Winners

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up Novels about troubled youngsters making good through love of a horse or athletic achievement are thick on every bookshelf. This one is set apart by the freshness of Collura's style and the novel's unusual setting. Jordy Threebears has been in and out of foster homes for half of his 15 years. Now he's been sent to live with his grandfather on an Indian reserve near Calgary, Alberta. As a Christmas present, the old man gives him a tough wild Indian mare, and suddenly Jordy begins to find some meaning in his shattered life. Something good has finally happened to balance the deaths of his parents, his lack of success at school, and the antagonism of a local white ranch foreman. When the horse disappears, he must call on his own new strength and new friends to survive the blow, and to go on to become one of the ``winners'' of the title. This title can go right to the top of the list of good short books. There's plenty of action, well-rounded Native American characters (although the non-Indians are a little less clearly drawn), vivid depiction of the setting, and the text is as spare and tautly-strung as a prairie pony. The ending, both of the book and of the horse race, is predictable, but the balance of problem novel and horse story is neatly handled. Excellent for reading aloud. Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C., Canada