 would be most likely to enjoy this book. 2002, HarperCollins Publishers, 231 pp.,
— Maryanne Obersinner

KLIATT

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2002: "We was only a bunch of boys. Yet with a biting ache to be men, as battered and bowlegged and brawly as the regular rodeo pokes..." This is the beginning of this entertaining novel set in southern Florida in 1938, featuring a plucky orphaned teenager named Tullis, who works as one of the stable boys in a rundown rodeo. When Tullis gets a chance at last to test himself on a rodeo bull, he ends up crippled, losing some fingers. He is lucky enough to be ministered to by a capable woman doctor who takes him under her wing—and who agrees to help him steal the rodeo's horses when the rodeo goes out of business and they are slated to become pet food. With the help of her father, a jolly, drunken reprobate, the three undertake this foolhardy scheme, pursued by a corrupt judge. High jinks, humor, and adventure ensue, the horses are saved, and Tullis ends up with a pretty girlfriend and happy prospects. A fun, folksy read for fans of Peck's well-known A Day No Pigs Would Die, Soup series, and other historical fiction for YAs. Peck's affection for horses as well as his understanding of boys' longing to prove themselves make this an emotionally convincing tale despite its sometimes slapstick action, leavened with some darker moments. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, HarperCollins, Trophy, 277p.,
— Paula Rohrlick

VOYA

Big Bubb's Stampede is a sorry excuse for a rodeo, and when the only show in 1938 Chickalookee, Florida, goes belly-up, young horse wrangler Tullis Yoder finds himself homeless once again. A lifelong orphan, Tullis has only one heartfelt attachment—the rodeo's string of thirteen horses assigned to his care. When the slimy rodeo manager and the ruthless owner decide to sell the horses for dog food, Tullis vows to save them. With the help of the local doctor and her larcenous father, Tullis steals all thirteen horses and heads for Redworm, Florida, where they plan to sell the horses back into the rodeo business. Law enforcement officers, local authority figures, conmen, and rodeo stars weave in and out of a complicated chase-and-escape sequence until a chaotic finale in which Tullis accomplishes his two most heartfelt desires—freeing his thirteen horses and completing an eight-second bull ride in the rodeo arena. Peck's story is an enjoyable read that feels like a cross between Huckleberry Finn and Smoky and the Bandit. His characters are delightfully colorful, and the action is fast-paced, especially as it accelerates toward the ending. Although two characters meet with violent ends in the final pages, it does not spoil the mood, and foreshadowing gives more than fair warning. The cowboy vernacular might be a little strained, but it is never raunchy and contributes to the humorous tone. Another of Peck's Florida cowboy tales, this novel follows on the heels of Cowboy Ghost (HarperCollins, 1999) and is perhaps the best one in that vein so far. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; JuniorHigh, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2002, HarperCollins, 231p,
— James Blasingame <%ISBN%>0066237912

School Library Journal

Gr 7-Up In 1938 in Chickalookee, FL, 17-year-old Tullis Yoder takes care of the horses that perform in the Big Bubb Stampede Rodeo until the fateful day he fills in as a bull rider. His first ride ends with the loss of two fingers. Dr. Agnolia Platt repairs his hand and later plays an even greater role in his life. When the star of the show, Big Bubb, is killed in an attempt at bulldogging, the owner of the show decides to close down and sell all of the livestock. Tullis enlists the help of Doc and her jailbird father, Hitch, to steal the horses in order to save them from the slaughterhouse. Myriad quirky characters, whose names match their personalities, weave through the horses' journey to safety. From the mean-spirited Judge E. Carvul Hoad to Miss Clemsa Louise Wetmeadow, who becomes Tullis's love interest, each character contributes to the book's offbeat, irreverent mood. The occasional slightly coarse cowboy humor adds authenticity to the tale. Witty, unpredictable, and a "darn" good story that refuses to take itself too seriously, Horse Thief will have readers cheering for Tullis, his friends, and their herd of 13. -Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

"It was the horses that held my heart. . . . It was worship." Tullis Yoder loves horses. A lowly member of the Big Bubb Stampede, a ragged horse show in 1939 Chickalookie, Florida, Tullis is enamored with the life and characters of the almost-rodeo. The chief brag and comic symbol of the show is Big Bubb Nilbut, America's Biggest Cowboy, weighing in at 500 pounds and riding a Clydesdale horse. When the boss, Mr. Judah St. Jude, gives Tullis a chance to live out his dream and be a bulltopper-trying to go eight seconds atop a bad bull named Gutbuster-Tullis falls a few seconds short and loses half of his right hand. When Big Bubb takes a thunderous tumble off of Clyde and breaks his neck, the show disbands, and Tullis's beloved horses are destined to be "trucked to a slaughtery, hit in the head by a sledgehammer, and minced into pet meal." Obviously, Tullis cannot let this be, and the rest of the story becomes a romp, with larger-than-life characters and slapstick action as the 13 horses are rescued and taken on a pilgrimage to safety. Tullis's scenes are told in first person, the others in third, and the transitions are at times jarring. The best scenes are of Tullis and his attempts at bulltopping glory. Peck's prose is lively and lavish, with a gift for the humorous image: "The sheriff felt the political image slowly melt off his face and run down his shirtfront. Like spilled supper." A nobody at the beginning of the story, Tullis is, by the end, a hero, and readers will enjoy following his madcap route to glory. (Fiction. 12+)