Bella's Gift

Bella Sara #1

by Felicity Brown, Heather Theurer (Illustrator)

This new chapter book series is based on the popular collectible trading cards and the interactive Web site bellasara.com. Bella Sara is an imaginative world full of magical horses. Each book includes a unique code for girls to enter and play with on the Web site.

Genres: Fantasy, Horses, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Middle Grade, Magic

121 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid I was a huge fan of the online Bella Sara game and the trading cards that went with it (both of which sadly don’t exist anymore to my knowledge), so when this book first came out I was so excited and bought it right away to read it over a hundred times every few days for years.

Honestly this book has helped me in so many ways I didn’t even realize until this reread (2024). Jillian taught me to be brave and kind even when life isn’t fair, to see the good in others but also when to know evil and look it right in the eye and say no when it tells you to do something wrong. This world is rich with lore both borrowed from Norse mythology and made up in such creative detail without being pushy that just sparks my imagination even now years and hundreds of books read later. And the magical horses and their fight against evil will always live rent free in my heart of what true courage and bravery looks like.

It’s not flashy or brilliantly written or even that deep but this book is special to me for the rough times it helped me through and how this world and these characters fed and fueled my fantasy loving heart that made me into the writer I am today. This book will forever remain in my heart and I couldn’t be happier about it.


‼️Content‼️

Violence: horses, wolves, and a sorceress fight using magic, teeth, and hooves (not detailed)

Drug/Alcohol: a character uses an herb to put people to sleep

Other: magic; magical abilities/creatures/objects/places; a woman is an evil sorceress; a girl and animals are imprisoned slaves; a character was kidnapped as a baby; a character has visions; fantasy gods in a fantasy world; phantoms/spirits try to lure a character off a path; magic transforms a character; an avalanche; a woman is verbally abusive

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is Bella supposed to be horse Jesus?

[Catherine Puma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of the chapter book series based on the interactive website www.bellasara.com and collectible trading cards. The illustrations--about one per chapter or so--are really well done and my favorite part. My favorite character is Conall, the wolf prince, who experiences the most character growth and stars in the most active scenes. The Shadow Path was so eerie and neat world building; reminiscent of what El-ahrairah goes through in "Watership Down" by Richard Adams.

However, there are key storytelling issues that prevent me from giving this more than 3 stars. None of the small magical creatures are described in any detail, relying too heavily on the only partially representative illustrations, and leaving too many unanswered questions about what they do in the castle and where they came from. Additionally, the main protagonist is supposed to be Jillian, but she is so flat and doesn't contribute enough to the outcome of the narrative.

And so, this is fine for those already interested in the Bella Sara franchise, but only Conall and the horses' scenes are truly engaging. Thunder's lightning powers are awesome!

[Pasta Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were all very memorable. The story reminded me a lot of Tanith Lee’s Black Unicorn, which is a compliment.
I will say, the pacing was spotty at times. The beginning of the book has a good pace, but after Conall leaves the castle it seems to snowball and move too fast compared to the beginning. It kind of felt like instead of the author taking time as she did with the beginning she sped through the last scenes.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I was more into Bella Sara than I actually was as a kid - I think I just have memories from it being popular. This introduces some of the different horses and I might check out later books, but I wonder if the human protagonist continues throughout the series, or if that was just a way of introducing the setting.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always wanted to read these as a child, but never did. I was a huge fan of the trading cards.

This is well written, and really builds on the lore well. The illustrations were charming as well. A great book for young readers.

[Jatoria Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

[Saltwater January · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid and this is my attempt to review it just now:

This one was one of my favorites. I feel like this book had the most magic of any in the series. We have all the great horses, the appearance of Bella, so many cute creatures...it's a great story. Also the description of that forest that Conall went through was so eerie.

I recommend the entire series to anyone in middle school-grade school level. But I could easily go back as an adult and still enjoy this book.

[Ashley Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a great starter for the series!


Jillian is still stuck in the castle of her mistress. Jillian loves drawing about the animals in her dreams. But after she draws them, they always show up. She wonders why. Her best friend who is a wolf is different from his pack. Then, Jillian has a dream of a beautiful white horse.
Later, she finds out why the animals from her dreams come when she draws them. She finds out so much in her adventure. It can be overwhelming. It can feel like tiny bones grappling to you and make you want to open your eyes.


ITS SUCH A GOOD STARTER!!!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book based on a toy, created with the aim of selling more of the toy. I bought it solely to humor my six year old and was dreading having to read it aloud to her. You know what? It didn't suck. I actually got involved in it to the point where I found myself reading her four chapters at a time instead of one at a time. I am actually looking forward to reading Bella Sara #2, whatever that turns out to be.

[Erma Talamante · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the second book in the series, I thought I knew what to expect from these books. Hoo-boy. Was I wrong. While the Second book was good, this one was imaginative to the point of me continuing to read, even after the little would fall asleep on naps. High fantasy and legends combine to create an exciting tale of adventure, treachery, and danger.

Read the full review here:
https://ermareads.wordpress.com/child...

[Ella]

I will give this book 4 star's because it is about horses and i looooooooooooooooooooove horses.I also like this book because it is also about the bella sara series.It was also scary when Ivenna terned Conall in to half horse and half wolf.Yicks!Ifeel like i am in the book when conall and Jillian were going throo the forist.Really!

[Deloomey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cool book. The only reason I was really interested in it was because it had a horse on the front, and although it didn't really have anything related to horses, it was nice to read. I finished it within two days, however--pretty short. It would have been nice if the adventure had been longer--I would have probably given it four stars if it were more satisfying.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite part was when Bella rescued Jillian fem a wolf rider. the worst part was when Jillian got into trouble with ivenna, the wolf rider . the best character was Bella. the worst character was ivenna.the book was mostly about ivenna trying to capture all magical animals . Auryn 10 years old.

[AurorainBookland · Rating 2 out of 5]

very good horse story for young girls but older girls - in high school would think the story boring

[Mad]

the girl had a notebook and every time she saw a creature, she drew it in her notebook and they appeared later

[Trillian1117 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter asked me to read this so I did. It's cute, with a plot and characters I believe would be appealing to girls in their pre-teens. I would have loved it as a child.

[WSL Library]

x2

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!
I LOVE CONALL!