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Misty #3

Stormy, Misty's Foal

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A raging storm slashes across Assateague and Chincoteague islands. Water is everywhere The wild ponies and the people must battle for their lives.

In the midst of the storm, Misty-the famous mare of Chincoteague-is about to give birth. Paul and Maureen are frantic with worry as the storm rages on... will Misty and her colt survive?

This is the thrilling story of the hurricane that destroyed the wild herds of Assateague, and how strength and love helped rebuild them.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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About the author

Marguerite Henry

77 books636 followers
Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902-November 26, 1997) was an American writer. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won several Newbery Awards and Honors. Among the more famous of her works was Misty of Chincoteague, which was the basis for the 1961 movie Misty, and several sequel books.

"It is exciting to me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower ... even in the new age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder and challenge." This quote was from an article about Henry published in the Washington Post on November 28, 1997, in response to a query about her drive to write about horses.

Marguerite Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. Author of over fifty children's stories, including the Misty of Chincoteague series, Henry's love of animals started during her childhood. Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with a rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of her illness, Henry wasn't allowed to go to school with other children because of her weak state and the fear of spreading the illness to others. While she was confined indoors, she discovered the joy of reading. Soon afterwards, she also discovered a love for writing when her father, a publisher, presented her with a writing desk for Christmas. On the top of stacks of colored paper her father wrote, “Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XXXX.”

Henry's first published work came at the age of eleven, a short story about a collie and a group of children, which she sold to a magazine for $12. Henry always wrote about animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and even mules, but chiefly her stories focused on horses.

In 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. During their sixty-four years of marriage they didn't have children, but instead had many pets that inspired some of Marguerite’s stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.

In 1947, she published Misty of Chincoteague and it was an instant success. Later, this book—as well as Justin Morgan had a Horse and Brighty of the Grand Canyon—were made into movies.

She finished her last book, Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, just before her death on November 26, 1997 at the age of 95.

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5 stars
7,691 (39%)
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3 stars
4,518 (23%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,075 reviews104 followers
September 26, 2022
Although I was rather taken aback a few years ago when I did research online and realised that while the events portrayed by author Marguerite Henry in the third Misty of Chincoteague novel (in Stormy, Misty's Foal), including the raging springtime tidal storm that devastates the area, are indeed based on actual events, they happened NOT to Paul, Maureen, and Grandma and Grandpa Beebe, but to I think Uncle Ralph Beebe and his family (who took over Pony Ranch, including the ownership of Misty, upon Paul Beebe's and then also Grandpa and Grandma Beebe's deaths), I decided (whilst rereading in order to finally post a review) simply to enjoy Stormy, Misty's Foal as a novel, as a lovely and engaging horse-themed story in and of itself, as the third instalment of the adventures of Misty and the Beebe family (and doing so, has, in fact, brought back almost all of the magic I felt when I first read Stormy, Misty's Foal as a young preteen, at the age of twelve).

And therefore, even though the plot of Stormy, Misty's Foal is most definitely highly romanticised and fictionalised, it is still (and has definitely remained) very much a favourite reading experience for me, a joy and a comfort that bring together everything I tend to enjoy and appreciate in a good horse story for children (exciting, emotion-filled scenarios, nuanced both human and animal characters and a plot that while at times sounding a trifle over-the-top, still reads as something that could have happened, and in fact and in truth, even though the main characters are indeed pretty much different from reality, and the actual timeline is also quite a bit off, the events themselves, including Misty being stabled in the Pony Ranch kitchen during the storm, during the forced evacuation of Chincoteague, are in fact true, are in fact totally based on reality).

Five stars, and yes, an engaging and wonderful few hours of simple and sweet pleasure every time I do reread Stormy, Misty's Foal from the first page to the last! And I do think that one of the main reasons Stormy, Misty's Foal, even with its issues regarding what is true and what is fiction, still remains such a favourite, and sometimes even more so than the first book of the series, than Newbery Honour winning Misty of Chincoteague, is that especially and in particular Maureen Beebe is depicted and portrayed by Marguerite Henry as not only more active and more sure of herself, but that she is also increasingly vocal about rules and cultural regulations that favour men and boys, such as, for example, that only Paul is permitted to accompany the grandfather to Chincoteague to help with the clean-up process (although if truth be told, I think that Maureen should probably be happy that she is not tagging along with Paul and Grandfather Beebe, as having to deal with all of the drowned Chincoteague and Assateague ponies, including most of the family's ninety head up at Deep Hole would surely be tremendously traumatic).
Profile Image for Hannah.
2,402 reviews1,329 followers
January 9, 2022
Reading a Marguerite Henry book is like taking a visit back to childhood. This one wasn’t quite as familiar and comforting as others I’d read before—I was rather unprepared for the severe storm/flood which was based in fact—but it has a happy ending despite the tragedy in the middle.

Age 10-12
Content: minor swears and a lot of animal death
Profile Image for Audrey.
28 reviews
May 2, 2016
I am currently reading Stormy, Misty's Foal with one of my tutoring students. We make the perfect pair, as she can explain the horse-y elements of the plot and I can explain life in the 1960's.

As Grandpa Beebe and Paul travel up to Deep Hole with their neighbor, the author refers to the fabric scraps that the neighbor has brought along to make flags. I know exactly what a bag of fabric scraps looks like, and why a woman would have one.

One of the scraps, the neighbor tells us, was from his wife's pretty petticoat. I could explain the mysterious petticoat. (Luckily, she'd seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.)

I am also able to translate all the countrified expressions used by Grandma and Grandpa, though a couple have mystified me.

We both love this book, as we loved Misty of Chincoteague. These books offer a unique slice of Americana to children who've been raised a bit farther from the earth than the Beebe kids, who rely on the earth to feed themselves and their horses and to supply a full morning of chores.

282 reviews
May 15, 2018
I love the Chincoteague stories as much as when I read them as a young child. I long to live there and watch the wild ponies running free.
Profile Image for Cheryl .
9,051 reviews391 followers
February 16, 2018
I love the Beebe's, but only in small doses. It's so cute how the strongest support in times of stress is peppermint candy, and next is bacon or ham... no spirits here!

Fans of the horses themselves won't find much to satisfy, here, at least until the end. It really is mostly an adventure tale of the storm. And it's a bit of feminist manifesto, as the reader is more likely to empathize with Maureen's frustrations rather than Grandma's faith in "God's plan" for gender roles.

Btw, I do wish I'd read an earlier version, as I cannot believe that the reproductions for Aladdin of Dennis' art are well-done, and the cover is just wrong.
Profile Image for Sarah B.
813 reviews13 followers
January 18, 2022
Wow... In many ways this one was more intense and uncertain than the first book in this series! I wasn't expecting such an exciting story or the majority of the tale to be about an awful storm. Lots of devastation in here (which is something you might want to be aware of - it's not exactly a happy, feel good story).

I guess one thing I can say about this story is it makes it very clear exactly what one faces from mother nature and the ocean if you live on a tiny island on the east coast. The descriptions and the drawings in here make that very clear. It can be bleak (and maybe scary if you read this to young kids?) but the Beebe family in here are very strong and they stick together. I like how they look after Misty and all of their other animals. They always think of Misty and her safety and comfort. Plus they have ways of fighting depression during the darkest parts of the story. Of course a big part of the story is the fact Misty is going to have a baby!

Truthfully I found this story very riveting. Totally hooked and turning the pages to see how it all wound end. And for awhile there it seemed so dark and awful...

Of course I love all the horse stuff in here! And I had never heard of a horse "shaking hands"? Dogs, yes, but not a horse. Those hooves are very heavy! Just try cleaning the frog..

One thing I noticed is how some of the little details or words used are from an older era. One that really stood out was the "asbestos curtains"! Really??! They had made curtains from asbestos? I think that was the most shocking thing in here! I do find these little things interesting but others may not and I am sure kids wouldn't care.
Profile Image for Bonnie.
983 reviews10 followers
February 13, 2019
Reread 2019: Another happy re-read. Despite the horror of the devastating storm that struck the little islands, which really happened in 1962, I really respond to all the hopefulness in this story. The closeness of the Beebe family, the children who are so concerned for Misty and her unborn foal, the letters that pour in after Stormy's birth, the response to Misty and Stormy's theatrical visits. I will, however, comment on a (hopefully) unintentional bit of humor that I couldn't stop laughing at. Young Maureen tells her brother, "Oh, Paul, I wish I could read critters' mind the way you do." To which Paul, in all his (again, hopefully), young brotherly ignorance (and not anti-feminism) says, "That's easy, Maureen. You just got to be as smart as them." Basically, telling his sister she's dumber than animals. LOL!
***
Read for National Children's Book Week in 2009. Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy, Misty's Foal and King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry. Obviously, I read these books over and over as a girl, having been a horse lover since I can remember. I hadn't read any of them in a while (despite owning a lovely color illustrated hardback copy of the last), so it was a great joy to reread them again. Henry has a lovely gift for putting you right in the place and time of the story.
Profile Image for Gina.
281 reviews7 followers
March 12, 2016
Marguerite Henry's one weakness: series. What I mean is, there is hardly any continuity between Sea Star and this one. Sea Star doesn't even seem to exist in this book; he's never mentioned. The family as also gained a collie, Skipper, and a cat, Wait-a-Minute, with no explanation. They even mention a puppy they used to have (which was not there in either of the previous books) and don't explain why that one's gone. And it isn't explained how or why Misty is back from her tour around the world.

Other than those faults, the book holds the same quality as the others, so I couldn't rate it too low; the only reason I went as low as I did was because it was jarring to come into the next book with no connection to the last one. Still, if you read it on its own, I think it holds up well and it's quite a touching story of how the boys and girls of America came together, in a way, to help Chincoteague and Assateague.
Profile Image for Jodi.
1,775 reviews26 followers
August 20, 2010
We bought this book at the Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague Island when we were there back in July. The book is even signed by Billy King Beebe, who even though he is not named in the story because Marguerite Henry kept the names Paul and Maureen from her first book about the island, is the boy who these events happened to in real life! Pretty cool! We got to walk up the stairs Misty walked up into the house and see the kitchen where she stayed during the storm. We also got to see the real Misty and Stormy that have been stuffed and preserved for all posterity - rather creepy in a way but we can say we really saw them (and touched them too - oops - saw the sign after we petted them!). As we read the story, I kept thinking of our vacation. I think having been there helped my daughter to envision it all too! Love when fiction and the real world collide in that way!
Profile Image for Lauren Robertson.
37 reviews4 followers
September 29, 2021
We read Misty last summer and loved reading the sequel this summer. I really enjoy Henry's writing... beautiful, thoughtful detail that is just enough to inspire both adults and children with wonder without losing kids in the descriptions.
Profile Image for Sheila .
1,919 reviews
November 25, 2016
I should have just left this as something I loved as a child. I have always loved the Marguerite Henry horse books, and one of the first Breyer horses I ever bought as a young girl was of Stormy, Misty's foal (probably because it was small so it was less expensive and I could afford it, but also because I just loved it).

So now I have read this lovely horse story to my daughter, and relived the terrible storm, and all of the ponies that died, and Misty living and surviving in the Beebe's kitchen before being taken to the vet where she has lovely baby Stormy. Great story, right?

But now that I have finished I just went on line to find some real photos of Misty and Stormy, and while googling I have learned that most of this is total fiction. I was surprised to learn that Marguerite Henry in fact OWNED Misty for 11 years, having bought her as a foal (she was foaled on the Beebe farm, and was not a "wild" pony). Misty went back to live with the Beebe's in her older life and Stormy was one of her foals, but Clarence, Ida and Paul Beebe were all DEAD before Stormy was born, so that whole part was fictionalized. The storm that is described was the Ash Wednesday Storm that hit the Eastern Seaboard March 6, 1962, several years after the deaths of Clarence, Ida and Paul, and Misty was actually then living with Ralph and Jeanette Beebe and three of their children; Denny, Billy, and Lee.

And while searching I did find photos of Misty and Stormy, but they are not what I was expecting...they are in fact photos of the taxidermy bodies of Misty and Stormy on display at the Beebe Ranch Museum on Chincoteague. Yes, they stuffed Misty and Stormy.
Profile Image for Amanda Schell.
Author 3 books72 followers
August 16, 2021
My mom bought me these books when I was a kid. I might have been biased them because I LOVED horses but I really enjoyed the books and they might been the 1st chapter books I actually completed on my own. Very dear to me <3
Profile Image for Sarah Ryder.
443 reviews66 followers
August 25, 2021
I’ve always liked this story and have read it many times. How everything happened with the storm, how heartbreaking the devastation was yet how people and animals were saved too. I teared up and cried several times. The goat scenes are priceless and some of the best parts, as is Misty in the kitchen.

This is my third favorite Marguerite Henry book and I’m glad to have visited it again after so many years.

Content: aftermath of a hurricane including dead animals and ruin; grief and loss
Profile Image for Heather.
220 reviews2 followers
October 9, 2012
Spoiler alert: my 7 year old daughter considered giving this 5 stars, but lowered her rating because the foal isn't born until 3/4 of the way thru the book. The story concentrates on a huge storm and how the people handle it. While animals are a part of the story, they are secondary too often too the people for my animal loving daughter's comfort.
Profile Image for Shelby.
123 reviews
September 14, 2022
I picked up this series because it used to belong to my mom when she was a kid and I wanted to see what she was reading as a horse girl in the 70s & 80s.
This series is absolutely dated. Keep that in mind when you're reading it - it was written in 1947.

Paul STILL treats Maureen (his sister) like garbage and if my brother even dared speak to me like that... well, let's just say he would would look a lot like Voldemort. This book was flat out obnoxious. Paul is constantly whining and talking about Misty even when his entire island is destroyed from a hurricane and many people lost their homes and pets, he is still like "BuT WhAt AbOuT MiStY." Priorities Paul, please. Also right when Misty gives birth they want her to take another tour across America with Stormy? I just find it so absurd.

Also, what happened to Sea Star??????????

Overall it's a quick read with pretty cool hand drawn pictures inside. If you live in the area or general area (PA, MD, DE, VA, DC, NJ, NC) it is nifty to read book based in the area, however; I would not recommend this read.

{~* Want to follow me? https://linktr.ee/shelbyyyyyyrrrr *~}
Profile Image for Christian West.
Author 2 books2 followers
May 14, 2018
A romanticised account of how the 1962 Ash Wednesday storms hit Chincoteague Island and how the Beebe family and their pregnant horse Misty survived.

I quite enjoyed this book, it focused less on the horses and more on the family (so some of the reviews from horse lovers are less glowing). I liked how the two female characters had differing opinions of female roles in society, with the teenage girl fighting against the grandmother's definitions of what a girl should do. I also liked that this was based on a true story, it makes for a more in-depth story, even if written with simple language to appeal to early teens. I less liked the single-minded obsession with Misty the horse (especially when there was a bunch of other animals).
Profile Image for Stef Rozitis.
1,444 reviews69 followers
April 12, 2020
Disappointingly old-fashioned. Grandpa and Grandma's funny way of talking are exaggerated, there's a whole lot of pointless religious stuff in there but most of all it illustrates Carol Adams' claim that the exploitation of animals and the exploitation of women are both two sides of the same coin. I felt that Maureen raised some good questions a couple of times and got dismissed, the horses might be very celebrated but they get rounded up, penned and "broken". Oyster pie and turtle soup rounded off my sustainability issues with this story.

It's probably based on a true story but the author nevertheless chooses what to focus on and the focus here is male supremacy over nature and women.
Profile Image for Grace.
52 reviews
July 2, 2020
This book is so cute! I really enjoyed finding out that misty was pregnant!! But when the storm hit you get nervous!! The only thing I disliked was that no one stayed with misty in the house during the storm, that they left there dog skipper, and that Stormy was born at the very end of the book! Overall I enjoyed it! 💛🐴
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cindy Kubley.
125 reviews4 followers
Read
March 31, 2018
Happy endings

This a great story that demonstrates the people of a small island resolve after a disastrous storm nearly destroys their way of life. A real feel good story that leaves you feeling satisfied and content.
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 3 books29 followers
February 27, 2017
This is the grittiest and arguably the most fact-based book Marguerite Henry ever wrote, about the time of the great Ash Wednesday nor'easter of 1962 -- a storm so powerful that it permanently changed the shape of the Eastern seaboard. It also killed 40 people, countless animals and did damage like this:

description

During this time, the celebrated Misty of Chincoteague was heavily pregnant with her third and final foal, Stormy. (Incidentally, Stormy would be the only foal of Misty's to survive to maturity. Her previous two died of colic.) When I was a kid, it was a joy to find an old National Geographic article on the Ash Wednesday storm that contained a photo of Misty and Stormy. Misty really did ride out the storm in the Beebe house.

I get mixed feelings about this book because it made me happy to read it and yet it was based on very sad events. I was a kid when I first read it and the book does show kids helping to fix a bad situation for the Chincotegue ponies. The illustrations are gorgeous, but you haven't really read the book unless you get a hardback with all of the full-color plates included. They add a whole dimension which is lost in the paperback black-and-white illustrations only editions.

The cover is also a far more realistic image of Misty than the infamous Misty of Chincoteague cover. Here's the photo the cover is based on:

description
Profile Image for Rachael.
27 reviews
October 9, 2011
In the book Stormy, Misty’s Foal, by Marguerite Henry, Paul and Maureen Beebe reluctantly evacuate their home on Chincoteague Island with their grandparents, as a huge storm washes over their island. The worst part is that they have to leave their beloved pregnant pony Misty on the island. As the days pass by, the Beebe’s have to be exceptionally strong, while their pony is trapped on the flooding island and when they finally return home, they find Misty and her newborn Stormy, unharmed. I believe the theme of this book is that if life turns to the worst, it may get better if you believe it will, and remain strong and true to yourself. This book was worth reading because of all the different emotions that the story held.
Profile Image for Deborah Janik.
78 reviews5 followers
November 29, 2012
I feel the same about this book as I did the first in the series. That is, I would've liked it when I was in third grade. Now that I'm older, I don't quite have that same love of horses or ponies. I thought it was a neat story, and it was really interesting to see a children's book that dealt with natural disaster. I love anthropology and so seeing how people (especially in a more historical setting) face tragic and disastrous times has always been really fascinating to me. I still have one more book by Henry to read, but I'm in no hurry to get there.
Profile Image for Lara.
136 reviews
May 4, 2013
Hard to rate this one - I remember reading it as a youngster, and presumably enjoying it. Re-reading it, I found it rather dated, a bit condescending and the characters' obsession with Misty a bit hard to understand. Interesting to read the (fictional) experience of a community affected by a major flood, particularly as it seems little has changed.
Profile Image for Kimi.
6 reviews
June 15, 2008
spoiler alert: You don't find out that the mamma horse and her foal are safe until Chapter 18. That's a long time if you're 7 years old and this is being read chapter-by-chapter as a nighttime story. Excellent story nonetheless, and based on true events for the islanders.
Profile Image for Tara.
1,044 reviews16 followers
September 25, 2011
I have no memory of reading this as a child, though I am sure I did. I am a little disappointed as so far this is very little about "horses" and more just about people. Also, frankly, the writing is just weaker.
Profile Image for Jules.
35 reviews6 followers
August 25, 2007
If a children's author wrote a beloved story about an adorable puppy who was born during the Katrina hurricane in New Orleans, it still wouldn't be as cute as Stormy.

Profile Image for Laurie.
87 reviews
June 2, 2017
This was one of my favorites as a kid, but it doesn't quite hold up all these years later! It's a whole lot sadder than I remember too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews

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