The Georges and the Jewels (Nobody's Horse)

From School Library Journal Grade 5–8—A quiet novel about the relationships surrounding 12-year-old Abby on her family's rural horse ranch in 1960s California. Due to her parents' strict religious views (no TV or rock music), Abby often feels like an outcast in her small seventh-grade class and she is often subjected to ridicule by the popular girls. She finds solace in working with the horses (there are numerous detailed scenes of riding, jumping, and grooming) with the exception of Ornery George. To avoid attachment and to ready the animals for sale, her father names all their horses George or Jewel. Meanwhile, the family is dealing with the estrangement of 16-year-old Danny, who left home after an argument. Abby's voice tends to be far more intuitive and insightful than one would expect of her age, especially as she discerns the nuances and tensions in her parents' relationship. The occasional anachronistic word or phrase such as ''wandering around the strip mall'' (a term generally not in use until the 1980s) tend to distract. Ultimately, the subtle shifts in attitude that occur may be appreciated by adults but lost on the young readers for whom the book is intended. Intricate pen-and-ink drawings of horse equipment at the beginning of each chapter give the book an old-fashioned feel.— Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library END Review Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, July 20, 2009: ''A lyrical meditation on horses, families, and the vicissitudes of peer relationships among girls.'' Review, Booklist, September 15, 2009: ''[A] quiet, psychologically attuned youth debut.'' Review, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), October 3, 2009: '''The Georges and the Jewels' is filled with fascinating details about the care and training of horses, and Abby is a refreshing heroine in today's snark-filled times.'' Review, Chicago Sun-Times, October 18, 2009: ''Smiley’s intricate and sophisticated knowledge of horses shines throughout this book, making it a guaranteed winner for horse-loving youngsters.'' Review, LATimes.com, September 27, 2009: ''I have never admired [Smiley's] writing as much as I do in the first of what promises to be a series of books for children...'The Georges and the Jewels' can easily take its place on the shelf along with the great horse stories of childhood.'' Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2009: ''Readers...will be happy to mount up and ride along.'' From the Hardcover edition.

a Pulitzer Prize Winner Makes Her Debut For Young Readers.

abby Lovitt Has Been Riding Horses For As Long As She Can Remember, But Daddy Hasn't Let Her Name A Single One. He Calls All Their Geldings George And Their Mares Jewel And Warns Her Not To Get Attached. The Horses Are There On The Ranch To Be Sold, Plain And Simple.

but With All The Stress At School (the Big Four—linda, Mary A., Mary N., Joan—have Turned Against Her) And Home (nothing Feels Right With Her Brother, Danny, Gone), Abby Can't Help But Seek Comfort In The Georges And The Jewels, Who Greet Her Every Day With Soft Nickers. Except For One: The Horse Who Won't Meet Her Gaze, The Horse Who Bucks Her Off, The Horse Daddy Insists She Ride And Train. Abby Knows Not To Cross Her Father, But She Knows, Too, That She Can't Get Back On Ornery George. And Suddenly The Horses Seem Like No Refuge At All.

from Pulitzer Prize Winner Jane Smiley Comes An Emotionally Charged And Action-filled Novel For Young Readers, Set In The Vibrant Landscape Of 1960s California Horse Country.

publishers Weekly

pulitzer Prize–winner Smiley's First Novel For Young Readers Is A Lyrical Meditation On Horses, Families And The Vicissitudes Of Peer Relationships Among Girls. Twelve-year-old Abby Lives On A California Horse Farm With Her Evangelical Parents. It Is The Mid-1960s, And References To Dusty Springfield Records And Portable Hi-fis Contrast With The Pastoral Setting, Where The Struggle Is Mainly Between Abby And “ornery George,” One Of The Gelding Horses (all The Horses Are Named George Or Jewel By Abby's Father To Eschew Unnecessary Attachments). A Wise And Kindly Horse Trainer Eventually Teaches Abby How To Temper Ornery George, Paralleling The Nuanced Lessons She Learns About Her Relationship With Her Father, His Fraught Dealings With Abby's Older Brother, Danny, As Well As The Bullying By The “big Four” Girls At School. As Might Be Expected From The Skilled Hands Of Smiley (a Thousand Acres), There Are Additional Synchronous Story Lines, Such As The Ways An Unexpected And Spirited Colt Named Jack Becomes Accepted Into The Human And Horse Families. Many Will Find It Difficult To Say Goodbye To Abby, Jack And Especially To Ornery George. Ages 10–up. (sept.)

A Pulitzer Prize winner makes her debut for young readers.Jane Smiley makes her debut for young readers in this stirring novel set on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt has always been more at ease with horses than with people. Her father insists they call all the mares "Jewel" and all the geldings "George" and warns Abby not to get attached: the horses are there to be sold. But with all the stress at school (the Big Four have turned against Abby and her friends) and home (her brother Danny is gone--for good, it seems--and now Daddy won't speak his name), Abby seeks refuge with the Georges and the Jewels. But there's one gelding on her family's farm that gives her no end of trouble: the horse who won't meet her gaze, the horse who bucks her right off every chance he gets, the horse her father makes her ride and train, every day. She calls him the Ornery George.From the Hardcover edition. A Pulitzer Prize winner makes her debut for young readers. Jane Smiley makes her debut for young readers in this stirring novel set on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt has always been more at ease with horses than with people. Her father insists they call all the mares Jewel and all the geldings George and warns Abby not to get the horses are there to be sold. But with all the stress at school (the Big Four have turned against Abby and her friends) and home (her brother Danny is gonefor good, it seemsand now Daddy wont speak his name), Abby seeks refuge with the Georges and the Jewels. But theres one gelding on her familys farm that gives her no end of the horse who wont meet her gaze, the horse who bucks her right off every chance he gets, the horse her father makes her ride and train, every day. She calls him the Ornery George. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt grows up on her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, learning to train the horses her father sells and trying to reconcile her strict religious upbringing with her own ideas about life.