The Blue Horse

by Marita Conlon-McKenna, Marita Conlon-McKenna

A remarkable story of growing up in extraordinary circumstances that will touch the hearts of all readers.

Katie's whole world is turned upside down when her family's home is destroyed by fire.

Everything they had is gone, and instead of pulling together it seems as though her family is falling apart. They move to a new house, to a school where nobody wants to know her, and Katie wonders just how many changes she can take. In her fight for acceptance and to keep the family together, she learns a lot about herself.

Genres: Childrens, Irish Literature, Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult, Ireland

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of Dublin.
Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Published in May 1990, the book was an immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTÉ Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film Makers, in association with RTÉ and Channel 4. This is available as a DVD.

Marita has written more books for children which were also very well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood.

Marita has won several awards, including the International Reading Association Award, the Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in sixth class and I liked it for the most part. I could imagine the place she lived in, the school she went to and the blue horse trinket. So it was able to interest me.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie's whole world is turned upside down when her family's home is destroyed by fire. Everything they had is gone, and instead of pulling together it seems as though her family is falling apart.
*amazing book*

[Silb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was really young. I liked it. I’ve always loved horses, so the theme was appealing in the first place. I found myself getting sucked in pretty quickly even though I think horses were not the central topic of the book.

The one thing that made this book stand out for me amongst all the other books I read at that age was that I found it really spooky. I remember something about a curse and being creeped out by this blue glass horse trinket, and something about the sea.
I’ve thought back and remembered this book a few times in the 9 years it has been since I read it, mainly because of this mysterious scary atmosphere.

I’m sure I would not find it as scary now, and I don’t want to ruin my memory of the book, but I might still reread it. I’m just too curious.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Young Adult novel about a girl's experience as an Irish traveller

[Stacey]

good book tbh nothing bad to say

[Marijana☕✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je bila moja prva "knjiga bez slika" koja je najpre u meni izazvala veliki strah. Onda je usledila velika ljubav prema čitanju, za ceo život, and the rest is history.

[Mars · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk not bad but definitely not good I had to read this for school maybe that's why I didn't like it but It was just boring in my opinion

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was eleven years old, I was going away during school. My teacher gave me this book and told me it was my homework. I was so annoyed, I didn't want any homework. One day, while away, I was bored and decided to read this book that I had been given. I loved it. I couldn't be pulled away.

I felt so horrible for the main character and her family. They were called so many names by their new neighbours. They were also treated badly. They had to deal with so many problems such as the name calling but they were strong and tried to not let it affect them.

All of the problems they faced were real life problems. Many people around Ireland are travellers or settled travellers. This was like realising the situation within the real world.

There were many emotions soaring through this book. I think the only reason why I still remember most things about this book is because I liked it so much.

When I came back home, I told my teacher I read the book. She smiles and asked me to tell her about it. I told her about the whole book and how much I enjoyed it. She said to the that that was the whole reason why she gave it to me, because she knew I would be able to appreciate the idea behind it and the real-life problem, that in my world, I had no idea about.

[Aine O'riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This emotionally challenging book from Irish writer Marita Conlon- McKenna tells the story of Katie, a member of the travelling community. Katie appears a happy, young and carefree girl at the beginning of the story, enjoying all that life on the road has to offer. However, tragedy strikes and their caravan is burned. Katie must then face a future in a house and attend school without the presence of her father.
I first read this book while I was at primary school but after rereading it recently, I feel the message of the book remains the same. It gives students the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how the travelling community live their lives and the many struggles they may face. I would recommend using this book for upper key stage two.

[Edel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great kids book, again Marita tackles a difficult topic life as a traveller and the discrimination they face. Katie is forced to live as a settled traveller after their caravan with the title's blue horse burns down. She faces discrimination and bullying in school and in the town and finds it hard to cope. She gains some self-esteem through switching to woodwork class where she makes a wooden horse and paints it blue to replace the one lost in the fire.

[Wayward Child · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was ten when I read this book. I remember wanting so badly to be a Gipsy and telling that to everyone I knew. My dad told me I wouldn`t last a day without TV and that I could never be a Gipsy, because he spoiled me too much. Two days later, the power went out and I started crying, because, by the time it came back, the show I was watching on Cartoon Network was already finished. Point proven.

[Margaret Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

anyone who likes an emotional story this is the closest you can get it is a class book