What do you think?
Rate this book
Can I Get There by Candlelight?
"Come on, Candy," says Gail, leading her horse, Candlight. "Let's go exploring."
Gail's parents have just rented a carriage house, about all that's left of an old country estate. The big house was torn down long ago, and woods have sprung up where the lawns and gardens grew. Beyond the woods, fields stretch for miles—perfect for riding.
But when Gail steps through the iron gate near the edge of the woods, she has a shock. Instead of fields, she looks across a wide lawn to an enormous house! And running toward her is a girl wearing a dress from a hundred years ago!
Somehow, Gail has gone back in time. Can she return to the present? Or will she and Candy be caught in the past forever?
Gail's parents have just rented a carriage house, about all that's left of an old country estate. The big house was torn down long ago, and woods have sprung up where the lawns and gardens grew. Beyond the woods, fields stretch for miles—perfect for riding.
But when Gail steps through the iron gate near the edge of the woods, she has a shock. Instead of fields, she looks across a wide lawn to an enormous house! And running toward her is a girl wearing a dress from a hundred years ago!
Somehow, Gail has gone back in time. Can she return to the present? Or will she and Candy be caught in the past forever?
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
1 person is currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Jean Slaughter Doty
15 books30 followersJean Slaughter Doty was born in New York. She was married to the cartoonist Roy Doty, and lived in Connecticut with her husband, children and numerous horses, dogs and Siamese cats. Her equine experience was wide: she hunted in England and Ireland, and was well known for breeding Welsh ponies at Rockrimmon farm, as well as Keeshond dogs. She was a show judge at numerous shows, including the National Horse Show at Madison Square Gardens. Almost all of her books are stories about horses for middle readers or young adults.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 15, 2020
How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light,
You can get there by candlelight.
-- Mother Goose
I think I was about 7 or 8 when I first got this book. I know of got it second hand, but I'm not 100% sure where it came from or who gave it to me. All I know for certain is that I instantly fell in love with it. You know those books that just grab you completely, and you know it's special before you've even started it? There's a magical quality to them and they insist you have them? This was one of those.
I suppose part of it is the cover - how can a horse crazy kid resist that picture (It's by Lydia Rosier by the way) or the intriguing title that seemed much more unusual than your typical horse riding story title. And this book is rather unusual - yes it has a girl (Gail) and she has a pony, Candy. It starts like many pony stories, with a ride in the woods*. Gail takes Candy or Candlelight which is her full name, through an old gate and through the woods, where they emerge on the lawn of an enormous house, with a girl called Hilary, wearing an old-fashioned dress, accompanied by her little white dog Nanette.
The house (estate?) is called Babylon, and somehow riding Candy through that gate takes Gail about 100 years back in time. She spends her summer afternoons in the past with Hilary, learning how to ride side saddle and using Hilary's pony cart. They become firm friends and it's enchanting to read.
It's a beautiful story with an ominous undertone that I found completely captivating when I first read it. I felt like I was there with Gail and Hilary, I could smell the honeysuckle and taste the lemonade and teacakes. It was a completely absorbing reading experience and I've read it over and over again.
I enjoyed it just as much on this reading and expect I'll be returning to it again many more times. It's a short book, you can easily read it in one or two sittings and just get lost in it for a little while.
Two things to note - it is a children's story, and while an adult could certainly enjoy it, if books aimed at younger readers aren't for you, you probably aren't compatible with this.
Also, if you buy this off Book Depository (and possibly other websites, though I haven't checked) they give away the dramatic ending of the book, though slightly inaccurately, since the actual story is more open ended than their description. This might not be an issue for many, but if you don't like spoilers, stick the Goodreads description and just avoid the description if Book Depository is somewhere you're considering purchasing from (they do have it at a great price)!
*More accurately, it starts with the opening of an old a trunk. The ride begins in chapter two.
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light,
You can get there by candlelight.
-- Mother Goose
I think I was about 7 or 8 when I first got this book. I know of got it second hand, but I'm not 100% sure where it came from or who gave it to me. All I know for certain is that I instantly fell in love with it. You know those books that just grab you completely, and you know it's special before you've even started it? There's a magical quality to them and they insist you have them? This was one of those.
I suppose part of it is the cover - how can a horse crazy kid resist that picture (It's by Lydia Rosier by the way) or the intriguing title that seemed much more unusual than your typical horse riding story title. And this book is rather unusual - yes it has a girl (Gail) and she has a pony, Candy. It starts like many pony stories, with a ride in the woods*. Gail takes Candy or Candlelight which is her full name, through an old gate and through the woods, where they emerge on the lawn of an enormous house, with a girl called Hilary, wearing an old-fashioned dress, accompanied by her little white dog Nanette.
The house (estate?) is called Babylon, and somehow riding Candy through that gate takes Gail about 100 years back in time. She spends her summer afternoons in the past with Hilary, learning how to ride side saddle and using Hilary's pony cart. They become firm friends and it's enchanting to read.
It's a beautiful story with an ominous undertone that I found completely captivating when I first read it. I felt like I was there with Gail and Hilary, I could smell the honeysuckle and taste the lemonade and teacakes. It was a completely absorbing reading experience and I've read it over and over again.
I enjoyed it just as much on this reading and expect I'll be returning to it again many more times. It's a short book, you can easily read it in one or two sittings and just get lost in it for a little while.
Two things to note - it is a children's story, and while an adult could certainly enjoy it, if books aimed at younger readers aren't for you, you probably aren't compatible with this.
Also, if you buy this off Book Depository (and possibly other websites, though I haven't checked) they give away the dramatic ending of the book, though slightly inaccurately, since the actual story is more open ended than their description. This might not be an issue for many, but if you don't like spoilers, stick the Goodreads description and just avoid the description if Book Depository is somewhere you're considering purchasing from (they do have it at a great price)!
*More accurately, it starts with the opening of an old a trunk. The ride begins in chapter two.
September 20, 2009
A summer spent in a rented house while Gail Simmons waited for school to start, started out normal, looking through the attic of the old coach house, Gail found a trunk with a side saddle and riding habit. She was a good horseback rider, her and Candy (short for Candlelight) had even won awards together but she had never ridden sidesaddle so the dusty saddle interested her. Spending her afternoons on Candy, riding in the orchard, she found a gate in the old stone wall, they went through and followed a path and were surprised to see a summerhouse (gazebo type building) on the other side (Babylon). The girl, Hilary was there, drinking lemonade and dressed differently than Gail was. Through out the summer, the two girls became friends and together they taught Gail how to ride sidesaddle and drive a pony cart. The whole time, Gail knew there was something so different about their friendship, she just was not sure and in the end, the time difference was so much more than the ride through the simple woods.
Fun and easy read, short chapters, the concept of time is subtle only pointed out by the differences between dress style, transportation forms, and several words. The girls become friends with several similar interests including the love of horses, riding, and being outside in the summer. The ending is sad and in some ways incomplete, what happened to Hilary, how bad was she hurt, who put the trunk back in the attic. Good read aloud story.
"How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light.
You can get there by candlelight."
- Mother Goose
Fun and easy read, short chapters, the concept of time is subtle only pointed out by the differences between dress style, transportation forms, and several words. The girls become friends with several similar interests including the love of horses, riding, and being outside in the summer. The ending is sad and in some ways incomplete, what happened to Hilary, how bad was she hurt, who put the trunk back in the attic. Good read aloud story.
"How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light.
You can get there by candlelight."
- Mother Goose
Read
March 14, 2009Childhood favorite; I still love it, though it doesn't hold up as well now.
June 15, 2018
What an utterly charming and delightful book. It turned me back into a 12 year old for a brief enchanted spell. The fact that it didn't wrap it all up in a neat happy ending bow did not detract one tiny bit from the pleasure. In fact, I admire it.
This is the sort of horse story I loved as a girl, when the Pullein-Thompson sisters and Pat Smythe and Enid Blyton ruled my reading world. I've been so disappointed by the comparative pablum of modern American Scholastic horse stories. How did I not know about Jean Slaughter Doty?
I see she's written some for the Scholastic series, I'll have to check them out.
If they're anything like this good, I'll happily turn Little Girl again to read 'em.
This is the sort of horse story I loved as a girl, when the Pullein-Thompson sisters and Pat Smythe and Enid Blyton ruled my reading world. I've been so disappointed by the comparative pablum of modern American Scholastic horse stories. How did I not know about Jean Slaughter Doty?
I see she's written some for the Scholastic series, I'll have to check them out.
If they're anything like this good, I'll happily turn Little Girl again to read 'em.
January 8, 2013
A fantastic wish-fulfillment adventure. Summer, ponies, and a mysterious door to hang out in the elegant past? Yes, please.
March 7, 2016
So I read this in about 4th or 5th grade from the book mobile (around 1982) and have often thought about it.Back before Harry Potter and a lot of you adult fantasy novels. This novel was very magical and unique in my mind. I did research and figured out the name and ordered it from Amazon. So I am read it again 34 years later and it was better then I remember. Very well written. I can't believe it's out of print. It still would apply well today. Really good book.Better then I remember. I love simple time travel books.
My blog
My blog
Read
March 26, 2011One of the first time travel books I ever read. I was thinking about this book today after about 25 years, and thanks to the miracle of the internet, found it again easily.
I am not a "horse person", but i loved the story and the literary nursery rhyme reference. I agree with the other reviewers that the story is sweet but in the end, unsatisfying, in that it leaves too many questions unanswered.
I am not a "horse person", but i loved the story and the literary nursery rhyme reference. I agree with the other reviewers that the story is sweet but in the end, unsatisfying, in that it leaves too many questions unanswered.
May 19, 2012
(the rating is purely a reflection of how much I enjoyed it as a child, haven't attempted to reread.)
June 25, 2012
Tear jerker...
May 20, 2014
Loved this just as much as when I was 10. Fantastic little book, and the illustrations are wonderful.
December 15, 2017
One of my very favorite books as a girl and where I first fell in love with time travel.
March 31, 2017
I've read perhaps a literal ton horse books in my life. Jean Slaughter Doty is one of a handful of authors I wish I'd met. (Sadly, she died in 1991.) I wanted to ask her how she came up with the ideas some of the more screwed-up of her books, such as Can I Get There by Candlelight? I wonder if she had a recurring nightmare and so just had to write this story down so she could finally get a good night's sleep. Or perhaps the story just came to her and nagged at her so much that she was driven to write it down.
Well -- I guess we'll never know.
This is the most bizarre of Slaughter Doty's books -- and I mean bizarre in a nice way. It's rare to find horse books that mention time-travelling. (If you know of any more, please let me know.)
Unfortunately, the book does not have a satisfying ending. It just ends and lots of questions are left unanswered. I know that's like life but in a kid's book I was hoping for a more satisfying tale, no mater how original the plot.
Well -- I guess we'll never know.
This is the most bizarre of Slaughter Doty's books -- and I mean bizarre in a nice way. It's rare to find horse books that mention time-travelling. (If you know of any more, please let me know.)
Unfortunately, the book does not have a satisfying ending. It just ends and lots of questions are left unanswered. I know that's like life but in a kid's book I was hoping for a more satisfying tale, no mater how original the plot.
November 28, 2017
I have read this many times since I was a child. Loved it then and still do.
November 25, 2015
Gail and her pony Candy face an isolated summer in a new home. Then they chance upon an old rusted gate that leads to a welcoming path in the woods, and their lives are forever changed. Gail and Candy follow the path to Babylon, a place seemingly untouched by the last hundred years of progress. There Hilary awaits, and they while away the summer in her company. But with the coming of fall, Gail fears that facing reality again could be a challenge.
Jean Slaughter Doty weaves a fantastic tale of friendship and mystery. She never falls back on the tired trope of our teenage protagonist feeling sorry for herself, but instead let's her organically follow the path she has set her upon.
Jean Slaughter Doty weaves a fantastic tale of friendship and mystery. She never falls back on the tired trope of our teenage protagonist feeling sorry for herself, but instead let's her organically follow the path she has set her upon.
November 30, 2016
Time travel, but not so's you'd notice. From the cover I expected a horse story, but didn't really get that. There was a pony, but not much talk of relationship with it. From the description I expected a time travel story, and while she did communicate with someone from the past there was no connection to the present or sense of being in another time and place. Seemed more like an imaginary friend than a real adventure. Pretty dull over all. I left in on the airplane. Maybe someone else will enjoy it.
May 1, 2015
Gail Simmons is a girl who lives on a farm. It is summer and she is patiently waiting for school to start. She loves riding her horse Candlelight. One day she is riding Candlelight and she goes through this gate and travels back in time. She meets this girl named Hilary in the town of Babylon. She comes back to Babylon everyday so Hilary and her can ride horse together. They hung out all summer, but in the end, it’s not just a simple ride.
October 15, 2019
One of my all time favorites growing up- it had everything a teenagers needs: Horses and time travel. I wish they wrote more books like this now. 5 stars
October 3, 2014
I loved this book when I was a tween! I forgot all about it until now but I'm giving it 5 stars because I know I read it at least twice and enjoyed it.
February 27, 2015
Perfect for young adults who like a bit of mystery.
March 6, 2021
Lovely little children's book, more meant for upper elementary. Fond memories of this book pushed me for a reread. Lovely still, infused with the angst of moves and childhood going away. Ponies of course and a hint of history and mystery.
October 8, 2017
I'll admit it - I only read this book because of the title.
How many miles to Babylon?
Three score mile and ten
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
Yes if your feet are nimble and light
You can get there by candlelight.
Just a pretty little rhyme that I happened upon years ago and found charming.
I appreciate that the author formed an entire story about the rhyme. Gail is the new girl in town and has no friends except for her horse. It's set in the early 1980s so she doesn't have Netflix or GTA online or such to entertain her. To make matters worse, her family is renting an old carriage house on the outskirts of town as they wait for their new home to be built. She's isolated and lonely. So one day when she stumbles upon a little wicket gate along a hedge row, Gail takes a chance and walks through it.
It's a sweet story of friendship and a rather poignant one as it explores loneliness. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I felt sorry for both girls. What detracted from it - and probably would have bothered me even if I'd read this as a kid - is the rushed ending without much resolution. I wish there'd been another chapter in which Gail .
How many miles to Babylon?
Three score mile and ten
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
Yes if your feet are nimble and light
You can get there by candlelight.
Just a pretty little rhyme that I happened upon years ago and found charming.
I appreciate that the author formed an entire story about the rhyme. Gail is the new girl in town and has no friends except for her horse. It's set in the early 1980s so she doesn't have Netflix or GTA online or such to entertain her. To make matters worse, her family is renting an old carriage house on the outskirts of town as they wait for their new home to be built. She's isolated and lonely. So one day when she stumbles upon a little wicket gate along a hedge row, Gail takes a chance and walks through it.
It's a sweet story of friendship and a rather poignant one as it explores loneliness. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I felt sorry for both girls. What detracted from it - and probably would have bothered me even if I'd read this as a kid - is the rushed ending without much resolution. I wish there'd been another chapter in which Gail .
November 25, 2024
I read this book when I was younger, but found it (and a bunch of other horse books!) in a box that my mom made me take out of their house.
The main idea is that when the protagonist walks through a specific gate on a property her parents are renting for the summer, she is transported back about 100 years and meets a girl the same age (and of course same size so she can fit her clothes, right?) and has an awesome summer... until she doesn't.
THE END.
I was hoping for some kind of cool resolution with a newspaper article appearing about the girl from the past, but there wasn't. It just ended, and life went on as if it never happened. Oh well. I think I was much more intrigued when I was a kid - and I glossed over some of the unbelievable details more.
The main idea is that when the protagonist walks through a specific gate on a property her parents are renting for the summer, she is transported back about 100 years and meets a girl the same age (and of course same size so she can fit her clothes, right?) and has an awesome summer... until she doesn't.
THE END.
I was hoping for some kind of cool resolution with a newspaper article appearing about the girl from the past, but there wasn't. It just ended, and life went on as if it never happened. Oh well. I think I was much more intrigued when I was a kid - and I glossed over some of the unbelievable details more.
April 10, 2010
This book was a favorite of my teen years. I will keep it forever to pass on to others who I think might also like it. It not only inspired me to grow into a proud and confident young woman, but brought back nostalgic memories of imaginitive games that I played in my grandparents' fields as a child.
February 10, 2015
I loved this book as a young girl!
ETA: I just finished reading this with my 8 year old daughter and had so much fun reliving a favorite from my childhood! She loved it as well and the two of us have decided that we MUST figure out a way to go back in time!
ETA: I just finished reading this with my 8 year old daughter and had so much fun reliving a favorite from my childhood! She loved it as well and the two of us have decided that we MUST figure out a way to go back in time!
April 23, 2011
This was one of my all-time favorite books when I was a child. I remember wishing to have found a place like the one in this book...to travel through time...to ride a beautiful horse. It's a shame it has been out of print for so very long.
September 27, 2012
I remembered this as one of the most captivating books I read as an adolescent. I thought about it for years. I finally picked it up again and re-read it this week. Some of the magic was lost in the intervening years but I can see why I loved it so much as a girl!
October 13, 2012
Gail's parents rent a house for the summer, where Gail and her horse Candy can spend hours together in the woods. When she opens the back gate to the forest she and Candy meet Hilary - from the past.
June 4, 2007
This was one of my favorite books as an adolescent.
March 29, 2008
lovely childrens book
November 11, 2009
I loved this book! I read it at least 20 years ago, and I've never forgotten it. It's in the YA section of the library, but I'd love to read it again. A lovely, haunting tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews